…a non-commercial pilot, that is. I know there are a lot of pilots and flight instructors on the SDMB, so I was hoping I could get their outlook/answers.
Now I have a job I love, but I absolutely love flying, and the few times I’ve been in a smaller plane have been an absolute blast. As such, I am mainly looking for the kind of license that would let me pilot a small 2-4 seat fixed wing aircraft alone, or with friends.
Now, since I have a career I love, am I correct in assuming that the military is not an option? I have heard that some reserve officers, especially national guard reserve, become pilots, but I am assuming that becoming even a reserve pilot is 1) incredibly competitive, 2) no sure thing, 3) probably next to impossible for someone in their late 20s with a boat load of linguistics degrees and nothing approaching math/engineering after freshman calculus.
I apologize for the tl;dr, but given the above details, my questions are:
Given that I’m older and don’t have a math/engineering degree, are there any realistic opportunities in military aviation?
If I pursue flying purely as a recreational activity and not as a career, exactly what kind of license should I be aiming for? About how much does this license cost on average?
I know this is a stupid question, since rule #1 about flying is that it’s incredibly, incredibly expensive, but is there any way to save money or otherwise cut the cost of acquiring my license? I could probably find a block of weeks/months to dedicate to it, which I hear helps since constant lessons help muscle memory and cut down on necessary review, but are there any other ways to help keep costs down? In particular, are there any countries outside of the US which a) offer safe, high-quality training that would transfer to an American license and b) have a lower cost of acquisition? I speak Spanish and Japanese fluently, and I’m a pretty quick (as in 2-3 years) study if learning a new language would save me a few thousand buckaroos.
Are there any textbooks, reliable online tutorials, procedural manuals, or any other materials I can and/or should be reading and learning on my own time before I’m flying regularly?
What questions did I forget to ask, since I’m an utter and complete luddite when it comes to flight?
As with many things, ‘It depends.’ For a Private Pilot Certificate you need a minimum of 40 hours, including dual (with an instructor) and solo (alone in the aircraft). Most people will take 50 hours. Some can do it in the minimum time, and others take much longer. Rental and instructor rates vary by region, equipment, etc. I’m working on getting current after not exercising my license for about a decade, and I’m currently paying $110/hour for a Cessna 172 and $50/hour for the instructor. You will also need to complete ground school. I did mine at a community college for 50 bucks. (This was back when you could take a class at a community college for 50 bucks.) Community college is an option. You could pay the instructor’s hourly rate for personal instruction, but this isn’t cost-effective IMO. A local FBO (Fixed Based Operator – ‘flight school’) offers a weekend Private Pilot Ground School for $300. Another popular path is a video course from Sporty’s Pilot Shop or King Schools. There will be an examination fee for the written test, and the FAA-designated examiner will charge a fee for the flight test. You’ll need a 3rd Class medical certificate, which should cost under $100. Then there are miscellaneous items such as books, plotter, E6B (manual or electronic), sectional chart(s), etc.
Sorry for not being specific about the total cost, but it depends on how long it takes. The above will give you an idea though.
Most flight schools will offer a ‘block rate’, which is slightly cheaper if you buy blocks of like $1,000 or so of time. From what I’ve seen, it’s only $5/hour. But a fin is a fin, right? As you guess, the more you fly the quicker you’ll learn. Fly at least once a week if you can, or twice a week. You can stretch it out as long as you like, but the quicker the better.
I used to fly at a place that got a lot of students from the UK, and a couple from Japan. What I picked up was that it’s much cheaper to learn to fly in the U.S. One English pilot said it was cheaper to rent an apartment in L.A. for the length of his training, than to learn to fly helicopters in England.
One (helicopter) instructor I ran into recently said it’s cheaper to buy your own aircraft with a partner or two, and learn in that. I’ve frequently heard that you need to fly your own aircraft at least 300 hours a year to ‘break even’ with renting. That’s a lot of flying – especially where I live now. It might make sense if you can afford to fly that much though. (Or not.)
The Sporty’s videos are pretty good, and not very expensive. At a minimum you’ll need FAR/AIM (Federal Aviation Regulations and Aeronautical Information Manual), Aviation Weather, and Private Pilot Test Prep. The FBO will provide headsets, though some charge a nominal rental fee for them, or you can get your own.
Flying is my favourite thing. It’s amazing how quickly it came back – even considering that I quit flying airplanes when I took up helicopters. Here’s a thread I started about it. Now if only I can find the time to finish the ground school videos, schedule some more stick time, and have cooperative weather!
Good luck. Let us know how it goes.
Oh, yeah – Your local FBO should offer an ‘introductory lesson’. Check it out. If you have several FBOs in your area, you can shop around.
Wow Johnny, thanks for the quick reply! I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been browsing through local flight schools and I have a few quick follow-up questions:
The main school I’m looking at recommends lessons on one of two introductory airplanes: a Cessna C172S, or a Light Sport Aircraft CTLS. From their verbage I gather that the CTLS is what you fly if you’re trying for a Sport License instead of a Recreational License. Given that, I’m wondering which airframe should I learn on, and if I start on the CTLS and earn a Sport License, will those flight hours also apply to the requirement for my private or recreational license? Or is the CTLS too low-power of an airplane to “count” as hours for a recreational license?
Second, I’ve been reading about flight schools, and apparently there are two main kinds in the US, Part 141 schools and Part 61 schools. My understanding is that Part 141 schools are “better” in that they have to pass stricter regulations, but as a recreational flier does it matter at all whether I attend a Part 141 or Part 61 program?
Third, I’m seeing that a Recreational License seems to be a “beginner’s” version of the Private license. Should my initial goal be earning a Sports or Recreational license, in order to let my fly solo to build up hours toward the Private license? Or should I be thinking more of ignoring Sports and Recreational, and flying the hours required for my Private license with an instructor?
Finally, what do you think of the Cesna C172S and/or the CTLS? I’ve read it’s best to focus on flying a single model when first learning, so are either of them “good” planes to begin with? Will I have much luck finding those models in non-local airports, if I’m traveling and want to rent a plane to rack up a few hours?
The Sport license came about after I got my PPL, so I don’t know a lot about it. The PPL will grant you the most privileges, so that’s what I’d recommend. I’m sure hours logged toward a Sport certificate count toward a PPL, but if you’re going to fly you may as well go for the PPL from the start.
I used Part 61 schools for both of my certificates. One school of thought is that a Part 141 school is better because they have stricter standards. Another school of thought is that Part 61 schools are better because they can be better tailored to the individual student, and are not ‘pilot mills’. I can say that both schools I attended placed an emphasis on competence and safety.
I’ve not flown a 172S. That’s the latest model, and a bit more expensive to rent than older ones – especially if they have the ‘glass panel’. The plane I’m flying now is a 1978 Cessna 172N. IIRC there were more N-models built than any other, so you’re likely to come across them frequently. The place I got my fixed-wing license at (in dad’s 172K) offers a 1966(?) model. Other places might have 172Ms or 172Ps or Pipers or Ciruses or even a Grumman – of virtually any vintage. Be assured though, that each of these aircraft receive annual and 100-hour inspections. Some of them may be ratty, and some of them may be nice; but they should all be safe. The Skyhawk is a good airplane to learn to fly in. There’s a reason there have been more 172s built than any other aircraft ever. They’re not sexy, and they’re not fast. They won’t carry a family of six (easily). But they’re great aircraft. Being the most common, it would be good to learn in one.
I’ve just looked up the CTLS. Empty weight is 318 kg, gross weight is 600 kg, and it carries 33 gallons of fuel. If I’m doing the math right, that sounds like 400+ pounds for the occupants. Not bad.
Another option would be a Cessna 152 (or 150). I’ve not flown one myself, except as a passenger when I was about eight. Similar weights and payload to the CTLS, but carries less fuel and is slower. If you’re going to fly a 172, a 150/152 should make for a familiar transition. (I think that was Cessna’s plan. )
Johnny LA covered most of it, but I’ll comment (as a flight instructor) on what he said about the training time. His numbers are correct, but I would suggest you don’t get your heart set on completing a Private Pilot license in the minimum time. I’ve had students pass the test at not much more than 40 hours, but it’s usually not feasible or a good idea.
AOPA suggests the average times are 50-70 hours, depending on who you ask. I tell my students 60 is average. In my view, this is largely due to airspace being more complicated these days and violating airspace being a bigger deal.
Best thing you could do is complete ground school before doing any flying *. Most people don’t do it that way because, hey, flying is fun! But if you want to maximize bang for your buck in training, complete ground school, pass the written test, then go fly with a take no prisoners attitude.
PM me if you have specific questions.
Actually the VERY first thing you should do is make sure you can pass the medical exam before you invest a lot of time and money. That’s for Private Pilot - for Sport Pilot it’s a little more relaxed in terms of the medical .
As to military aviation, it’s a full time job with serious commitments for multiple years. Even the guard/reserve is going to want you to be real agressive about spending time with them “pledging” to get in, then 1-2 years of full-tme status getting trained, then there’s a non-trivial commitment of workdays every month thereafter. My info is not real current, but historically the guard/reserve-to-pilot path has been extremely competitive, with hundreds of qualified applicants per slot.
The specifics of your undergraduate degree don’t actually matter hardly at all. What matters is how hard you’re willing to work and whether you have the basic aptitude. And fit the culture. Somebody with an MFA in 1800s Ballroom Dance isn’t disqualified as such; it’s just real unlikely somebody who chose that degree path also has the rest of the attitudes / aptitudes required to fly combat machines.
Mach Tuck: Thanks for the training time numbers. I was going to put ‘50-60 hours’, but I was watching a movie and left off the 60.
Both of my parents were pilots (Dad was a Flight Service Specialist and mom was an ‘aviation secretary’ at Gibbs at MYF), so I got a lot of exposure as a child and adolescent. Dad refused to be my instructor. He had a friend who trained his own daughter. She was landing on her first (?) solo, and another plane – without radios – was coming in on top of her and didn’t see her. She panicked and stalled, recovered, and stalled again. She died. Her father could only watch. So dad made me hire an instructor. He did give me some instruction, and logged it. When I started actual training, it took 15 months and 60 hours. (Some of that included ‘dad time’, so the ‘real’ instruction was less.) I did not have a block of time to devote to training, so I flew about once a week on average. It took five months to get my helicopter rating.
I’m glad I took ground school and got the written test out of the way before starting training. Not only did I have the knowledge gained from it, but it was also a task that had already been completed and wasn’t something I had to work into my schedule while also flying. Now, having started to regain currency, I wish I had watched all of my GS videos before getting back in the saddle. I can fly a plane, but the ‘knowledge’ part is still rusty.
And since I’m older now than I was 25 years ago, I got a physical before I got my flight physical. Just wanted to make sure I’d pass.
ETA: LSLGuy: I heard once that most military pilots have liberal arts degrees, rather than engineering or mathematics.
My cousin became a fighter pilot with I believe an English degree. He was a very non-technical person.
I think the age limit for the Air Force is like 28 for pilots, so if you’re in your late 20s, it might be a done deal. The Army is a bit later for rotary. A friend of mine flies choppers and it seemed like he was at least 30 when he entered Army flight training.
My husband had his first lesson at age 35, so age is no issue. He had no undergrad degree but had no problem with the flight school. Took him about 60 hours to get his private rotorcraft license, and only flying weekends and paying what we could out of pocket got his commercial and instructor tickets in a little less than a year & a half. Probably cost us $15k all told, but since he was looking at this as a second career, the cost was a bargain. The biggest shock financially was going from his $50k salary as a webmaster to $11/hour as a flight instructor for the first two years, as well as requiring a move and a subsequent drop in my pay. Not a problem if you are not planning to to go professional. On the upside, there is a big need for helicopter pilots as the Vietnam vets all retire so pay, benefits & opportunities have been on the rise for the past few years.
As already recommended by Johnny LA, he used the King courses to supplement his groundschool and passed all his written exams easily. If you love flying and can afford to do it as a hobby, great. If you are thinking of a professional move, you are not anything like too old to do it and there are some great schools out there that can also work student loans.
I got my private pilots license back in 2003, although I don’t fly much these days. There are a few points I would like to share with you, that might be worth mentioning or maybe not.
1: Be sure that your flight instructor is wanting to teach you to fly, not pad his hours and his paycheck. The reason I say this is my first instructor just about killed my love of flying. I didn’t know much, so went with everything he said. I didn’t get to take off or land for something like 7 or 8 lessons. The landing I might be able to see, but why in the world did it take him 7 lessons before he let me take off? And no, it wasn’t that I was unable to, I was more than capable.
Also, I spent about 7 hours of flight instruction doing “turns around a point”. His reasoning was that when it came time for my check ride that I would be able to do this with “my eyes closed”. After asking around it turns out that this instructor was basically wasting my money and time, having me do repetitive tasks over and over again, even though I demonstrated proficiency in the task. He was padding the hours it took me to solo and get my certificate. The result of this ineffective teaching was it started to sour me on flying, I wasn’t learning anything new, I wasn’t progressing yet the bill was adding up.
Thankfully I "fired’ this guy and got myself a competent instructor. Night and day difference and I blossomed as a student and couldn’t wait for lessons again. The right instructor will make all of the difference. He has to instill confidence in you and he has to let you grow as a student. I used a private instructor that had his own plane, I finally went to a “flight school” that employed their instructors and they were not under pressure to get as much money out of me as possible. Also, there were times when I would show up for my scheduled lesson and the first instructor was no where to be found. I would wait for an hour or so, go home and be in a funk. Get some references and be sure that you have a good instructor.
2: The person who got me into flying was a great guy. I was very fortunate because he was a very wealthy person who owned a few WWII airplanes. I got time in a Stearman, T6, L5 Stinson and even a P51 Mustang (I didn’t fly that one, but got some rides in it. AWESOME!) Anyhow, this person was also an insurance agent (he owned his office). I had a family with some young children and wanted to get life insurance. He suggested to me that I get the policy PRIOR to starting flight instruction. His reasoning was that on the life insurance forms there was a question asking if I piloted any aircraft, including small private aircraft. If I checked yes, the rate that I would be charged was higher than if I didn’t. By getting the policy prior to starting flight instruction I could honestly answer “no” to that question.
Now, if what he told me is BS, I will never know. But I trust him and went with his advice. I realize that this has really nothing to do with flying itself, but just thought I would pass on this advice FWIW.
I wish you luck in your new adventure, you will be amazed at how much fun it is. Keep your head about you and ALWAYS FLY THE PLANE. No matter what happens when your in the air, flying the airplane is the number one and only priority. Stay safe and have fun!
I’m not an expert, but I have talked to a fair number of Air National Guard pilots about how they got to where they are. From what I’ve gathered, the substantial majority – please don’t ask me to put a number on that – received their flight training as active duty officers. There is a route by which someone can join the National Guard and go to flight school – I’ve heard the term “Guard babies” for these types – but my understanding is that Guard babies are a kind of a scarce thing.
A few months ago, I talked with some ANG F-16 pilots. I was really surprised how much work they have to do to keep current and able to fly. One weekend a month? Ha! The guys I talked to do a few hours worth of training each week. They seem to have very understanding employers to give them the flexibility to fly when they need to.
I have a private ticket myself, but others have already provided much better responses than I could.
My kid will be 16 next year and is very serious about becoming a pilot. I will have to make time to read this thread later. Thank you so much for asking the question.
I’m a strictly “for fun” pilot with experience in ultralights, light sport aircraft, and a variety of single-engine fixed-gear aircraft. I do have a private pilot’s license. So I’m putting in my 2¢
A significant difference between Sport Pilot and Private Pilot is that Sport Pilot limits you to 2 seaters and Private Pilot doesn’t have a limit on how many seats. Is that important? Well, I very, very seldom have more than one passenger at a time, and many of the airplanes I’ve flown only had two seats. There are some pilots that wouldn’t find it much of a limitation, and others would.
If you passed high school algebra you should do fine with the math needed for a private pilot. Actually, probably even for higher ratings, but since I don’t have them I can’t speak authoritatively.
If you want to fly recreationaly I’d suggest either a Sport Pilot or Private Pilot license. Sport Pilot does have some limitations, this is true, but I’ve found 90% or more of my flying would easily fit within those limits, and most of what doesn’t I did because my Private Pilot license required it. My license pre-dates Sport Pilot, but if I had to do it all over again I’d probably go Sport Pilot. I hasten to add that fits me, it won’t fit everyone.
The upside is that everything you do for Sport Pilot counts toward Private Pilot if or when you upgrade. You don’t really lose anything if you go that route.
Yes, there are ways to save money.
Of course, there is a base cost to flying and if you can’t afford that you shouldn’t – that is exactly why I haven’t flown for 4 years now, I just don’t have the money to do it safely.
Getting your lessons done in a short period of time will help. As it happens I didn’t do that, and I sure took some time getting the license! Subsequently, when I’ve gone for advanced training, I made the effort to get lessons as frequently as possible. When I was getting my tailwheel sign off I would sometimes fly two lessons a day, one in the morning, rest+lunch, then one in the afternoon. That was partly because I was commuting to another state to do it so could only fly on the weekends towards that end.
Other ways to keep costs down – ask about flying clubs or block time. My nearest FBO offers a “fly ten hours, get 1 hour free” program. Some people find buying into a partnership to be a good thing, others find that is not so wonderful. In general, the further you go from urban areas the lower the per hour rental costs. Some airplanes are cheaper than others – I fly Cessna1150’s a lot, as they tend to be cheaper than most four seaters. However, they are also small. As I am also small this is not an issue for me, but if you’re six feet or taller you’d most likely find them uncomfortable.
We won’t discuss the airplane I rented for $220/hour once… except to say that was the flying club rate, for someone just walking in off the street it would have been $280/hour. So yes, sometimes the savings are significant. At least, $60 is significant to me.
No country is cheaper for flying than the US. None.
A Private license earned anywhere in the world is good anywhere in the world, and so far as I know can be converted to another country’s license after jumping through a few hoops.
The FAA has a number of reference documents on line, including the FAR/AIM (a.k.a. “pilot’s Bible” with all the rules and regs). Here is a handy link
Let me clarify something:
There is a “Private Pilot” license, which allows you to fly nearly anything (well, anything you can afford – as an example, John Travolta flies a B707 on a Private license though most of us just can’t afford something that size) so long as you aren’t doing it for pay. If you want to fly more than 1 passenger at a time, at night, in bad weather (IFR, with appropriate additional training), or across international borders this is the one you want.
There is “Sport Pilot” which restricts the size, speed, and passenger capacity of aircraft you can fly. You can not fly at night or in bad weather (IFR), and crossing over an international border would be problematic at best.
There is also a “Recreational Pilot” license which is largely supplanted by Sport, but although you can not carry more than 1 passenger you can fly four-seat aircraft and thus is less limited in aircraft selection.
So, be carefult saying “Recreational License” because while many licenses allow recreational flight, “recreational pilot” has a highly specific meaning.
OK, now on to “what airplane should I learn in?”
I strongly recommend you fly in the least expensive airframe that you find comfortable. At some points you will be spending considerable time in that cockpit and comfort will make it much more enjoyable. Everyone has an opinion on what’s best and nearly all of them are correct. We’re talking about what YOU find comfortable, whether that’s the seats, the ease of reaching controls, getting in and out, visibility, whatever.
Up until the Sport and Private requirements diverge it actually doesn’t matter which sort you fly – you can work on your Private flying in a sport aircraft because, remember, all hours count. If you do choose a sport airframe for your training and decide to get a Private you may or may not have to transition to another aircraft for part of your training, depending on how the aircraft are equipped. Transitioning to another aircraft may or may not be a big deal for you – I find it very easy, I’ve met pilots who did not.
As an illustration of how this might work – I got most of my Private training in a Cessna150, a two-seat, high-wing aircraft. For the required instrument work, though, I rented a four-seater with much better instrumentation that was also more stable in the air, which did make it easier. Also, just a couple weeks before I was to take my checkride one of the two 150’s was getting an engine replaced, and the other had suffered an accident (someone landed it on the tail instead of the wheels). Rather than wait the estimated several months for repairs, I checked out a Piper Warrior, a four-seat low-wing aircraft in three hours then used it for my checkride and passed the test with no problem. (I did get a few funny looks, it wasn’t typical, but then in a lot of ways my road to a Private wasn’t typical) Although it is recommended you get all your initial training in one aircraft it’s not required and not that unusual for a student pilot to have a few hours in something other than the main thing they’re flying. Particularly since it’s recommended that you have a few introductory lessons in a couple different airplanes if you can.
I’ve known two people who took their Private training in their own homebuilt aircraft, which meant they had to rent something like a Cessna or Piper for parts of their training like the required night hours because their homebuilt wasn’t certified for that sort of flight.
You don’t have to stick with just one aircraft, it’s just recommended as it’s usually cheaper/less time. However, there are reasons to fly more than one thing during training.
No, it doesn’t matter. Not for flying recreationally.
If you have the luxury of more than one school to choose from look into all of them and go with the one you feel most comfortable at – that might be determined by the type of airplanes, the ground staff, how well you hit it off with instructors, how busy (or not) it is… As I mentioned, at one point I was driving to another state for training. I was passing a closer location for that same training on the way, because I liked so many more things about the farther school than the nearer one (including the fact that I could not get along with the owner of the closer location – we never spoke without it turning into an argument. Personality clash, you know?)
Er…
I’d recommend the Sport license over the Recreational. That’s solely one pilot’s opinion, but you did ask.
If you absolutely positively know you want a Private license go ahead and go for it. However, there is nothing wrong with getting a Sport license first. All the hours count, remember that. You can get a Sport license and either choose to fly on that for awhile, or immediately start training for a Private, you don’t really lose anything by doing that. You might find a Sport license serves your needs well enough you don’t need a Private (though there’s nothing wrong with getting more training at any time). A Sport license let’s you fly for fun on your own ticket, which is cheaper than having an instructor with you.
Cessnas are a like a bad rash – they’re everywhere. Literally every country in the world you go to you can find Cessna 172’s and 150’s. If you think you may be traveling and then renting an airplane at your destination (I’ve done that on vacation, it’s fun) then knowing the Cessna172 would be a good choice. Another good choice for that is the Piper Cherokee line (Warrior, etc.) The Sport planes are new and not nearly as common.
If there is a significant price difference and the CTLS is much cheaper it might be the better choice for training due to cost. Once you get your license you should be able to transition to a C172 very quickly, which will enable you to rent when traveling to other locations.
I’d say try both, then decide which to use for training based on your comfort and the cost.
I guess this is where I mention that at a certain point I decided to fly every different sort of single-engine fixed wing I could get my hands on for at least an hour. That’s one of the reasons I wound up flying 17 different types of aircraft in under 10 years, it became a sort of hobby. I really love getting into a new-to-me aircraft. I still have most of my time in Cessnas, followed next by Pipers, because they are that much more common than anything else. Even if you like trying new planes like I do I’d still recommend a solid foundation in either Cessnas, Pipers, or both just so you can fly pretty much anywhere you’re likely to find yourself.
Generally, if you can fly a either a 150/152 or a 172 transitioning to the other is ridiculously easy. Indeed, that was the plan.
Likewise, the Piper single-engine fixed-gear Cherokee line is much the same, with transitions between the various models very easy due to similarity of design.
I will, however, add that while there a superficial similarity between the C150 and many Sport planes in regards to carrying capacity, fuel, weight, etc. there are some pretty significant differences and transitioning between some of the Sport planes and some of the more traditional Cessnas and Pipers may be more hours than some people anticipate. Not a lot more, but if you’re looking at something with, say, a fuel injected Rotax engine vs. a carburettered Lycoming or Continental there are some important differences and details.
90 minutes after my first intro-lesson I saw the instructor I had been with crash on take-off.
I still showed up on time the next week for a lesson. I had to wait, though, because the instructor was grounded until his broken nose healed and the plane wasn’t fixed yet.
Let’s just say it impressed upon me the important of a pre-flight in a way I have never forgotten.
Speaking of details, most of my fixed-wing time is in a 172K. The 172N I’m flying now felt like an old friend – but the first time I started it up, I automatically looked to the right to check the engine instruments. The instructor had to point them out on the left. Cessna changed panel layouts over the decades, and the 172Ss with traditional gauges (‘steam gauges’, as I call them) have everything on the left and nothing on the right. So even within models there will be variations.
Another thing is that N3051E is equipped with a Garmin 430. It’s the first aircraft I’ve flown with GPS – which didn’t exist when I flew before. And it’s also the primary NAV/COM. So in addition to re-acquainting myself with airplanes, I also have to learn the new radio and GPS.
Most aircraft you rent will be equipped similarly to each other. But there will be basic panel difference between aircraft of different ages, not to mention different makers. And even with same-type/same-model airplanes, there are likely to be differences. One might have original radios, another might have upgraded radios, one might have a Garmin GPS/NAV/COM, and another might have a Bendix/King unit. These are minor differences that won’t take a lot of time to master, but they’re something to be aware of.
I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve been browsing through local flight schools and I have a few quick follow-up questions:
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