Hello Fellow Risers,
Most people think becoming a pilot is fun and exhilarating! Which by all means it is, however it is not easy. To become a professional pilot, one needs a bachelor’s degree, all required licensing and certificates, and the required amount of hours needed to apply. This can become a very long process as well as become extremely expensive.
My Story
My junior year of college I decided to switch my major to a Bachelor of Science in Aviation. I had no idea what it would cost me to do so. To me, getting the degree was the easy part but paying for the flight time was not. The university I attended was not attached to an airfield so obtaining flight hours was done separately from the actual college courses. At the time, my tuition was being paid for by my G.I. Bill (A military veteran education benefit). However, it would not cover my flight training until after I had received my Private Pilot’s License (PPL). This meant I either had to take out a student loan or apply for a scholarship. A scholarship seemed like the best option so I applied to many. Eventually I received a scholarship from International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading (ISTAT) for $10,000. Sounds amazing, right? Wrong! The scholarship was applied to my tuition and not to flight training. I then attempted to apply for financial aid which was denied due to the fact that I now had funds to cover tuition from two separate entities. I used the scholarship to cover tuition and used my G.I. Bill stipend to cover flight training.
Most people obtain their PPL in about 60 – 70 hours even though the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) only requires 40 hours. I initially started my training in a Piper Cherokee (PA-28) that cost about $90 per hour and $35 per hour for flight instruction. When training, most flight schools require you train in 2 hour block timeframes. Even if you don’t fly for the full two hours due to pre or post ground instruction you can easily spend over $200 a flight lesson. I was only receiving $1200 per month from my G.I. Bill. So let’s do the math…$1200 divided by $200 is 6. That means I could only fly six times per month from my G.I. Bill stipend. To be considered part-time in flight training and receive the best training, you are required to fly at least 3 times a week. That was impossible for me on what money I had to invest. I did work but only part-time as I was a full-time student. My income from work barely met my monthly bills.
So the struggle began! As soon as I started flying the funds disappeared quickly. The fist time I ran out of money, I felt hopeless. How can I pay for flight training, and pay my bills, and be a single mother, and attend college? It seemed impossible. My Private Pilot Course Professor gave me an extension as I passed the college course (ground instruction and written exam) but had not received my PPL in a timely manner which was a prerequisite to take the next college course – Instrument Flight Theory. I started contemplating what can I pawn in my home or how could I make extra money?
Eventually I earned another scholarship which allowed me to almost complete my PPL before running out of money again. This cycle continued on way too long. I eventually graduated with no license and a bunch of flight time. In the end I learned a valuable lesson I wish I knew before I started my training. Basically, secure your finances before beginning flight school. It is extremely expensive and the struggle is real.
My Advice
As stated before, plan and secure financing for your specific aviation training. Running out of funds puts you behind in training because every long break you take requires you to start behind the point where you ended. Re-learning the same material is frustrating and costs you more. And the stress of worrying about how to pay for training makes focusing on the lessons harder.
I know many other aviatrixes with the same story as mine. It is unfortunate, but my story get better with time. I hope this story helps new student pilots to continue to rise!
#ContinueToRise
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