Curious about starting flight training, how long are sessions normally?

[midcap]

With my work, I have extremely flexible hours and going in late to work while flight training is not a big deal at all. Is it a common thing to start flight training at 7-8 am? Also, normally how long does a session last?

Trying to get all of this planned out.

 

[Jeff Oslick]

A typical lesson would be on the order of 30 minutes for preflight/discussion and an hour or so of flight time (cross-countries excepted, of course). Early morning shouldn't be a problem, and often is a great time to fly (less wind/turbulence), so long as you aren't in an area with a lot of overnight fog or low stratus cloud.

A good flight instructor/school will be as accommodating to your schedule as possible. You are the customer, after all.

 

[MAKG1]

Not that common, but it's a really good idea, at least pre-solo.

Early morning air tends to be very still. Perfect for learning how to land.

There is nothing wrong with training at any time of day or night (except late afternoon may get rather bumpy). The issue is finding a flight instructor you can shove out of bed that early. Depending on where you live, weather may be an issue. By me in summer, you aren't getting a flight off that early because it WILL be overcast at not much more than 1000 feet.

Sessions vary. Pre-solo, you'll want them fairly short, not much more than an hour or 90 minutes. Much more than that and it doesn't "stick." Later on, especially when you're actually going somewhere, you'll need longer times, just because it takes more than that to fly 100 miles with all the overheads.

 

[eman1200]

With my work, I have extremely flexible hours and going in late to work while flight training is not a big deal at all. Is it a common thing to start flight training at 7-8 am? Also, normally how long does a session last?

Trying to get all of this planned out.

this is exactly what I did for most of my training. scheduled flights for 7am and I was still online before most of my fat lazy bastid coworkers. also had evening flights, but it was nice getting the lesson done before the real heat of the day set in. it was real nice to have that flexibility as well.

 

[Caramon13]

I did the majority of my training at night or on weekends. I got off work around 5:00 PM on a night where I had a flight, drove to the airport and flew from pretty much 6 PM until 9 PM. I got my undergraduate and my MBA at night so this was pretty comfortable for me..not hard.

On weekends it was 8 or 9 AM until about noon.

Each flight I would get about 30-45 minutes of ground and almost 2 hours of flight time (sometimes more).

4 months for my private pilot (2-3 times a week)
4 months for my instrument rating (2-3 times a week)

About 3 months off and then about a month or two for my commercial license (same frequency).

Don't forget that you will also have long cross country requirements so plan a weekend or three to spend on flying at least 3-4 hours, but most likely a full day to knock those out.

You'll need some night time as well for your private license so, definitely also plan on that. For me, my training was MOSTLY at night so there was no issue there. I saved the weekends for the ground reference maneuvers since I couldn't get them done when it was dark heh..

 

[jsstevens]

I still choose early morning (I'm working my IR). My flight instructor grumbles sometimes, but he accommodates...

 

[frfly172]

Early morning is good.you usually won't have much competition getting an instructor ,early in the morning.

 

[ChemGuy]

Info above sounds right. Also try to fly at least 2-3 times per week if you can. It takes much longer, ie more $$$, if you fly 1-2/week. If you have time and money to fly several lessons per week for 2 months it will be cheaper and you retain more, at least i did.

good luck.

 

[midcap]

that's all good info, thanks.

The only thing holding me back is my medical and finishing my house.

Info above sounds right. Also try to fly at least 2-3 times per week if you can. It takes much longer, ie more $$$, if you fly 1-2/week. If you have time and money to fly several lessons per week for 2 months it will be cheaper and you retain more, at least i did.

good luck.

That shouldn't be an issue at all. If I would get my house finished, I could fly everyday. lol

 

[midcap]

Not that common, but it's a really good idea, at least pre-solo.

Early morning air tends to be very still. Perfect for learning how to land.

There is nothing wrong with training at any time of day or night (except late afternoon may get rather bumpy). The issue is finding a flight instructor you can shove out of bed that early. Depending on where you live, weather may be an issue. By me in summer, you aren't getting a flight off that early because it WILL be overcast at not much more than 1000 feet.

Sessions vary. Pre-solo, you'll want them fairly short, not much more than an hour or 90 minutes. Much more than that and it doesn't "stick." Later on, especially when you're actually going somewhere, you'll need longer times, just because it takes more than that to fly 100 miles with all the overheads.

The summer and fall is normally good to go down here. You just have to watch out for after noon storm cells during the summer.

 

[labbadabba]

Early on, my lessons were short (less than an hour of flight time) for me just due to information overload. After about 10 hours of training most of my lessons were 1.3 hours for local flights.

 

[midcap]

Early on, my lessons were short (less than an hour of flight time) for me just due to information overload. After about 10 hours of training most of my lessons were 1.3 hours for local flights.

That's not bad, at all.

 

[midcap]

how long you guys think it would take doing 3 lessons a week to finish the PPL?

 

[write-stuff]

how long you guys think it would take doing 3 lessons a week to finish the PPL?

Rough estimate: If you do your homework and consistently fly 3 times a week, probably 3-4 months.

 

[MAKG1]

Rough estimate: If you do your homework and consistently fly 3 times a week, probably 3-4 months.

Give or take a factor of 3. Well, it won't be shorter. With 1 hour flight time, 3 times per week for 12-16 weeks, that's barely over 40 hours. That's the minimum, but very few people finish in minimum time. The national average is somewhere around 70, and I've seen quite a few in complex airspace at busy airports with distant practice areas approach 100.

People always want to know how long it will take, understandably. But the answer is it will take as long as it does. It is defined by proficiency, not schedule or hours, and there is a LOT of variability. Not to mention, weather, mechanical issues, illness, "life," work emergencies, and CFI side jobs will all cause flight cancellations.

It's rather important not to put yourself on a schedule. It can introduce external pressures to fly when it may not be safe or useful. And you'll find occasional posts on this board where someone gets PO'd at their flight instructor (sometimes deserved, but not usually) when they don't meet their own artificial schedule.

 

[midcap]

thanks guys, I know it's a learning process and you can't rush it. I was just curious as to what type of time frame to expect. I also plan on getting trained in IFR also. My worst night mare is being a VFR in IMC. Since my goal is to do x countries primarily it seems like a must have endorsement.

 

[James331]

That all depends on you and your CFIs a availability and how long you can stay in the air before you're saturated.

Initially I'd say a flight of about a hour, when you start doing tons of touch and goes pre solo, I could see logging 2+hrs, just be sure to communicate to your CFI when your proverbial cup runneth over

 

[denverpilot]

@midcap, nothing to add here - you got good info. Instructor will watch you and flight length will be somewhat adjusted for how overloaded you are in the process at first. Then they get longer. (Cross countries, etc.)

But about that house thing. @flyingcheesehead taught me long ago...

"You can live in an airplane, but you can't fly a house." Hahaha.

 

[tawood]

thanks guys, I know it's a learning process and you can't rush it...

Don't be so sure...I got my license in 2 weeks, flying 3 times a day. Although, I must admit, that I had done a BUNCH self study before this...

 

[midcap]

@midcap, nothing to add here - you got good info. Instructor will watch you and flight length will be somewhat adjusted for how overloaded you are in the process at first. Then they get longer. (Cross countries, etc.)

But about that house thing. @flyingcheesehead taught me long ago...

"You can live in an airplane, but you can't fly a house." Hahaha.

ROFL

 

[midcap]

Don't be so sure...I got my license in 2 weeks, flying 3 times a day. Although, I must admit, that I had done a BUNCH self study before this...

as in you did a bunch of flying before hand?

 

[denverpilot]

as in you did a bunch of flying before hand?

He likely means all of the ground study, had the written test knocked out, and was fully prepped on all of the knowledge items required for the oral exam also.

 

[midcap]

He likely means all of the ground study, had the written test knocked out, and was fully prepped on all of the knowledge items required for the oral exam also.

that's interesting. So, I could buy the material and learn it all before I start flying lessons that way I am better prepared?

 

[denverpilot]

that's interesting. So, I could buy the material and learn it all before I start flying lessons that way I am better prepared?

There are absolutely tons of Private Pilot ground school courses and self-study books, videos, DVDs, etc. Definitely going to need to do some of that.

During actual training, your instructor may have a "favorite" brand of study material, and might suggest a particular book or books, but if you're like most of us, you'll have that one and three more accumulated over time.

No harm in getting the material in your head however you can. Your instructor still has to both teach it and grill you on it ( by law, they have to log that you've received instruction in various items ) and you need a sign off to go take the written, but some of the brands of study materials have CFIs on staff who'll sign off those things too, if you want.

Nowadays you also have to do this new thing to have DHS background check you, to get the student certificate, so it's worth getting with a CFI early on, even if you're not going to fly for a bit, and have them help you get things done in the right order on the paperwork side. (Instructor has some other stuff they have to document, like English proficiency, too...)

I think you'll be surprised at how happy most CFIs will be to have someone standing in front of them who WANTS to do their homework. Haha. For some students, getting them to crack the books at home is like pulling teeth and those students end up having to be spoon fed all the ground study material by the CFI, charging by the hour.

It goes a lot smoother if the CFI can just REVIEW the material (again, required by law - don't be frustrated by it if you're a good study and know the material cold, they have to do it) than teach it in short sessions on the clock, topic by topic by topic.

Bottom line: Flying requires self study. You can start that process any time. Instructor can help with making sure you got it right and when/how to do the paperwork for the certificate, medical, and written tests.

I was always a bookworm, and my initial CFI many many years ago always laughed that I would show up knowing all the theory and then get mad at myself that I couldn't DO the stuff. Which of course, was totally normal... But I was young and impatient and thought that by reading it all, you'd DO it all better. Haha. Nope.

Time under the curve, needed. Have to go fly and practice all that stuff after you know it in your head... But no harm at all studying a good Private Pilot home study course.

 

[bobmrg]

thanks guys, I know it's a learning process and you can't rush it. I was just curious as to what type of time frame to expect. I also plan on getting trained in IFR also. My worst night mare is being a VFR in IMC. Since my goal is to do x countries primarily it seems like a must have endorsement.

You will learn that there are regulations governing how good the visibility must be and how close you are allowed to get to a cloud. You will also learn how the weather can impact VFR flight and find the many tools that are available to help you predict where the bad stuff is. Stay within the regulations and you will never be VFR in IMC. (However, you will also learn how to keep the airplane right-side up if visual clues disappear and how to call for assistance.)

Bob Gardner

 

[midcap]

There are absolutely tons of Private Pilot ground school courses and self-study books, videos, DVDs, etc. Definitely going to need to do some of that.

During actual training, your instructor may have a "favorite" brand of study material, and might suggest a particular book or books, but if you're like most of us, you'll have that one and three more accumulated over time.

No harm in getting the material in your head however you can. Your instructor still has to both teach it and grill you on it ( by law, they have to log that you've received instruction in various items ) and you need a sign off to go take the written, but some of the brands of study materials have CFIs on staff who'll sign off those things too, if you want.

Nowadays you also have to do this new thing to have DHS background check you, to get the student certificate, so it's worth getting with a CFI early on, even if you're not going to fly for a bit, and have them help you get things done in the right order on the paperwork side. (Instructor has some other stuff they have to document, like English proficiency, too...)

I think you'll be surprised at how happy most CFIs will be to have someone standing in front of them who WANTS to do their homework. Haha. For some students, getting them to crack the books at home is like pulling teeth and those students end up having to be spoon fed all the ground study material by the CFI, charging by the hour.

It goes a lot smoother if the CFI can just REVIEW the material (again, required by law - don't be frustrated by it if you're a good study and know the material cold, they have to do it) than teach it in short sessions on the clock, topic by topic by topic.

Bottom line: Flying requires self study. You can start that process any time. Instructor can help with making sure you got it right and when/how to do the paperwork for the certificate, medical, and written tests.

I was always a bookworm, and my initial CFI many many years ago always laughed that I would show up knowing all the theory and then get mad at myself that I couldn't DO the stuff. Which of course, was totally normal... But I was young and impatient and thought that by reading it all, you'd DO it all better. Haha. Nope.

Time under the curve, needed. Have to go fly and practice all that stuff after you know it in your head... But no harm at all studying a good Private Pilot home study course.

That's good to know, I am also a very technical person and probably the only guy I know who reads the owners manual to a new vehicle from front to back when I buy it.

Yeah back ground check is no problem. I have been ran through the system by everyone it seems for my work.

I just need to get with Dr. Bruce to iron out my medical.

Do you recommend any set of books in particular or online ground school?

 

[midcap]

You will learn that there are regulations governing how good the visibility must be and how close you are allowed to get to a cloud. You will also learn how the weather can impact VFR flight and find the many tools that are available to help you predict where the bad stuff is. Stay within the regulations and you will never be VFR in IMC. (However, you will also learn how to keep the airplane right-side up if visual clues disappear and how to call for assistance.)

Bob Gardner

good to know

 

[Half Fast]

Do you recommend any set of books in particular or online ground school?

I suggest starting with the stuff you can download for free from the FAA. The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook are the two basics you'll need and are available here:

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

I prefer actual physical books, and I purchased both of these from ASA, but I still have e-copies on my laptop and iPad and use them frequently.

When you're ready to start practicing for the written test, you can get "Study Buddy" for about ten bucks from Sporty's and work through sample tests as well as study sessions.

Those two books, plus a copy of the FAR/AIM, combined with Study Buddy for practice, was all I used to prepare for my written test. I took it last week and scored 93%, so I'd say it's not really necessary to sink a ton of money into DVDs and formal ground school.

Also, a little googling will find you quite a few training videos for free. Youtube has lots of them.

The info above about length of flying sessions pretty well matches what I've experienced so far when the lessons are going well. Of course, in the unlikely instance that a lesson goes very very badly, it might last the rest of your life......

 

[MAKG1]

The info above about length of flying sessions pretty well matches what I've experienced so far when the lessons are going well. Of course, in the unlikely instance that a lesson goes very very badly, it might last the rest of your life......

Not likely.

Student pilot fatal accidents are mercifully rare.

Somewhat more common are student pilot nonfatals. One wrecked my discovery flight airplane recently, in violation of his solo endorsement conditions -- winds gusting to 22 on short-ish runway (2600), approached hot, forced it down, bounced hard twice, went to full power with the nose down on the third bounce, crushed nosegear and prop-strike. He was unhurt, but the plane is totaled. Even with a mistake THAT stupid.

A "bad" lesson is more likely to result in an "Oh s****" moment and a lesson learned. Like the time I tried to go around with full flaps in a 172N on a real hot day on an obstructed (but not short) runway. Being able to survive those and learn from them is why we have flight instructors.

 

[midcap]

I suggest starting with the stuff you can download for free from the FAA. The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook are the two basics you'll need and are available here:

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

I prefer actual physical books, and I purchased both of these from ASA, but I still have e-copies on my laptop and iPad and use them frequently.

When you're ready to start practicing for the written test, you can get "Study Buddy" for about ten bucks from Sporty's and work through sample tests as well as study sessions.

Those two books, plus a copy of the FAR/AIM, combined with Study Buddy for practice, was all I used to prepare for my written test. I took it last week and scored 93%, so I'd say it's not really necessary to sink a ton of money into DVDs and formal ground school.

Also, a little googling will find you quite a few training videos for free. Youtube has lots of them.

The info above about length of flying sessions pretty well matches what I've experienced so far when the lessons are going well. Of course, in the unlikely instance that a lesson goes very very badly, it might last the rest of your life......

Thanks!.

 

[midcap]

Not likely.

Student pilot fatal accidents are mercifully rare.

Somewhat more common are student pilot nonfatals. One wrecked my discovery flight airplane recently, in violation of his solo endorsement conditions -- winds gusting to 22 on short-ish runway (2600), approached hot, forced it down, bounced hard twice, went to full power with the nose down on the third bounce, crushed nosegear and prop-strike. He was unhurt, but the plane is totaled. Even with a mistake THAT stupid.

A "bad" lesson is more likely to result in an "Oh s****" moment and a lesson learned. Like the time I tried to go around with full flaps in a 172N on a real hot day on an obstructed (but not short) runway. Being able to survive those and learn from them is why we have flight instructors.

That's the one thing always in the back of my mind is safety. Were any of you guys nervous about things like that when you first got started?

 

[MAKG1]

That's the one thing always in the back of my mind is safety. Were any of you guys nervous about things like that when you first got started?

Of course. I would worry about someone who wasn't.

The thing is, the airplane is actually dynamically quite stable in pitch and neutral in roll. Unlike helicopters, it wants to keep doing the same thing. And "what if" scenarios are part of the training. "If the engine quit now, where would I put it?" is something you'll discuss. Sometimes you won't like the answer (for instance, flying over a rocky, cold shoreline over fog at night), so you vary the procedures to make it better.

You'll learn pretty that pilots like to talk about death and destruction pretty bluntly. The reality is that the airplane demands respect (including procedures to verify it is in working order), but it doesn't just jump out and bite you.

 

[dmspilot]

From the time you get to the airport until the time you leave, the typical lesson is 2 hours. This includes roughly one hour of flight time. The first few lessons with a new student are usually biased toward more ground time and less flight time.

 

[write-stuff]

Give or take a factor of 3. Well, it won't be shorter. With 1 hour flight time, 3 times per week for 12-16 weeks, that's barely over 40 hours.

I understand that you're probably not a flight instructor and may have forgotten the process. So midcap, just ignore what this makg1 guy said. Most flight lessons include roughly 1.4 of flight time (not 1 hour). At 1.4 and 3 times a week, that puts you between 50 and 67 hours for a 3-4 months period.

 

[Half Fast]

That's the one thing always in the back of my mind is safety. Were any of you guys nervous about things like that when you first got started?

Absolutely! And I still am. Only an idiot wouldn't be apprehensive.

Fears can be either rational or irrational. Try to determine which are which. Irrational fears, once seen as such, should subside. Rational fear is a survival trait, and thus useful and good. Rational fears can be addressed by rational actions (training, pre flights, emergency procedures, etc.). If rational actions aren't available or sufficient to reduce the risk and fear to an acceptable level, it's time to retreat, maybe just temporarily like cancelling a flight due to weather.

 

[Ravioli]

for self studying the written Dauntless is a good, reasonably priced, option.

Instrument Rating is NOT an endorsement. High Performance, Tail Wheel, and Complex are endorsements. Instrument is a new certificate requiring another written and check ride.

Of course you'll know this when you finish your ground school

 

[jordane93]

I don't like to do lessons over 1.5 hours unless we are doing a cross country. You're going to be very exhausted the first couple of ones you fly and you won't really get much out of the lesson if we fly any more.

 

[denverpilot]

Do you recommend any set of books in particular or online ground school?

I suggest starting with the stuff you can download for free from the FAA. The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge and the Airplane Flying Handbook are the two basics you'll need and are available here:

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/pilot_handbook/

https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aircraft/airplane_handbook/

This. Why? Remember every FAA test ultimately is based on FAA material. And it's all free to download anyway, so might as well get your money's worth as a taxpayer.

One of the people participating in the thread does work for ASA but is very mellow about it here, and humble, so I'll toot ASA's horn a little for them... Their stuff is high quality and reasonably priced. I've used ASA material to augment FAA material for a couple of decades now.

There's lots of other options, but if you're a "paper book" kind of studier, ASA is very good.

I've also used Jeppesen, Gleim, and even watched a few King Schools videos over the years. No experience with Sporty's stuff, but it appears also to be good quality.

Watched a Jeppesen video on multi-engine flying recently also, and it was very cheesy, but it did have a very pretty Cessna 303 Crusader with the distinctive cruciform tail on it, and was shot in Colorado, so I was as interested in it to see what airports they were at, as I was paying attention to the material. I also think the Crusader looks sexy... Hahaha.

In the end, everything you need is in the FAA material, but the explanations and graphics are often better or show something in a simpler way in commercial books.

Many are recommending electronic study apps and such in the thread, too. I have used those as well, but I consider them supplemental and for " finish up " -- memorizing things from some of those can be counter-productive to learning. It's sometimes rote memorization and not long term learning and you need long term learning.

Depends on the tool, but be careful with "test prep"... They don't cover everything you need to know in detail. They're designed, and work well, to prep for the written tests. Some do go into more detail, but caution is advised. You'll need a deeper understanding of the topics, and the CFI can help find holes in your knowledge after the written tests, too, of course.

 

[AggieMike88]

One more item for the getting prepared mix...... Obtaining the medical certificate....

If all healthy, no incidents of SSRI use, alcohol or other substance abuse or arrests, or other major health issues, then generally not a problem. But if your medical history has something that the FAA is gonna want more information about, be prepared to obtain that information early in the process.

Go to http://MedXpress.faa.gov and read the help file, especially about questions 17, 18, and 19.

If any of those apply to you, there may be additional detail required. Typically, not a problem and we can help with some of that.

But there are several cases where the student airman didn't know that his history of SSRI use, or ADD/ADHD diagnosis as a kid, or 2 arrests for alcohol related items were a derailment. Lots of money spent on training to find out that either he is forced to abandon the dream, or spend lots more time and out of pocket money satisfying the FAA's requests for info and documentations.

 

[TRocket]

I still choose early morning (I'm working my IR). My flight instructor grumbles sometimes, but he accommodates...

Mine doesn't mind the early morning flights, plus for those of us in in the south....it's a lot cooler in the morning! Morning flights in my opinion are especially good when during the IR (which I am now), helps at first to get a better feel for approaches without a lot of wind tossing you around!