Best PILOT SCHOOL IN Minneapolies

Wings OF Fire

Wings OF Fire

Filing Flight Plan
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Wings OF Fire
Hi Flyers,

I am planning to take PPL in the coming weeks, I am wondering for the best flight training academy to get my private pilot license in Minneapolis, Please suggest me the best place. Thank you in Advance
 
People seem to really like Air Trek North (Lakeville). There is also In-Flight which has a realy big program at Flying Cloud (KFCM). Thunderbird is also at KFCM but they aren't as big and not quite as nice of planes as the the other two. I have seen cases at In-Flight where they have moved people through in about a month. You'll get better radio skills flying out of Flying Cloud since it has a control tower and parallel runways. If you have your own plane I would recommend a private instructor. Not sure if you are from out of country. If so, make sure you have your TSA stuff all wrapped up as you can not fly without it.
 
Sinistar said:
If so, make sure you have your TSA stuff all wrapped up as you can not fly without it.
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good point and medical... sort that out too. head over to the medical section of this forum to learn more.
isnt there a flight school at Mankato? seems like there were some students in the air while i was overflying the airport. but dont know OP's location so...
 
Mankato is a University Part 141 training program. Lots of planes and students flying down there. But a bit of a drive if you are anywhere other than the far south suburbs like Jordan, Belle Plaine, etc.

I think St.Cloud State also has a small program out of St.Cloud. But once again at least an hour drive or more on weeknights.
 
Sinistar said:
People seem to really like Air Trek North (Lakeville). There is also In-Flight which has a really big program at Flying Cloud (KFCM). Thunderbird is also at KFCM but they aren't as big and not quite as nice of planes as the other two. I have seen cases at In-Flight where they have moved people through in about a month. You'll get better radio skills flying out of Flying Cloud since it has a control tower and parallel runways. If you have your own plane I would recommend a private instructor. Not sure if you are from out of the country. If so, make sure you have your TSA stuff all wrapped up as you can not fly without it.
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Wow, In-Flight seems interesting and Also I found TwinCities Flight Training as well, In this case, as per your suggestion I will Look Forward to joining into In-Flight and It is 20 mins drive for me, yes I need to take TSA approval I am looking into it, Seems before applying TSA we need to choose the flight training institution so I was just wondering which one I need to choose. What is the average cost for to get PPL and where can get the required material to pass the FAA ? Thank you so much again to helping me here
 
Sinistar said:
Mankato is a University Part 141 training program. Lots of planes and students flying down there. But a bit of a drive if you are anywhere other than the far south suburbs like Jordan, Belle Plaine, etc.

I think St.Cloud State also has a small program out of St.Cloud. But once again at least an hour drive or more on weeknights.
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Oh Nice to hear, But, It is one way 1 hr drive for me. so,
 
If you are set on In-flight, they have their costs listed out in this link:
https://inflightpilottraining.com/private-pilot/

Average, I'd say about 9-12k, depending on how long it takes you and what type of school you go to. Possibly less, possibly more. A lot depends on how fast you can learn and develop the needed skills.

If you're asking where to get the materials to pass the FAA written exam, there are a lot of options. The exam is based off of the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge, which you can download and read for free from the FAA website. That is probably the hardest but cheapest way to prepare for it. I am sure someone who knows more about the other options, such as study guides or test prep software, will chime in shortly!

Good luck with your training!
 
Wings OF Fire said:
Seems before applying TSA we need to choose the flight training institution so I was just wondering which one I need to choose. What is the average cost for to get PPL and where can get the required material to pass the FAA
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That is correct, you choose the school first, then you apply (under their guidance), after you apply and provide FAA with truck load of information, the school will have to accept you before you can proceed. You are also tied to that school. so i suggest you visit a couple of them, get discovery flight, talk to the CFI etc before you apply for TSA. if you want to change flight school int he middle of the training, you are back to sq one with TSA. at least that was the case in 2016, dont know if that has changed. feel free to PM me if you have further Q

Average cost

o boy!! it widely varies based on a lot of factors like how long you take to grasp the information, rental price, CFI price etc, if you do the ground school and leg work before you show up for training etc. hard to put a number on it. 10-12K will be a safe bet. You might take less or more.

Training Info
technically free on FAA site -
AFH - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/
PHAK - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/
NY Times Best seller of all times - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/FAA-H-8083-1.pdf

most enroll in some structured training. I had King Schools. before you jump and buy something, talk to the flight school first. they might have some kind of package that you may be forced to buy.
 
WannFly said:
That is correct, you choose the school first, then you apply (under their guidance), after you apply and provide FAA with truck load of information, the school will have to accept you before you can proceed. You are also tied to that school. so i suggest you visit a couple of them, get discovery flight, talk to the CFI etc before you apply for TSA. if you want to change flight school int he middle of the training, you are back to sq one with TSA. at least that was the case in 2016, dont know if that has changed. feel free to PM me if you have further Q

Average cost

o boy!! it widely varies based on a lot of factors like how long you take to grasp the information, rental price, CFI price etc, if you do the ground school and leg work before you show up for training etc. hard to put a number on it. 10-12K will be a safe bet. You might take less or more.

Training Info
technically free on FAA site -
AFH - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/airplane_handbook/
PHAK - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/phak/
NY Times Best seller of all times - https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/media/FAA-H-8083-1.pdf

most enroll in some structured training. I had King Schools. before you jump and buy something, talk to the flight school first. they might have some kind of package that you may be forced to buy.
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Thank you so much for your information, I will try to step in the above-mentioned places before enrolling, If I love the place then I will immediately start the TSA process anyhow it will take a couple of weeks to complete meanwhile I will plan to complete the written exam prep so I will be in a good place, I will reach out to you if I have anything, Feeling very Happy since I am keeping my first step towards my DREAM :)
 
Maybe I am wrong but doesn't the TSA process take a lot longer than 2wks?

There are quite a few instructors at In -Flight so once you are there if there is any issues there should be others to switch to.

Instructor fees and plane rentals at Flying Cloud (all FBOs) might be some of the most expensive in the country. Not sure why but seems that way with instructor fees pushing $85/hr, etc. I would budget for US$11,000 minimum.

I would advise you call them and ask if they will still train if for some reason we are under lock down. Aviation is more or less exempt from the lock down but they might be electing to limit training or who knows what.

Also, if you arriving soon that is good with lots on daylight. If you are starting later or not finished later such as October there's considerably less daylight for primary training.
 
Took a little over 3 for me in 2016, with current situation god knows how long
 
@WannFly mentioned medical.

Medical. Medical. Medical. It can be the dream killer. I'm guessing its intertwined with the TSA stuff but....

Go find the form (I forget the number). Look at it. DO NOT fill it out. DO NOT submit it. Just look at each question and when find yourself saying Yes come bsck here at let us weirdos know. There could be something in there that will require even more FAA "stuff".

For example if you have been prescribed meds for mental/psych issues, alchohol or drug arrests, diabetic, sleep apnea, heart problems, seizures, etc, etc...this is the time to address it. Also remember this is a public forum so if you tell us something but dont tell the AME that's trouble....so be careful what you say here too. There is a way to do that anonymously in another subforum here.
 
OP can get the medical done before TSA. I did. It was a dumb move on my part to just fill up the Medxpress form and show up at the AME’s office. But again I was no idea POA existed back then. But imp to find out about medical before going thru TSA hassle.
 
In-Flight has been mentioned a few times in this thread. I've never flown with any of their instructors but I've given advanced instruction to a number of students that came from there. Every one of the students I've worked with that learned to fly with In-Flight was well above average in knowledge and flying skill. Just something to consider when weighing options. I have no experience with students from the other flight schools that have been mentioned.
 
Duh...we shouldn't forget our own Loren, when hes not off flying passengers for a living has a flight school at Flying Cloud (Hummingbird). Not as big as In-Flight. Very nice people though. And I think they teach in a light sport if needed.
 
Sinistar said:
@WannFly mentioned medical.

Medical. Medical. Medical. It can be the dream killer. I'm guessing its intertwined with the TSA stuff but....

Go find the form (I forget the number). Look at it. DO NOT fill it out. DO NOT submit it. Just look at each question and when find yourself saying Yes come bsck here at let us weirdos know. There could be something in there that will require even more FAA "stuff".

For example if you have been prescribed meds for mental/psych issues, alchohol or drug arrests, diabetic, sleep apnea, heart problems, seizures, etc, etc...this is the time to address it. Also remember this is a public forum so if you tell us something but dont tell the AME that's trouble....so be careful what you say here too. There is a way to do that anonymously in another subforum here.
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I saw the PDF and all seems alright, I am going to visit Inflight and Air Trek North this weekend and I will fix one institution and I will start the process with medical
 
For the medical, just about everyone I know uses Dr. Sidell located in Edina. Great guy!
 
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