Making flight training more affordable

There is a lot involved in a flight lesson. While you may only log around 1.0 hours at a time, in actuality you will spend close to twice that at the airport. The pre-briefing, walk-around of the plane, startup/post startup/runup checklists and landing and stopping checklists all add up to quite a bit of time spent on the ground for which, while the engine is running, you’re paying.

I plan on finishing my private licence this summer and, being a student and having just bought a car, I need to make the most of each minute of each lesson.

I found the following tips on Jason Schappert’s M0A blog and I’ve paraphrased them for your perusal. Make sure to check his post for an explanation of each:

1. Fly often.
2. When you’re not in a plane, chair fly.
3. Ask for a debrief after a flight.
4. Take time to study.
5. Set S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely).
6. Memorize checklists which are not often used (i.e. emergency checklists)
7. Write down questions (and then the answers).
8. Rehearse radio calls.
9. Organize your cockpit the same way each flight.
10. Be confident.

These are all great tips and Jason expands on each of them in his post 10 ways to make your pilot’s license more affordable. Also check out his 5 tips for better flight manoeuvres post.

Great stuff!

Posts that may be related:

1. Flight Training Phase 1: Complete
2. Don’t forget to claim your flight training on your taxes
3. Review: COMM1 VFR Communications Training
4. Deduct flight training on your taxes
5. Flight Lesson 1