is this a good deal

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rs013

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Rob13
I am a newbie to flying but as excited as ever to begin the path of becoming a GA pilot. I am in the process of saving to start my formal training next summer (that is the goal I've set for myself).

Having said that, I just got this flash sale deal:
http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/1727/deals/477190-two-hour-flight-lesson

Is this worth to do and a deal? If anything as an intro to flying?

Thanks for any thoughts in advance and always appreciate time pilots give to help others who are just starting.
 
rs013 said:
I am a newbie to flying but as excited as ever to begin the path of becoming a GA pilot. I am in the process of saving to start my formal training next summer (that is the goal I've set for myself).

Having said that, I just got this flash sale deal:
http://www.livingsocial.com/cities/1727/deals/477190-two-hour-flight-lesson

Is this worth to do and a deal? If anything as an intro to flying?

Thanks for any thoughts in advance and always appreciate time pilots give to help others who are just starting.
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250 for 1 hr of ground and 1hr of stick time is high. The "on sale" rate is a good deal. If that's the real rate they charge, I'd look for a more affordable option to continue my training
 
Also if you weigh more than 170 pounds it costs extra.:yes::goofy:
 
The "going rate" in the Bay Area for a discovery flight is around $160. A little further out (Watsonville), it's under $100. So, that rate is pretty good for a 172, but the "regular" rate isn't. There is at least one flying club in the area (not this one) that doubles their regular rate, and then "discounts" it by half as a Groupon. I'm suspicious that something similar might be going on here.
 
Living Social basically tries to have you pay 50% as a one time hook into something. That said, the cost isn't unheard of -- it sounds like $150/hour aircraft and $50 hour for the CFI as a typical rate.

I'd carefully research the school to see what the ongoing costs would be. You can definitely do better, IMHO.
 
GauzeGuy said:
Living Social basically tries to have you pay 50% as a one time hook into something. That said, the cost isn't unheard of -- it sounds like $150/hour aircraft and $50 hour for the CFI as a typical rate.

I'd carefully research the school to see what the ongoing costs would be. You can definitely do better, IMHO.
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For the business it's a way to attract new customers, with these deals the company takes 50% up front, so in this case the flight school is getting $60 for the intro flight and ground school. Even at $120.00 it seems like a great deal on a hour of dual.:D I would check out their actual rates before getting too carried away, but for an intro flight it's a goo deal.:D
 
N747JB said:
I would check out their actual rates before getting too carried away, but for an intro flight it's a good deal.
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:yeahthat:

As John says, as intro flights, go, this isn't too shabby for 1 hr ground and 1 hr of real flight training.

Be sure to get a logbook and have the CFI sign the entry to document the training given.

Once you do the flight, and find out more about what the real per hour is, report back.

Oh... and..... :needpics:
 
considering the average hourly rate in a 172 is about $117 wet, that's a good deal. This of course assuming you get an hour in the plane, you are basically getting free instruction for 2 hours.
 
I did a little digging because I was bored. It appears that this deal is in a 152, not a 172. They said on their FB page that it would be an additional $35 to bring another person. And the 170 pound limit gave it away too.
 
PSA is where I got my PPL. Good school, although my experience suggests that it is geared more towards the foreign students who come here to do a full program (all the way through to multi-engine IFR commercial) than local students just doing their PPL for fun. $120 for 2 hours sounds OK considering their rates ($135/hr for the 172 IIRC, haven't flown their planes in a year).
 
I recommend you look at every school in your area and compare the costs. Typically the closer the school is to a city the higher the rates are. Also since the into flights are usually cheaper when starting your flight training you can save significant amount of money by going to every school in the area and asking for an intro flight, the disadvantage it that they will all be teaching you the same thing, however this will also allow you to checkout whole bunch of different aircraft and decide what you want to do your training in.

AOPA has a list of all (well most) flights schools at every airport so you can use that to make your research easier. http://www.aopa.org/learntofly/school/index.cfm
 
I do not know about other areas, but in my area southwest florida the going rate for a discovery flight, which is what this sounds like, is about $100. I agree with the others to check around and see what others in your area are charging. However, if you decide to fly and this is slightly more expensive than others, but the training they offer is good and priced in line with other schools, then the extra few dollars will be insignificant in the long run.

Doug
 
douglas393 said:
I do not know about other areas, but in my area southwest florida the going rate for a discovery flight, which is what this sounds like, is about $100. I agree with the others to check around and see what others in your area are charging. However, if you decide to fly and this is slightly more expensive than others, but the training they offer is good and priced in line with other schools, then the extra few dollars will be insignificant in the long run.

Doug
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This is metro California. Everything costs a bit more, especially services. Sunshine tax, as they say. It gets a little frustrating on this board, when people pipe up and tell us we are getting ripped off here. The fact is, the going rate for getting work done at a shop is $100/hr. we would literally have to travel 100's of miles to get it done cheaper. Running a business in California costs more (I know, I have one) and you have to charge more to stay out of the red. I am pretty sure the Bay Area in CA is going to be among the highest rental rates in the country. They consistently are for the cost of real estate and insurance definitely costs more. Not to mention, employers are sued right and left.
 
It's a good deal.

Always watch for fine print. There was a groupon earlier for $150 for helicopter lesson. Apparently it was for over an hour of ground time and 15 minutes in the air. I know choppers are more expensive, but 15 minutes in one is too short.
 
I've flown with PSA in the past. They're pretty straight arrow as far as I was able to tell and service was good.

As other posters have indicated, if you're serious about flight training, I'd suggest you check out every flight school and flying club and determine which is best for you once you figure out the financials on paper. Just don't get swindled by the magical "40 hours" sales pitch. You're more likely to finish in 60-80 hours for your private pilot certificate, so plan for that.

But if you're just looking to experience flight, this package isn't bad. However, I'm sure if you're savvy enough, you can find yourself on social media and hook up with a local flight instructor or pilot and get the same experience for much, much cheaper.

Good luck!
 
NineThreeKilo said:
If you're on the central coast, might want to check out these guys,

www.flylompoc.com
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Lompoc is FFFAAAAARRRRR from anything within driving distance of the Bay Area. I live on the central coast as well, and Lompoc is over two hours away. It also has restricted airspace very close by due to the proximity of Vandenberg AFB

Much closer is Watsonville, Salinas and Monterey, all of which have some instruction (though not on the same scale as in the Bay Area). Or, if you're into taildraggers, you can learn at King City (but it's scary pricey -- that's Sean Tucker's school).
 
John221us said:
This is metro California. Everything costs a bit more, especially services. Sunshine tax, as they say. It gets a little frustrating on this board, when people pipe up and tell us we are getting ripped off here. The fact is, the going rate for getting work done at a shop is $100/hr. we would literally have to travel 100's of miles to get it done cheaper. Running a business in California costs more (I know, I have one) and you have to charge more to stay out of the red. I am pretty sure the Bay Area in CA is going to be among the highest rental rates in the country. They consistently are for the cost of real estate and insurance definitely costs more. Not to mention, employers are sued right and left.
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California is a very big place, and assuming everything is like suburban Sacramento is wrong.

I've seen discovery flights as low as $69 in California. Probably very short, so I wouldn't take it. But an hour for $100 can be found if you don't insist it be in a big city.

If you're military (or in some cases associated with it in even the most tangental way), that's going to be the most cost effective route. The cheapest flight training I've located anywhere is in California, at Edwards AFB. If you can get regular access to the base, you can get access to the aircraft. That includes me, a contractor for a civilian Federal agency. If it weren't so far, I'd be doing all my flying out of there.

There are other military clubs in California at Monterey (Navy), Vandenberg, Travis (Nut Tree) and Beale. All of them are more restrictive than Edwards.
 
Thanks guys, this is very useful info. The place is 1h from my house so that's not so bad. I guess the devil is in the details -- I'll give them a call to try to get more info. I plan to start my training in the summer when I save up so this was just a thought to get 1h in the log book and get an affordable intro between now and then.

Rob
 
$60hr in a 172 is a good deal. If they will continue with a good price going forward you may want to train there. I would caution against leaving more than $500-$1000 block at a time to work down. Typically block time buys a 10% discount. You can also ask to bill tach time and slow down stretching your experience per $$$. Asking for dry rental and then slowing down and leaning aggressively to save fuel. You can also do this and show your fuel consumption against calculated and ask for a rebate or discount. I prefer dry rental. You need to gain most of your skill at the bottom of the speed envelope anyway.
 
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If you want to take a couple to a few weeks off, live in a tent at a campground to knock out your PPL, I can direct you to an FBO who rents a 150 WITH instructor WET for $85/hour (55 plane, 30 instructor) the instructor only charges you "training" time for the time you're in the air...i.e. his portion will be hobbs time. He's also a multi-thousand hour pilot, who owns the FBO and has been doing flight training for 30+ and just likes flying.
 
MAKG1 said:
Lompoc is FFFAAAAARRRRR from anything within driving distance of the Bay Area. I live on the central coast as well, and Lompoc is over two hours away. It also has restricted airspace very close by due to the proximity of Vandenberg AFB

Much closer is Watsonville, Salinas and Monterey, all of which have some instruction (though not on the same scale as in the Bay Area). Or, if you're into taildraggers, you can learn at King City (but it's scary pricey -- that's Sean Tucker's school).
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Gotcha, didn't know you were in the bay.

Also the restricted airspace by Lompoc isnt a factor, they use a area to the south east as the practice area, besides, minus 2517, it's all cold nine times out of ten.

VBG doesnt get all that much use, nothing a call to 24.15 wont clarify in a second :wink2:
 
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PSA don't do block rates.

Their 172s normally rent at $135/hr wet, dry is not an option.

It's a good school. I got my ppl there. However, I am happy to introduce you to our club where you can do flight training cheaper ( by about 20%). Message me if you're interested.
 
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onwards said:
PSA don't do block rates.

Their 172s normally rent at $135/hr wet, dry is not an option.

It's a good school. I got my ppl there. However, I am happy to introduce you to our club where you can do flight training cheaper ( by about 20%). Message me if you're interested.
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Where? LVK seems to have some cheaper rentals, as does RHV and WVI. But the tradeoffs seem to be the number of aircraft available, and sometimes the insurance is really bad (RHV).
 
I am currently out of money so need to save up to start the formal training in the summer. I'll ping you guys as we get closer... thank you for all the recommendations ... gosh, can't wait.
 
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