Pausing PPL

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Max B

Filing Flight Plan
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MaxB
Hi,

I am planning to take a break form my part 141 training. Got a baby on the way and I plan to take at least 2 months off. I just got past "stage I" from part 141 (as defined by the Jeppesen handbook), and got 50 hours of flight time, just 2h solo.

Question is what's best to focus on in the next 2-4 weeks: get all the solo's done, or get through all dual flights of stage II?

Some pros/cons for both:
- dual flights now: A lot of material that may need to be retaught after the break
- solo flights now: winter weather in Texas is unpredictable, and many solos will need to get cancelled because of strong winds.
+ dual flights now: instructors don't stay long, so I may need another instructor when I'm back

Thanks!
 
The next best focus will likely be determined by the syallabus from the school. Chances are quite favorable that you'll need to repeat some material and refresh your skills in the air before progressing after your hiatus.
 
As @RyanB said, the lessons in Part 141 follow a syllabus. Your school might have some leeway, but often not. Besides, training syllabi, whether 61 or 141, are very similar for a reason. They reflect decades of experience combining meeting regulatory requirements with a "you need to walk before you can run" lesson sequence.

As you pointed out, some things will need to be repeated. At your stage, retention of knowledge and skill tends to be low.

Special 141 school considerations aside, I would be looking for a plan to keep my head in the game during those two months. Continued targeted study. Visualization (chair flying). Maybe even simulation. I'd discuss specifics with my flight school.

it may help to know: I had a student who broke his leg and was going to be out for a month. I gave him some chair flying exercises. We used training videos. He knew he was free to contact me with questions. He flew better the day he came back than the day he stopped,
 
Jepp’s Stage 1 is programmed for 25 hrs; it took you 50 to get there. That is abnormal. I don’t think a baby on the way and taking two months off is going to help, but if you’re only flying once a week or so, it may not matter.

What is your end goal and why are you in a Part 141 program?

Oh yeah; I’d just stop where I’m at and not start phase II until I was ready and able to fly 3x weekly. Hours and tasks don’t mean anything if you can’t maintain proficiency.
 
Congrats on the baby. Great stage of life.

Don't be surprised if your 2mo plan gets a little delayed, that is the nature of that stage of life. I would suggest letting flying go to the back burner for the next 2mo as your life is going to undergoing one of its biggest shifts. Besides, babies are a lot of fun.
 
Cool thanks for the suggestions, everyone! And also for the wishes with the baby :). Chair flying/simulation are great ideas, and I'll try to catch up on theory if baby allows :).

I also found out the hard way that flying 2x/week is a minimum to make any progress. Hopefully I can find a way to do this between work and baby.
 
That is a great idea! I have been training in a Piper Tomahawk (PA38-112), so I guess a little too heavy for SP. Still worth to see if I can do that somewhere at a different school nearby.
 
I would suggest to still make time to take lessons even if it is at a reduced frequency if you really want a PPL. You will be busy with parenthood for the next 20 years. Most never finish in these situations. Congratulations on the new baby.
 
Congrats a new baby can be very time consuming,have a talk with the flight school on their recommendations, probably not the first time this has come up.
 
With >40 hours to solo you are really behind the training curve. I would try to complete the Stage II training before you break if you are financially able and not return until you have both the time and funds to quickly complete the training.
 
Oh baloney about being behind any syllabus. Not everyone learns and masters the material at the rate in the 141 syllabus. Many things impact training and having an imminent baby definitely distracts from learning.

Ignore those who claim it’s a hard & fast rule that you must meet every checkoff at or before the defined hours. Yes, it may cost more but learning the material is more important. If you need to move to part 61 down the road, after the munchkin, so be it.
 
I hope you prove me wrong. We need more GA pilots. I apologize in advance.

Frankly, if you do not finish your PPL ASAP, I doubt you will get back to it for years if ever. Your baby will be a 25 hour/8 day a week job not for 2 months, but for years. Add another kid, add making a living, plus exhaustion, plus the expense of the modern baby, and you may get back to it about time the kid graduates high school. But then there will be post K12 education expenses, ...

I've seen it before. People who put their dreams on hold until they're ready. One of my best friends "paused" his flight training just after he got married. A few years later came the kid. He promised the missus he wouldn't get back to it until ... Then a few years later the next kid, business, this and that, and thirty years later, no PPL. He still occasionally talks about it, but he'll never do it, and he could easily afford it.

How does your wife feel about you "risking your life" with a kid on the way? Will she feel any different once the kid is born? Whether you know it or not, she has thought of it.

So, my advice: Do it now and make aviation a part of your life. Or just stop and plan to start over later. Any money you spend training before a long layoff will largely be wasted.

Again, I hope you prove me wrong. Good luck with the kid.
 
murphey said:
Oh baloney about being behind any syllabus. Not everyone learns and masters the material at the rate in the 141 syllabus. Many things impact training and having an imminent baby definitely distracts from learning.

Ignore those who claim it’s a hard & fast rule that you must meet every checkoff at or before the defined hours. Yes, it may cost more but learning the material is more important. If you need to move to part 61 down the road, after the munchkin, so be it.
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Few finish a private 141 program in the given hours. The norm to solo is ~15 hours, not >40.
 
I have 4 kids. They sleep a ton in the beginning. 3 slept 16+ per day…for months! Unless you are only relief for your wife (no siblings or parents) don’t stop flying now.

Go 3x a week now and you’ll probably be done in a month or two.
 
Domenick said:
I hope you prove me wrong. We need more GA pilots. I apologize in advance.

Frankly, if you do not finish your PPL ASAP, I doubt you will get back to it for years if ever. Your baby will be a 25 hour/8 day a week job not for 2 months, but for years. Add another kid, add making a living, plus exhaustion, plus the expense of the modern baby, and you may get back to it about time the kid graduates high school. But then there will be post K12 education expenses, ...

I've seen it before. People who put their dreams on hold until they're ready. One of my best friends "paused" his flight training just after he got married. A few years later came the kid. He promised the missus he wouldn't get back to it until ... Then a few years later the next kid, business, this and that, and thirty years later, no PPL. He still occasionally talks about it, but he'll never do it, and he could easily afford it.

How does your wife feel about you "risking your life" with a kid on the way? Will she feel any different once the kid is born? Whether you know it or not, she has thought of it.

So, my advice: Do it now and make aviation a part of your life. Or just stop and plan to start over later. Any money you spend training before a long layoff will largely be wasted.

Again, I hope you prove me wrong. Good luck with the kid.
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I agree 100%, and it's why I have recommended spending the money for a checkride when enough is done to get the SP ticket (post #8 above). That way he'd be a certificated pilot and be able to fly under SP rules whenever he likes, even if he doesn't finish off the PP. It's sorta like getting an Associate's degree en route to the Bachelor's; it locks in the credits and at least you come away with something useful completed.
 
Domenick said:
I hope you prove me wrong. We need more GA pilots. I apologize in advance.

Frankly, if you do not finish your PPL ASAP, I doubt you will get back to it for years if ever. Your baby will be a 25 hour/8 day a week job not for 2 months, but for years. Add another kid, add making a living, plus exhaustion, plus the expense of the modern baby, and you may get back to it about time the kid graduates high school. But then there will be post K12 education expenses, ...

I've seen it before. People who put their dreams on hold until they're ready. One of my best friends "paused" his flight training just after he got married. A few years later came the kid. He promised the missus he wouldn't get back to it until ... Then a few years later the next kid, business, this and that, and thirty years later, no PPL. He still occasionally talks about it, but he'll never do it, and he could easily afford it.

How does your wife feel about you "risking your life" with a kid on the way? Will she feel any different once the kid is born? Whether you know it or not, she has thought of it.

So, my advice: Do it now and make aviation a part of your life. Or just stop and plan to start over later. Any money you spend training before a long layoff will largely be wasted.

Again, I hope you prove me wrong. Good luck with the kid.
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THIS^^^^^^^
 
5 months later, and I still haven't returned to school. But.. we're getting some help for 1.5 months and baby's sleep is already a bit more stable, so I am thinking to get back into it. I can max it out at 3 sessions a week for this duration and try to get that second stage finished, but I think it is pushing it (it's all cross country). One alternative is to just keep going once a week (I can solo already), just for the joy of flying around the airport, and maintaining my skills. Once we're a bit through the hectic phase, I can focus on making progress.

Is this plan good? Would I make more progress flying a better plane? I am flying the Tomahawk, but the school also has the Archer and Warrior.

I think I am up for a tough ride: I found combining a full time job with flying already hard, but then I had flexibility with my work hours. Now with baby in the picture and his nanny/day care hours, that flexibility is gone. So I am really hoping to make it as efficient as possible.

PS: we named our baby Maverick, so I have some extra motivation to pick flying back up ;)
 
One alternative is to just keep going once a week, just for the joy of flying around the airport,
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Seems like it is worth a try. You don't want to get burned out or fly so much it becomes a chore.

Max B said:
(I can solo already)
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Your solo endorsement is expired and you will likely need a period of refresher training before you'll be ready to solo again.

Would I make more progress flying a better plane? I am flying the Tomahawk, but the school also has the Archer and Warrior.
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Not likely. You'll make the most progress flying the same plane you always have. The others are not "better".
 
Just keep flying, even if once a week is not ideal. If you don’t improve and make progress, you’ll know it and naturally quit or start to fly 2x a week. Just do it.
 
Solo… fulfills a requirement.

Or sport pilot… that’s a pretty good idea!

141 does nothing for you.
 
I did my whole ppl on about 3 months flying 3x/wk, and 2/3 of that was pre-solo. Once you know how to fly the plane the rest of the stuff goes pretty fast. Of course you'll have to knock a bunch of rust off, and if you transition to another plane, that will take a couple lessons. It will take a decent amount of self-study, but I think finishing up in 6 weeks is totally plausible, and I'd encourage you to do that. Going once a week is a recipe for never finishing.

I also had a brand new baby when I was doing my ppl, although for us it was #5. I will say that after a month or so my wife began to really resent my large amount of time away from home. If you have a nanny and she has a chance to get out of the house it might be less of an issue, but just something to think about. Don't forget about her, and take her somewhere really nice in the airplane once you get your certificate.
 
midlifeflyer said:
As @RyanB said, the lessons in Part 141 follow a syllabus. Your school might have some leeway, but often not. Besides, training syllabi, whether 61 or 141, are very similar for a reason. They reflect decades of experience combining meeting regulatory requirements with a "you need to walk before you can run" lesson sequence.

As you pointed out, some things will need to be repeated. At your stage, retention of knowledge and skill tends to be low.

Special 141 school considerations aside, I would be looking for a plan to keep my head in the game during those two months. Continued targeted study. Visualization (chair flying). Maybe even simulation. I'd discuss specifics with my flight school.

it may help to know: I had a student who broke his leg and was going to be out for a month. I gave him some chair flying exercises. We used training videos. He knew he was free to contact me with questions. He flew better the day he came back than the day he stopped,
Click to expand...

I would second this opinion. Keeping the head in the game is the key. I have seen the opposite as well - i.e., people who fly regulary but don't spent any time thinking, reviewing or visualizing, so their progress ends up being slow.
 
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