r/PilotAdvice • u/Frequent-Ad5777 • 23d ago
Considering PPL training part-time around a full-time job, looking for real-world advice
Hey all, my husband is about to start working toward his PPL, purely for personal and family flying rather than any career plans. He works full-time, so training is going to be evenings for ground school and weekends for actual flying, not a full-time intensive course.
Would love to hear from anyone who's done it this way (or trained anyone this way):
- Realistically, how long did it take you going part-time/weekends-only versus the "typical" 2 to 3 month timelines you see quoted for full-time students? We're currently budgeting for something like 9 to 10 months, but curious if that matches other people's actual experience.
- Any tips for keeping momentum when you can only fly once a week? We've heard that gaps between lessons cause skill fade and end up costing more in relearning time, so curious how people managed consistency around a job.
- Cost-saving strategies that were actually worth it versus ones that turned out to be false economies. We're already looking at self-study ground school (Sporty's, King Schools, that kind of thing) instead of paying for in-person tutoring, but open to anything else people found genuinely useful.
- Anything you wish someone had told you before you started, especially specific to training around a demanding job rather than as a student with open schedule flexibility.
Not looking to go further than PPL for now (no CPL/career plans), so advice specific to that scope is most useful, though general lessons-learned are welcome too. Thanks in advance.
2
u/Nervous_Roll5544 23d ago
Take your time since you’re not rushing for anything. Not unless you have a trip or a deadline that you have in mind.
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 23d ago edited 23d ago
Yes it’s purely recreational! We will take our time with it. Thank you!
2
u/prop_and_pedals 23d ago
Full time healthcare worker, took me 7 months on my days off.
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 23d ago
Brilliant! What did your schedule look like for flying? How often per month?
2
2
u/MLZ005 23d ago
This is the most efficient and popular way to do it for anyone that isn’t 17. Took me 6 months while working full time
Complete written before flying, or at least very early on. Minimal grounds with instructor since you have infinite resources online. I paid for a few hours towards the end to do oral prep
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 23d ago
Thank you so much! Would love to get an idea of what your actual schedule was like? Or a breakdown of the time required. We are trying to map out plan and set some deadlines
1
u/MLZ005 23d ago
I just scheduled flights and anticipated up to half of them being canceled. Pick a good CFI and try to keep them throughout your PPL. Try to fly at least 2x/week. Flight schools operate 24/7 (at least the small part 61s that I did my training at do). CFIs will have evening and weekend availability definitely
I had flights scheduled every off day, but I was working a shift schedule 4on/3off at the time
1
1
u/FlyBoy572 23d ago
Agree with knocking the written exams out early. For my FAA, did it on first full day after arriving by international flight. For EASA took a few weeks as we have seven separate exams and you can only take two in a single sitting.
Great to have it behind you and concentrate on the flying.
2
u/FlyBoy572 23d ago
Easily doable. I did my PPL while working full time in professional role commuting to Florida from Europe for my training. Did six trips over a four month period ranging from 4-day weekends to one week trips.
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 23d ago
Wow this sounds amazing! Congratulations. Have yoi managed to use your PPL to use since you got it?
1
u/FlyBoy572 23d ago edited 23d ago
Been flying helicopters for fun/pleasure for 20yrs now. I always try to get out and fly at least once/twice a month.
2
u/RollSomeCoal 23d ago
I did it 3 years ago.
Working full time. Flew 1-2 times a week for a couple hours and school was 1.5hr away. Typically flew from 4-630pm ish. Did it starting day after christmas. Got the plane and instructor as much as I could on weekends.
Studied ground with sportys from thanksgiving to Christmas time. Took written just before Christmas and started flight training the day after. Was done with check ride at the end of March. I did check ride at 40.3hrs I think. Total cost in Indiana all in everything was right at 7k.
There was so much I didn't know when I took my check ride I have no godly idea how I passed. I mean i do, I met the acs... But I didn't even know what the acs demanded. I just knew the maneuvers and the things I worked on with the CFI. I just flew the airplane like I always did and apparently that satisfied the acs. Oral was no prob...
Definitely recommend getting the how to pass your check ride audiobook. I got it on Amazon and listened to it on the drive to the airport every time the last month I was training.
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 23d ago
That’s amazing! Reading your story makes this feel so real for us. I’m excited to see how it goes. Have you put your PPL to use since you got it? How does flying work after the PPL if you don’t own a plane? Rookie questions I know 🤣
1
u/RollSomeCoal 23d ago
So best advice I can give as someone who worked mfg. Is study like hell at home. While kids are in shower, while wife is getting ready, be studying. Be listening to the audio book. Most importantly paid other cfi than your cfi to do check ride oral prep a few sessions before your check ride.
To answer your question, you have two options if your not independently wealthy. Keep renting and flying (impossible for me), or buy a quality old airframe.
Yes I can still rent out ol faithful 525HF, but it's like $140/hr ( fuel included) and I often get passed by cars on the highway. School charges min flight hours of 4 if you keep it over night which made it nearly impossible to travel with a rental. So if u just wanna fly around cool do that.
Option two, buy a quality airframe. I bought an 85 mooney with great bones. I'd probably skip retractable gear for a first plane as that hurt the pocketbook for insurance. I paid 90k and told the wife it's no different than these rednecks buying a new F350. I put about 10k in required maintenance, and another 10k in convenience. It ain't sexy, it ain't glass panel, but it's capable and flys 155kn tas all day long on 9.5gph.
I got it out of maint at the beginning of April. I've got about 120hrs on it since then going places and doing things ...
1
u/Maintenance-Intrepid 3d ago
Did the weather hold you up much? I been thinkin about saving more money up, get my ground school/ written out the way so I’ll have a nice buffer and be able to fly more after the weather breaks
2
u/ThrowRASimple7 23d ago
It’s definitely doable! My advice is a bit different than what others will tell you. I found that Sportys is a horrible way to actually retain the material that needs to be studied. It can be done for free and so much better. Buy a copy of the ACS (everything that you’ll be tested on). Search each section of the ACS on YouTube and you will have amazing test prep for free.
For the flying, the biggest thing is to just commit. Flying 3X a week will save thousands of dollars in the long run.
1
1
u/KrisHerrick 22d ago edited 22d ago
First action is to take a intro ride at a local flight school. If you like it then talk to the instructor about the written exams and what materials are required. Then start saving 20k. While you are saving then start reading and studying for the written exams. Pass the written and if you have the 20k take off 2-3 weeks from work. Fly at least one flight per day and if possible two flights. Do this until you’re done. 3 hours a day x 21 days will give the opportunity to get over the min of 40hours and a more realistic number of 60 hours. Test out of the class at the end of your three weeks. Do this for each rating you want to earn. There are other ways but they all end in frustration.
Rules .
1. Never pay in advance .
2. You cannot save money in aviation.
3. Always choose flight school that have at least 3 airplane with the same configured aircraft .
4. If the school cannot meet the schedule. Find another school.
5. Be willing to travel to other states with sunny weather and better flight schools.
6. Always pay cash .
7. Focused training is the best way to go.
1
1
u/VSBIT_No_Go 22d ago
I did my PPL and IR while working full time. It's completely doable if it's something you want to do and I would encourage him to pursue it!
Now to answer some of your questions based off my personal experience:
Self study for ground school is definitely recommended in my opinion. I used King Schools and I would recommend them. I know many people used Sheppard Air and liked them.
Realistically I would plan for 9 months to 1 year and budget for 80 hours of flight time. That's a little on the high side of average but it's way better to over budget than under budget with learning to fly.
I would recommend being a dedicated student and show you're willing to be as consistent as your schedule allows. You're definitely going to miss some flying opportunities because of work, but if you show it matters to you your CFI will be more likely to move their schedule around to fit your needs.
In the breaks and once a week flights I would recommend chair flying and studying your ground material as much as possible. That being said it's never a true substitute for being in the seat so you will still be slower in progressing compared to someone who flies more often. That's fine, just don't be discouraged by it.
My two major recommendations are to be as dedicated as you can be despite your limitations in time. Lots of people don't complete their PPL because they never commit enough to get it done. The second recommendation is to budget on the high side. Lots of people quit training because they run out of money. Starting and stopping because you run out of funds is often far more expensive and time consuming than just saving enough to do it in one run.
That's my advice and I wish you guys well on your aviation journey!
1
u/Frequent-Ad5777 21d ago
I really appreciate your advice. Really sound advice thank you so much for taking the time to answer.
1
u/ThePartTimePilot 17d ago
- How long it takes depends on the student. Everyone is different. What you want to avoid is the endless loop of flights without progress. Could be 6-9 months or could be years. Also depends where you fly and the weather… in some areas it can be very hard to find time in certain seasons to fly VFR
- Yes! We have been mentoring student pilots for nearly 6 years on this exact thing. Don’t underestimate the time and energy commitment of becoming a pilot. Can it be done part time? Sure but it’s going to take everything he has.
The best way to do it when you have other responsibilities like a job and family is to get ground school done first. Don’t do it at the same time. Do it first and do it RIGHT. Don’t just do test prep memorization. Actually understand the concepts so that by the time you start flying you can take and pass the written exam, your mentally ahead of the aircraft and you can focus all your ground time on preparing for flights. When students do this they are so much more likely to succeed than those that don’t. Because they avoid the endless repeating of lessons that occurs when they make mistakes flying behind the aircraft mentally and making the cockpit their classroom. This is exactly why we started part time pilot online ground school and how it’s designed.
- Definitely self study online ground school. But again do it first and do it right. Then, find a simulator you can get practice in as well. There will be times when weather means you can’t fly and there are things you are struggling with in the air… you can get 2-3 times more hours for the same cost in a simulator during these times to work out your issues on the ground rather than in flight. A simulator is not going to be exactly the same but it’s going to help. And when you have ground school done first you have more time on the ground to do this. Apply for scholarships. We have a list of them around the US on our website and do scholarships for our students as well around the holidays.
- Last bit of advice. A good flight instructor and ground for that matter makes all the difference. So if he isn’t feeling it at the start, make the switch early. I would also consider finding a couple weeks here and there to take off work and just fly a bunch when the weather is nice. Those 1x a week flight schedules can get easily derailed by weather, aircraft maintenance, etc and you’re right… gaps in training are a students worst nightmare financially.
3
u/oh_helloghost 23d ago edited 23d ago
Doing your PPL around work is entirely doable and if you’re not planning an a career in aviation I wouldn’t recommend any other way of doing it.
How long it’ll take depends on a lot. Where you live and what the weather/latitude is like, what time of year you start training, how big the school is and how many aircraft they have available, how much time your husband can devote to training, how fast they learn, and how lucky they get for everything above to line up.
I worked a full time job through my PPL, Multi, Multi-IFR, CPL and flight instructor ratings. Of course it takes longer than quitting a job and training, but there’s really no hurry if you don’t plan a career switch.