Private Aviation

[The Long Road]

I'll just start this out by saying that I LOVE aviation. I've gone to EAA Airventure since 2003, I play all sorts of flight games, I watch every passenger jet I see fly overhead... I even like waiting in airports because it means I get to fly.

So yeah, I like flying. But I really want to find an affordable way into private aviation. I understand timeshares are a good route, but I'd still need a license, which are hella expensive. To any private pilots out there, what's the best way to get in the air in an inexpensive fashion? (Time is not a factor. Just cash.) Assume a constant cash flow, but not a very big one.

 

[gigastar]

Quite frankly, there is no inexpensive way into private aviation. There are some private helicoptors available for realatively reasonable prices, but you need to keep them somewhere where they can land/take off, not disturb everyone everytime you land/take off, keep them out of the weather and have a liscence and a fuel supply for it.

As much as you want to fulfill your dream of having wings, the only cheap option is to aim for a piloting job in your country's air force.

 

[The Long Road]

Quite frankly, there is no inexpensive way into private aviation. There are some private helicoptors available for realatively reasonable prices, but you need to keep them somewhere where they can land/take off, not disturb everyone everytime you land/take off, keep them out of the weather and have a liscence and a fuel supply for it.

As much as you want to fulfill your dream of having wings, the only cheap option is to aim for a piloting job in your country's air force.

Well, I'm already Navy, so that prospect is ugly on the face of it.

jk but that's kind of unfortunate. I always knew it was a really expensive hobby, but I was hoping there were some less expensive entry options.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

The cost of private aviation, or at least of getting one's license, is quite variable. At a minimum one must pay to attend ground school and pass a written exam (though I'm not sure if the school is necessary if one already knew the information on the exam). From there one must acquire 40 hours of flight time with an instructor. Often this can cost more than 150 dollars an hour if you are also renting the plane.