Actually affording aa PPL

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rpayne88

Filing Flight Plan
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rpayne88
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This is my first post, so sorry if this has already been "posted" to death.

Long story short, I am a college student working a minimum wage part time job for 17 hours/ week. My parents are fully supporting me and my flying lessons.

Any ideas on how I can offset what they are paying and both get my PPL and become self sufficient at the same time.
 
rpayne88 said:
This is my first post, so sorry if this has already been "posted" to death.

Long story short, I am a college student working a minimum wage part time job for 17 hours/ week. My parents are fully supporting me and my flying lessons.

Any ideas on how I can offset what they are paying and both get my PPL and become self sufficient at the same time.
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Working only 17 hours a week at minimum wage will be hard. Perhaps starting a grass cutting business on the side, etc will help push additional income your way. Spring and summer are also great times to wash vehicles and airplanes.
 
Try to get a job at the FBO for minimum wage to offset any earnings at the place you are currently working and perhaps discounts on your flying.
 
Washing airplanes,or detailing planes could provide supplemental income. Or find a job with more hours.
 
Line guys usually make about $10 an hour. Depending on where you're at the hours can still be flexible, and you'll get a discount on fuel.
 
I agree that if you are working for minimum wage anyway you might as well try to get a job at an FBO.

At least there's the possibility it could pay off in some discounted time.
 
+1 for getting a job at the airport. Make connections, find people that have planes, surround yourself with aviation, and have fun!
 
jordane93 said:
+1 for getting a job at the airport. Make connections, find people that have planes, surround yourself with aviation, and have fun!
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+2 I know people who've stumbled into a lot of free flying just by being around a lot of people with airplanes.
 
Maybe I'm missing something here but is this a question that really needed to be asked?

Solutions:
Get a higher paying job
Work more hours
Get a higher paying job and work more hours

I don't mean to be rude but if you want to become self sufficient, maybe asking questions that have reasonably simple answer is not the best way forward. You've gotten good advice above so now take it and make your life better!
 
Volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol. While not a guarantee you can probably get a few hours that way and will likely find their planes to be a lot cheaper (but you'll generally have to use CAP instructors, though the instructors will generally volunteer their time so that can save some bucks).
 
You don't mention what part of the country you live in. Most states have a pilots association and will offer assistance to college students seeking an aviation degree. I know the Missouri Pilots Association does. Hanging out at the local airport and making friends with the local pilots can be rewarding also. Most of us don't like to fly alone and that is an easy way to get some stick time.
 
I've been there... 1. the way i did it saved me a lot of money. instead of joining a flight school, find a part 61 flight instructor who is available flexible hours (this will help your schedule not interfering with your work) and ask his help to do your licenses. 2. do a lot of studying on your own! this will save you money from double and triple ground lessons and better yet, try onlinepilotcourses dot com for their supplemental training courses. if you are prepared, you will spend less money on ground school which less face it, it has been a drag for most of us!
 
At my airport, line guys get $10 an hour and 20% off the aircraft rentals.
 
tehmightypirate said:
Volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol. While not a guarantee you can probably get a few hours that way and will likely find their planes to be a lot cheaper (but you'll generally have to use CAP instructors, though the instructors will generally volunteer their time so that can save some bucks).
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*snort*
 
Sporty's offers their ground school courses on-line free for teens.

Can you tutor in some of your classes? Help classmates, or help people in the following semester through the classes you just finished?

Be a bicycle courier around town. If you have a truck, advertise moving services on the bulletin boards on campus. Students move a lot, and generally have few possessions.

Help someone wash and wax their plane before setting yourself up in this business. An airplane is a LOT more sheet metal than a car [or even three cars]. Gotta watch out for static ports, don't use the wrong cleaner, be extra careful with windows, etc.
 
tehmightypirate said:
Volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol. While not a guarantee you can probably get a few hours that way and will likely find their planes to be a lot cheaper (but you'll generally have to use CAP instructors, though the instructors will generally volunteer their time so that can save some bucks).
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This only works if the candidate is under 18 when they join. Primary flight instruction may only be offered to cadets in CAP aircraft; otherwise, people would be snorting even louder, and perhaps huffing too.
 
If your parents are supporting it does that mean they are paying for it? If not not sure how that's relevant but at 17 hours x even 10 an hour basically means you can fly an hour a week. And have no other cash.


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Like what has been said, get a line job at a FBO, I know a few guys have got some extra flying helping around.
 
ChrisK said:
This only works if the candidate is under 18 when they join. Primary flight instruction may only be offered to cadets in CAP aircraft; otherwise, people would be snorting even louder, and perhaps huffing too.
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OPs time would be far better spent getting hours at a job than volunteering at the CAP and hoping for some flight training.
 
tehmightypirate said:
Volunteer for the Civil Air Patrol. While not a guarantee you can probably get a few hours that way and will likely find their planes to be a lot cheaper (but you'll generally have to use CAP instructors, though the instructors will generally volunteer their time so that can save some bucks).
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I'm already a C/CMSgt in it. I'm flying out of a club that charges $73/ hour for a 152. The club operates under the DoD's CWF, and CAP makes me eligible for it.

Like I said, I am short on money. I can not afford NFA and am unlikely to win a scholarship. Although my parents are paying for my flight training, they are not going to pay $1000 in one lump sum.
 
Dean said:
You don't mention what part of the country you live in. Most states have a pilots association and will offer assistance to college students seeking an aviation degree. I know the Missouri Pilots Association does. Hanging out at the local airport and making friends with the local pilots can be rewarding also. Most of us don't like to fly alone and that is an easy way to get some stick time.
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Central MD. I live about 10NM from KBWI.
 
rpayne88 said:
I'm already a C/CMSgt in it. I'm flying out of a club that charges $73/ hour for a 152. The club operates under the DoD's CWF, and CAP makes me eligible for it.

Like I said, I am short on money. I can not afford NFA and am unlikely to win a scholarship. Although my parents are paying for my flight training, they are not going to pay $1000 in one lump sum.
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Hah! Suck it all you people who snort. :goofy: I did forget about the no primary training unless a cadet, though. But since he's in the CAP already he can stay a cadet until he's 21. Good luck passing your Mitchell rpayne.

Still, at $73 an hour you're not going to get much cheaper then that. I'd look into finding cheap flight instruction and more income as your only real course of action. Get what you can out of the CAP, I got my private through them when I was 20 while a C/CMSgt and going to college. Split college and flight training both as a 50/50 split with my parents, so despite what these guys say the CAP can help you. My solution was to work two jobs during the summer, one job while at school. Your grades will suffer. Enjoy. :P
 
rpayne88 said:
I'm already a C/CMSgt in it. I'm flying out of a club that charges $73/ hour for a 152. The club operates under the DoD's CWF, and CAP makes me eligible for it.

Like I said, I am short on money. I can not afford NFA and am unlikely to win a scholarship. Although my parents are paying for my flight training, they are not going to pay $1000 in one lump sum.
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http://www.capmembers.com/cadet_programs/library/scholarships/flight-scholarships/

Get your Mitchell and apply for a flight scholarship.
 
tehmightypirate said:
Hah! Suck it all you people who snort. :goofy: I did forget about the no primary training unless a cadet, though. But since he's in the CAP already he can stay a cadet until he's 21. Good luck passing your Mitchell rpayne.

Still, at $73 an hour you're not going to get much cheaper then that. I'd look into finding cheap flight instruction and more income as your only real course of action. Get what you can out of the CAP, I got my private through them when I was 20 while a C/CMSgt and going to college. Split college and flight training both as a 50/50 split with my parents, so despite what these guys say the CAP can help you. My solution was to work two jobs during the summer, one job while at school. Your grades will suffer. Enjoy. :P
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That is what I'm planning to do. I sort of knew I'd get a lot of replies saying "go work more." I was wondering if there were any potential resources I wasn't utilizing, and it seems there are a few I aren't.
 
The only way it will be cheaper than $73 per hour is to buy an old C150, fly for it for the 40 hours and hope nothing breaks :)
 
mtuomi said:
The only way it will be cheaper than $73 per hour is to buy an old C150, fly for it for the 40 hours and hope nothing breaks :)
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And then you still have to buy gas, oil and probably should pay to park it somewhere...
 
Get a better job. That's not flippant it's the truth. There are all sorts of jobs that people are too lazy to do.

When I was your age in college I flew cancelled checks at night, went to class in the morning, and ran a loader at a rock quarry in the afternoon. I didn't have time for beer or girls. But I was self sufficient. If you want to be self sufficient you can be. Most people don't want to be.
 
JHW said:
Get a better job. That's not flippant it's the truth. There are all sorts of jobs that people are too lazy to do.

When I was your age in college I flew cancelled checks at night, went to class in the morning, and ran a loader at a rock quarry in the afternoon. I didn't have time for beer or girls. But I was self sufficient. If you want to be self sufficient you can be. Most people don't want to be.
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What exactly do you mean by "canceled checks?"
 
rpayne88 said:
What exactly do you mean by "canceled checks?"
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Checks that a bank has already honored and for which funds have been transferred. They aren't flown anymore - they are scanned and copies are electronically transmitted.
 
I think any able bodied man can go to Midland/Odessa right now and get a job slinging chain on an oil rig for more than $20/hr. as many hours as you want to work.

No experience necessary.

It takes more effort than slinging latte's at Starbuck's, and it's not trendy or air conditioned, but chicks dig guys with $$$$, and that's where it is.
 
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