Instrument training. Part 61 or 141?

labbadabba

labbadabba

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labbadabba
So my flying club has some CFIIs available which under Part 61 I could get my rating. I still have some XC time to build under part 61 rules so I would need to do some time building just to get going.

On the other hand, there is a Part 141 school over at MKC that has a certified ATD and the benefit of reduced XC time and increased sim time.

It would probably be more cost effective for me to go the part 141 route even though their rental rates are higher than my club rates.

Would I be better off going part 61 just to gain more overall time?

Or, is the structure of a part 141 school more beneficial to instrument students?
 
What really matters is the program run by a DE. If it is, then that is a good thing IMO. Part 61 vs 141 isn't such a big deal. The other thing that really matters is, do you like the instructor? (ask some of his students). Condition of planes is a big factor too.
 
It's up to you. Do you like the structure that 141 schools offer? What if you don't like your CFI? Meet with both schools and maybe try a lesson out with each one and see which one you like better. It's all about preference and no one can anwser your question except you.
 
The big issues for 141 vs 61 fir IR training are financing and your existing level of XC experience. On the financing side, pretty. Ugh all government funding for flight training requires that it be done under 141. Also, if you have limited XC PIC time, the 141 program does not have that 50-hour XC PIC requirement. Beyond that, it's a matter of the quality and structure of the training provider. A 61 program can be just as structured as any 141 program, and you can find poor instructional quality at plenty of 141 schools, so talk to the school and some of their current and former students about that.

And I don't think the fact that the school is run by a DPE makes any difference one way or the other.
 
It's all about the CFIIs and aircraft availability and price.

Find the school that offers the best of the three, especially the CFIIs and go that route.
 
I went 141 and liked the structure. I liked knowing what to expect on each lesson.
 
Unit74 said:
I went 141 and liked the structure. I liked knowing what to expect on each lesson.
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That's more about having a professional instructor.
 
I guess the part that appeals to me is that the 50 hour XC requirement is waived and I can get more hours in an ATD under part 141.

So that would save me money but am I better off taking my lumps building time on VFR XC? My desire to fly is for transport and VFR transportation doesn't appeal to me since my flying time is so precious I don't want to be limited by weather (within reason, of course)
 
I went 61 for my ppl and it was more laid back, let's go fly vs the 141 route. Not sure what those comments are insinuating though.....

Time in the real bird is more valuable I believe. In a sim, you know its a sim. I didn't like our sim, but on crappy days, it was better than doing some ground.
 
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labbadabba said:
I guess the part that appeals to me is that the 50 hour XC requirement is waived and I can get more hours in an ATD under part 141.

So that would save me money but am I better off taking my lumps building time on VFR XC? My desire to fly is for transport and VFR transportation doesn't appeal to me since my flying time is so precious I don't want to be limited by weather (within reason, of course)
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I doubt that will save you any money.

You can also build that time under the hood with a friend. The sim time is useful but again, 141/61 isn't going to save you much, infact I like to see people have 100hrs and some very long cross countries before they start on their instrument.
 
labbadabba said:
I guess the part that appeals to me is that the 50 hour XC requirement is waived and I can get more hours in an ATD under part 141.
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The first is correct, but the second may not be. If it's an AATD, you can (starting 1/20/15) get 20 out of 40 total instrument hours under Part 61 versus only 40% of the total 35 (or 14 hours) under Part 141. Of course, if it's a BATD, the Part 61 limit remains 10 hours but the 141 limit is the same 40% or 14 hours as it is with an AATD.

So that would save me money but am I better off taking my lumps building time on VFR XC?
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Generally speaking, if you are way short of the required 50 XC PIC hours for Part 61, it will cost you significantly less under Part 141 to go from where you are today to having "INSTRUMENT-AIRPLANE" on the back of your pilot certificate. Yes, you could build a good deal of that XC PIC time as part of your IR training, but then you wouldn't be using the sim as much (since you can't log XC or PIC time in a sim). OTOH, the XC PIC time you build to meet the Part 61 requirements has a lot of value, too, and that experience can be very important later on.

So, things for you to consider, and then decide which is best for you.
 
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