T

Terrain Twister

I'm New Here
Hello RVators!

Hoping to get some sound advice from those that took their training in the So Cal area. Wanting to fly for as long as I remember, I thought it was time to act. Watching a parent slowly die of Cancer will do that.

Would prefer a school that operates out of either SNA (John Wayne) or AJO (Corona) with CNO (Chino) being a possibility. I live in Lake Forest so John Wayne would be preferred but cost is something I'm worried about.

Any Advice on keeping cost down would also be welcome. Books, internet resources, ground training, etc.

I've already signed up with AOPA and am receiving there Flight Training Magazine. I'm looking to start within the next 6 months if everything goes as planned. :rolleyes:

I?m looking at checking in with the local EAA (92) for advice also. Would love to build and having worked for Northrop on the F18 for 2-1/2 years, I think I have the riveting down. Just need a little refresher! :D

If anyone would be interested in giving a ride in their RV or other, I?d love to join them. Pitching in for fuel of course!

Thanks,
Chuck
 
I am not in California, however, having just completed my PPL on the east coast, here is what I would recommend to keep time, cost, and frustration to a minimum And no, I didn't do it this way.

Save enough money for 50 hours of flying in the plane of your choice.
In the meantime, get an online groundschool course out of the way and take the written. Once you pass the written, get a medical.
Take 2 weeks off work, get all of your dual time in those 2 weeks. Fly your solo time at your convenience in the next 4 weeks.


Took me 14 months, 2 airplanes, 1 instructor and 55 hours.
 
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This advice is not SoCal-specific, but if you're good at managing your own time and your own learning, here's how to spend less money and actually get better training:

- Do your training as Part 61 with a private instructor and aircraft rental rather than a Part 141 flight school. You'll find better hourly rates for aircraft and instructors that are just as good or better than at the flight schools.

- Do ground school on your own from the books (Jeppesen highly recommended) or online course. Work with your instructor only as needed in areas where you have trouble.

- If you're not a very big guy, consider doing your flight training in a Cessna 152. It's less common these days than the 172, but in my opinion the 152 is actually a far better primary trainer (for various reasons, but that's a different topic), and the 152 is considerably cheaper.

- Budget the time and money to get through your training at a fast and steady pace. Fly no less than 2 or 3 times a week. Your skills go away fast when you're just starting out, so if you don't fly enough, you end up wasting a lot of flight time just catching up to where you left off last time you flew.

- Find creative ways to train on the ground to save you a lot of time and fumbling around in the air. Example 1: Sit in the airplane on the ground (engine off, so it's free) and practice your in-cockpit tasks, checklists, emergency procedures, etc. Example 2: Listen to air traffic control at home on the internet or with a hand-held comm at the airport.
 
To Save $ Think Flight Club

The cheapest way get a PPL is usually with a flight club... The club I used to be in is 65 USD an hour for a nice 172 WET. I agree that flying at least 2-3 a week will save you time and money.

I respectfully disagree that you should do the ground school first. My instructor combined it with the flight training and everything made more sense in the context of actually flying. You don't need the medical until you are about to solo, so I say just start the flying part right way!

Hans
 
Terrain Twister said:
Would prefer a school that operates out of either SNA (John Wayne) or AJO (Corona) with CNO (Chino) being a possibility.
Click to expand...

Chuck, I didn't do my training in SoCal but I do have an opinion about those first two airports.

Every time I go up to Corona (AJO) to get something at Aircraft Spruce, it seems like I need an extra hour because of all the people who come up to me on the ramp or at the pumps and want to talk airplanes. It just seems like a real friendly airport. The times I've been into John Wayne... not so much. The avgas at AJO is some of the cheapest around, too.

If you don't get any definite recommendations here, one thing you could do is just head over to AJO and hang out for an afternoon. Introduce yourself around and talk to some students and instructors and random pilots for that matter. You might click with someone. If not, it's a pretty good way to spend a day if nothing else.

--Paul
 
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Flying club

Just my 2 cents worth. Last time I check a bunch of pilots at NGC had a flying club. If not any more, there are many flying clubs out there. The FBOs tend to be more expensive then in other parts of the country. The club at KHHR is reasonable and the instruction is free. I would just go on-line and look for clibs in the LA area.
Learning in LA gets you good practice using the radio. Although you do not need to talk to ATC, it is best to always get flight following; the haze in LA makes it nearly impossible to see and avoid. The controllers in LA are very helpful, especially to new pilots; they would rather help you then have you bust some class B. If you learn to fly in LA, every place else is easier, except maybe NYC.
 
Hi Chuck,

I got my PPL in '91 flying with Sunrise Aviation (http://www.sunriseaviation.com/) at SNA and back then I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I believe they are under the same ownership today so I would assume that they still offer a good quality program but their not the cheapest around. The training at Sunrise is very structured, following a training syllabus that even included spin training that was not required by the FAA. I walked away (flew away) from there feeling like I was given a good foundation. Sunrise also offers aerobatic training if that interest you.

I started flying again last month after about a 10 year layoff. I'm working on getting current as well as earning my tailwheel endorsement at the same time. I've been working with an independent CFI at Corona and it definitely is a much more laid back atmosphere. I've been up 4 times with him in 3 different airplanes. I never know what we're going to be flying when I show up at the airport. This might bother some people but I'm having a blast. I even have an hour and 5 landings in my log book in a PT-17 Stearman. He has commented that he generally works with pilots that want to advance their skills (tailwheel, aerobatics, multi engine, etc) but doesn't like to start from scratch with a new student.

There is a flight school at Corona (http://www.flycorona.com/) but I don't have any first hand knowledge of their program. I don't know if this helped you at all but let me know if you need anything.
 
Thank you all for the advice! :)

FUL (Fullerton Municipal) has a Flight Club I'll have to take a look at.

For studying on my own I should easily be able to afford 3-5 hours a week of dedicated time.

If I home study and take the FAA ground(?) test (please forgive my ignorance here) I'm assuming that would help shorten the instruction needed for the actual plane time.

It seems some schools offer choices of including the ground school or not.

Again, not in a hurry here as I would love to do this cheaply, safety comes first and if needed, cost.

Chuck
 
DO NOT be tempted to do just enough to pass the test, especially in the So Cal enviorment. Find an instructor who takes your welfare at heart, not your pocketbook. Combining ground school and flight instruction at the same time will expedite the learning process. You will be surprised how much both feed off of each other. Stay away from part 141 schools, their goal is to teach you to pass the test, not necessarly to be a safe pilot.. Have funds available so you can do it all at once. Remember a PPL is really just a liscense to learn. Good luck and keep your head out of the window
Tom

Bay area flight school manager for 14 years, just retired.
 
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