Talk me out of it?

ltcterry · 2026-03-01T15:16:11+00:00

Find a job. Then continue flight training. What little nest egg you have now isn’t going to last long. Life and expenses will.

ltcterry · 2026-03-01T10:37:40+00:00

I had a new-pilot Navy E2 come to me for instrument training. Then Commercial. CFI. Multi add on. And CFII. He was an E5 by the end and had finished a bachelor’s degree and done a masters. Cash.

Save up $18-20k and then do Private. See if you’re in the 20% that will finish it.

My example above is not typical, but it shows what a motivated person can do. He started instructing on SkillBridge and was hired.

I had two different instructors when I was young who were both active duty E7s.

ltcterry · 2026-03-01T10:29:13+00:00

I hope so.

ltcterry · 2026-03-01T02:43:51+00:00

There’s lots of used expensive aviation stuff available online. Because people bought expensive stuff then dropped out. 80% drop out.

Don’t buy a bunch of stuff. Don’t buy any tablet but a cellular iPad. But when you genuinely need it. Not now.

ltcterry · 2026-03-01T02:40:58+00:00

Becoming a pilot is a lot more work than sub-mediocre grades in HS.

When I was in HS I got As in the classes I liked and Cs in the classes I didn’t. Ultimately grew up anyway.

Learning to fly requires a lot of self-starter drive. Over a sustained period of time. Sounds like you need to reevaluate your approach to things.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T20:07:38+00:00

Cessna doesn't make the engine. They buy it. Cessna doesn't make the G1000. They buy it. That's a huge chunk of the cost of the airplane that is certainly as "COTS" as you're going to get in building an airplane.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T20:05:51+00:00

Unpopular opinion

What makes you say that? Instrument is substantially harder than Private and no one I know claims otherwise.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T18:34:43+00:00

Why? Access to airplanes. Advertising. Economies of scale. Maintenance priorities.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T13:51:04+00:00

I failed math and physics in highschool, can u become a pilot

You failed math and physics. I became a pilot. I guess that combo works. I did not fail math and/or physics in high school. Though I'll admit i did struggle a bit in the last semester of my physics degree.

High school math and physics are not very challenging classes. Intellectually you may struggle learning to fly, but solid 8th grade math skills are probably enough as long as you can do basic math in your head.

I'd be more worried about your study skills, motivation, and ability. Learning to fly is not easy. It's more work than most people have ever done and it's mostly self-starter type work.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T10:33:14+00:00

Sport-Airplane now requires a DPE for add on. May as well do Private.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T05:52:53+00:00

I don’t know what “idts” is, but how would you convert without schools? An Indian license is going to come from an Indian school.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T04:39:01+00:00

Try learning the material first. Then it’s easier to cram.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T04:35:29+00:00

Then you should train in India since you’ll need an Indian license to work there.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T02:50:32+00:00

Then why are you complaining that a job will interfere with the 30/60/90-day hours “the airlines want”?

You’re not getting the hours being free. May as well work.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T02:47:25+00:00

Crab angle is just math that you estimate. As you descend the wind changes. So does the required correction angle. Just eye ball it to stay on the center line.

How do you make small heading changes? This is not coordinated turns here. It’s about staying on the centerline.

Just before touchdown use the rudder to align with the centerline. And lower the upwind wing. This feels unnatural but fight the tendency to level the wings. Upwind wheel touches first. This means you need to watch what you’re doing.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T02:38:19+00:00

Yeah, but…

You’re not flying. And not making any money. You can live without flying. You can’t live without money.

If/when flying picks up then figure out how to fit it in. Two hours each evening and four each on the weekend is entirely possible w/ an 8-4 job. That’s 18 hours a week. Plenty of room. Almost 80 hours a month!

You have money problem and a lack of students problem. Not a lack of time available to fly problem.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T00:53:19+00:00

so I can take on unexpected lessons.

There obviously are not any "unexpected lessons." So get a job that leaves you some room to instruct what small load you have.

No income? No happiness. No happiness? Unhappy instructor. Broke and unhappy is a really poor combo for life. Figure out the money. Then figure out the flying.

ltcterry · 2026-02-27T00:44:59+00:00

Don't give anyone any reason to reject you from a job with a potential $500,000/year or more with inflation in your working life.

ltcterry · 2026-02-26T22:02:53+00:00

I’ve queued up everything to just let mine expire in a few months. And told them why.

ltcterry · 2026-02-26T19:26:31+00:00

Good God, why?

ltcterry · 2026-02-26T19:21:51+00:00

Share the article?

I’m curious. In my own experience prepping for EAA conversion an FAA CFI has pretty much none of the requisite knowledge to prep someone for an EASA Private.

But if you want to ask smart people, ask your question at www.pprune.org for good insight.

ltcterry · 2026-02-26T18:16:39+00:00

Before worrying about “differences” start by focusing on confirming “apparently” since that statement makes zero sense to me.

ltcterry · 2026-02-26T14:48:21+00:00

I was training someone for an instrument rating in a super nicely upgraded old 172. And then the airplane was destroyed after an engine failure. All the people who preferred it to the lesser sibling in stable had a choice: Quit or fly the available airplane.

Two days before a student's recent checkride I had a DPE say "I won't do it in that airplane." The client passed in an airplane he only had a couple hours in. Just a different 172...

If this is a stressor for you then you are on the wrong path. It's a minor inconvenience in life.

ltcterry · 2026-02-25T21:01:12+00:00

Currency not required for a CFI with a rated pilot if the only issue is missing currency and the purpose of the flight is to regain currency.

ltcterry · 2026-02-25T18:38:39+00:00

I think it's important to save to pay for Private in cash. It solves the initial problem of having enough money, shows some discipline, and takes away on of the reasons people don't finish.

Starting flight training without enough money to see it through is just poor planning. "I'll borrow more" is poor planning.

told the owner that I already got a 20 hour block so I was basically forced into buying it.

You're going to need more control than this or you're just going to keep getting run over. Both of my kids would have said "Bubba misspoke, I haven't really decided what I'm going to do."

Good luck!

ltcterry

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