Poll: How Many Hours for PPL?

How many hours did you log before checkride sign-off?

  • The absolute minimum (40 hrs for Part 61 or 35-40 hrs for Part 141)

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • 40 to 50 hours

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • 50 to 75 hours

    Votes: 3 37.5%

  • 75 to 100 hrs

    Votes: 1 12.5%

  • Over 100 hrs

    Votes: 1 12.5%
  • Total voters
    8
flytime

flytime

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Fly Time
How many hours did it take you to solo, and how many to license? Give us the year you earned it as well, because I suspect the hours to earn a PPL have gone up over the years.

For me, 14 hours to solo and 46 total (not including the checkride). Training took 11 months and I earned it earlier this year.
 
There are numerous threads here on this topic. Do a qucki search.
 
Solo: 16
PPL: 100 in 2013

Neither number has much meaning.
The PPL number will likely not be valid. In my case I had a plane so I flew a lot for fun. It takes months sometimes to get a check ride scheduled so students probably fly while waiting on the DPE, weather, etc.

A really low solo number might be an interesting talking point but it is up to a lot of non empirical factors. Confidence, at least 2 peoples assessment of a student's skill, training quality, etc.
 
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Solo at around 11 hours; check ride started, IIRC, at 41.7.
 
I believe you are right about the year making a difference, also the age. For me it was 4.5 at time of solo and 41.2 at checkride, 1970, 16 years old. I can't see anybody soling a student at 4.5 hours these days and to be honest I probably shouldn't have been either but I lived.
 
In 2010, it took me 7.8 to solo, which I'm proud of as I certainly don't consider myself God's gift to aviation or anything.
I think about 52 for the check ride, but my examiner kept rescheduling.

In reference to the above post, 4.5 is pretty wild.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
 
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solo: 14
Went to my checkride with 64 hours. I'm certain I could have done it ~10 hours sooner...but I owned my own plane and took a couple extra XC's and did more pattern work because I could.
 
Fly Time: There are too many factors for in play for the request to have any real meaning.

For many, various aspects of personal life might interfere, causing a slow down to complete stoppage of training.

For others, there can be conflicts between student and CFI that keeps training from happening well and causes the student to try several CFI's before they encounter a good one.

For others, weather can be a factor. More than one story here where weather canceled planned lessons for many weeks.

Essentially the best answer to your question is: The milestones happen when they are ready to happen. Don't press it. Just enjoy the privilege you have to be a private pilot.
 
11.7 hours in the log before solo.

57.5 hours in the log before the check ride (including the time flying to the airport for the ride).

Started lessons in 2000, passed the ride in 2001. About 9 months from start to finish. Winter is not a good time to learn to fly in the Pacific Northwe(s)t.
 
Silvaire said:
I believe you are right about the year making a difference, also the age. For me it was 4.5 at time of solo and 41.2 at checkride, 1970, 16 years old. I can't see anybody soling a student at 4.5 hours these days and to be honest I probably shouldn't have been either but I lived.
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I soloed at 5.2 hours a few days after my 16th birthday back in 1966. By the time my 17th birthday rolled around I had accumulated 78 hours. I'm nothing special, they just did things differently back then.
 
The 46 hours it took me did not include many hours flying with family members prior to flight training. I never actually landed a plane before, but I did most everything else including flying the approach down to within a few hundred feet of the runway. That experience shaved some hours I'm sure. Flying the plane in training came fairly easily, and I don't recall a situation where my CFI had to take the controls for anything other than putting me under the hood.
 
Fly Time: Just noticed your location...

You are near two really good instructors: Bob Gardner and Bruce Williams (www.bruceair.com)

You might look them up and take a flight or two with them.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Fly Time: Just noticed your location...

You are near two really good instructors: Bob Gardner and Bruce Williams (www.bruceair.com)

You might look them up and take a flight or two with them.
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Thanks, I'll keep those guys in mind next time I need a CFI. I'm in a flying club and we have several "in house", but one thing I've come to realize even with my limited experience is the value of a fresh perspective.
 
I had 11 hours before solo and 42.5 to checkride, which was just a few weeks ago. This was over the course of 6 months.

I'm not counting the 8 hours of what amounted to "intro flights" I had accumulated over the past 10 or 11 years before getting my bona fide training.

As 6PC and AggieMike said, a lot of factors go into low and high numbers. Your mileage will definitely vary depending on many things. In my case, I feel it was due to just being able to fly as often as possible.
 
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6 hrs to solo, 42 hrs to Private check ride, 3.5 months, 1974, Aviation College.

I've read that the national norm is between 65-75 hrs to complete.
Consider that most schools are now operating from busy towered airports which run up ground time and flight time away from the airport just to reach a suitable practice area for air work.
 
14 hours solo
62 hours Check Ride.

I went through 4 CFI's because they kept leaving me for other jobs. It took me 12 months to complete and that is what I budget it for. I bet I could have done it sooner if I flew more.
 
Who cares? There are so many factors which combine to drive that number for any one person in any one circumstance in any one location in any one aircraft in any one era so as to be meaningless in comparison with anyone else. It's totally meaningless in the big picture, and serves only to drive the others to unjustified frustration.
 
Ron Levy said:
Who cares? There are so many factors which combine to drive that number for any one person in any one circumstance in any one location in any one aircraft in any one era so as to be meaningless in comparison with anyone else. It's totally meaningless in the big picture, and serves only to drive the others to unjustified frustration.
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:yes: This a million times
 
For entertainment purposes I'll reveal that my times come to 2 hours 5 minutes logged for solo, 69 hours logged for the PP. 1974/75, Cessna 120.

But as Mr. Levy points out, what does it really mean? Not much.
 
Soled in 10, took the check ride at 40 hours. Completed all in 28 days.

I had been flying ultra lights for 4 years. ;)
 
I soloed in -3.14159i hours and got my PPL with 1.414 - 3.14159i hours. It was a complex undertaking.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
...2 hours 5 minutes logged for solo...1974/75...
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clearly we can prove that it is indeed taking longer to solo than it used to, since by the late 80's it took me over 300 hours to solo. That is a 15,000% increase in little more than a decade from Mr Thorpe's data point. Extrapolate to today and we can see that the typical teenage student will die of old age before flying on his/her own.
 
Solo 22, checkride 58. No aviation background, never flew in a small plane before.
 
Ghery said:
My guess is that he went to a 141 school.
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Yep, 35 hours is the minimum for part 141 flight training.

My flight school offered both 61 and 141. At first the prospect of possibly finishing within 35 hours sounded appealing, but when you add in the additional ground schooling that goes with a 141 program, there was really no potential cost savings. Ultimately I preferred the flexibility of a part 61 program.
 
200 hours to solo (2001)
300 hours to PPL (2002)
 
Solo at 7 hours in 2003. Would have done check ride at 33.8, for at least 1.2 hours putting me right at the 35 hr part 141 min, but went to Iraq. Took a ridiculous break, then unfortunately the instructor felt I needed 28 hrs of refresher before allowing my check ride at 61 hrs in 2013. Likewise, I feel solo and check ride times are increasing. Why? Who knows!? Good luck.
 
Ron Levy said:
Who cares? There are so many factors which combine to drive that number for any one person in any one circumstance in any one location in any one aircraft in any one era so as to be meaningless in comparison with anyone else. It's totally meaningless in the big picture, and serves only to drive the others to unjustified frustration.
Click to expand...

Exactly. It doesn't matter at all. Focus on you alone.

For that matter, I increasingly believe total hours are meaningful in only maybe 500-1000 hour chunks -- and then only as a raw measure of experience / seeing non-textbox situations and (hopefully) truly learning.
 
At my flight school the average number of hours for a PPL is about 70, I think. I finished in far fewer than 70, but I don't attribute that to any extraordinary skills on my part. There were many factors, not the least of which was my desire to finish as quickly as possible. I set that as a goal at the start and made sure my instructors understood it and were willing to support me. I also let them know that I did not expect any favors or shortcuts, and if it took longer then so be it. Above all else, I wanted to learn as much as possible from them so that I could be a safe and competent pilot.
 
flytime said:
How many hours did it take you to solo, and how many to license? Give us the year you earned it as well, because I suspect the hours to earn a PPL have gone up over the years.

For me, 14 hours to solo and 46 total (not including the checkride). Training took 11 months and I earned it earlier this year.
Click to expand...


Solo 13 hrs 1976
PPL 56 hrs in 10 months 1977
 
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