I'm New and I wanted to know how much does it cost for a cadet....

[Mark_Wheeler]

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

My first logged time is in a Great Lakes conventionally geared bi-plane, I learned a lot about feet use in that .8 than I ever thought possible!

Mark

[Buzz]

  About the only thing the holder of Private Pilot Glider does not have to do is concern themselves with the minimum 40 hours flight training and 15 hours required dual training.  All other requirements for Private Pilot Airplane, (cross country, night, etc) must be met.

. . .and the difference between going through the sailplane and going through the Cessna is that the glider pilot can save a couple of thousand dollars, because he or she gets into the Cessna with a far greater understanding of the dynamics of flight -- in some cases, more than the CFI in the right seat.  They are able to qualify in the minimum amount of (expensive) instructor and plane time.

A friend of mine, after her first hour in a C-172, had the instructor turn to her and say "I will pay half of the cost of the plane and fuel, and fly with you for free, if you teach me what you know."  He had 300 hours, she had about 800 in sailplanes, ultralights and hang gliders.  She now has another 500 or so, and had her tailwheel endorsement after an hour with the Citabria.

She's the only person I have allowed to fly my plane since I got it (it's a single-seater classic).

Perhaps I should mention that she's 23 years old . . ?  I have a flight jacket older than she is!

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

I wish that more CFIs had sailplane time and spin competence.

[Flying Pig]

Actually it takes more than an endorsement to add Private Pilot Airplane to a Private Pilot Glider Certificate.
I would invite your attention to 14CFR61.63 where additional ratings are discussed.  Basically this part says the applicant must take the Private Airplae Written Test, Comply with the Experience Requirements of 14CFR61-109, and take a Practical Test with an examiner. 
  About the only thing the holder of Private Pilot Glider does not have to do is concern themselves with the minimum 40 hours flight training and 15 hours required dual training.  All other requirements for Private Pilot Airplane, (cross country, night, etc) must be met.

As an instructor I sure do wish a lot more starting student pilots (and former military jet pilots) had a few hours in a sailplane - They would then at least understand that the feet do more than just carry them to the airplane.

Exactly.  I was a Private Glider before anything else.  If your a glider pilot going to fixed wing, your pretty much going to do everything that a 0 time applicant is going to do.

Gliders, where every landing is an emergency landing.

[simon]

Wow, the first thread in a long time where posters actually agree with each other... 

I had a nice experience last year flying down from San Jose to Los Angeles for a day of CAP gliding at Los Alamitos Air Force base. The highlight was watching a cadet solo. I think he was fairly young, maybe only 14. I also think all the adult pilots there on that day thought, wow, what a blast to be soaring above Los Angeles in a glider when your buddies are just out riding their skateboards or texting each other. It doesn't get much better than that.

[FastAttack]

I did the glider to SEL addon route.

I had about 80 glider hours.. all my time requirements were met right away.

but like someone posted here, you will still have to do the cross country requirements, the instrument time, night flight requirements and do the basic SEL items of the PTS.

All in all my addon costed around 3k.. my Glider PPL was around 2k ..

Comparing apples to apples , in a overall sense it was cheaper to go the glider route then to do the SEL rating.

When I transitioned I solo'd the power aircraft after my 3rd flight with my instructor. The thing I had to learn was how "flare".

If I had to do it all over again.
I would go to the glider academy first ( I was a former cadet), get some flying skills under my belt and then do a mix of SEL and glider flying to meet the requirements of both.

If you have a local CAP instructor willing to take you under his wing.. go for it.. But to be honest don't be disappointed if you can't find a CAP instructor willing to take his time to do the full training.

[Thrashed]

I offered my CFI services to all my cadets (they pay for the CAP plane) and NONE of them have flown with me. 

[davidsinn]

I offered my CFI services to all my cadets (they pay for the CAP plane) and NONE of them have flown with me. 

Even with a free CFI it still works out to be $60+/hr, that ain't cheap.

[bosshawk]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

[Buzz]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

There is a very good way to cut these bills significantly -- BUILD a plane.

You can even find plenty of half-done kits whose owner died or gave up flying, and these may be found for as little at $1000. 

My Stits Playboy was built in 1965, won at Oshkosh a few years back, and I paid less than $7500 for it.  It flies for about $35 per hour including fuel and maintenance, and that's on AVGAS -- if I flew on autogas the price would be in the $28 range.  Pull back the throttle a bit from the 125 IAS cruise, I can cut another $5 out of that hourly cost.

There are plenty of "No-FWF" experimentals for sale (FWF = "Firewall Forward" -- engine, mount and prop), whose owners bought them to pull the engine for something they like more.  These are a good candidate for converted car engines.

I keep hearing of EAA chapters with projects that they want to find a good home for, sometimes for the cost of going to pick them up.

This isn't the solution for everyone, or even most pilots, but it is something to consider for someone who will finish what they start.

[Spaceman3750]

Just in case some of you folks have forgotten: the words "AIRPLANE" and "CHEAP" are mutually exclusive.  You obviously have never owned one and seen the maintenance and fuel bills.

There is a very good way to cut these bills significantly -- BUILD a plane.

You can even find plenty of half-done kits whose owner died or gave up flying, and these may be found for as little at $1000. 

My Stits Playboy was built in 1965, won at Oshkosh a few years back, and I paid less than $7500 for it.  It flies for about $35 per hour including fuel and maintenance, and that's on AVGAS -- if I flew on autogas the price would be in the $28 range.  Pull back the throttle a bit from the 125 IAS cruise, I can cut another $5 out of that hourly cost.

There are plenty of "No-FWF" experimentals for sale (FWF = "Firewall Forward" -- engine, mount and prop), whose owners bought them to pull the engine for something they like more.  These are a good candidate for converted car engines.

I keep hearing of EAA chapters with projects that they want to find a good home for, sometimes for the cost of going to pick them up.

This isn't the solution for everyone, or even most pilots, but it is something to consider for someone who will finish what they start.

I looked into this for a long time - certainly an intriguing project but man oh man a lot of work. I was particularly interested in the Sonex and its sister Onex but I think the lack of prefabricated sheet metal as part of the standard kit makes it a bit more of an involved build. Van's RV airframe kits look very nice but once you drop at least $15k for a Jabiru or Rotax powerplant it becomes significantly more painful (the Sonex kits are designed to accept their much lower-cost kit-built Aerovee powerplant).

Being able to repair an inspect your own experimental SLSA is definitely a plus!

[mdickinson]

you will need to find a CAP instructor with time to teach and that will work for free. In my wing, you must get authorization from the wing & squadron commander for cadet flight training. Then you MUST use the Cessna or Jeppesen 141 syllabus (with all the stage checks). Be sure to check your wing's requirements.

I'm a CAP instructor and I've never heard of a cadet getting their private through CAP. Most go to the local FBO and fly.

I'm a CAP instructor and have given primary flight instruction to four cadets. Of those four, two completed their Private, one completed his instrument rating (while still a cadet), and two received appointments to the Air Force Academy.

Another CAP CFI at my airport gave instruction to three more cadets, all of whom earned their Private.

Another CAP CFI in my wing has soloed over 50 cadets, and at got at least 20 of them to their Private.

I know most CAP instructors don't teach cadets... but believe me, if you are a CAP CFI and you're not giving flight instruction to cadets, then both you and the cadets are missing out!

Based on my experience giving dual to cadets, I suggest:

• If at all possible, begin your flight training by attending a National Flight Academy. These are offered each summer at five or ten locations around the country. http://ncsas.com/index.cfm/powered_flight_academy?show=career_fair&careerFairID=14 The cost is $1000, and your get eight or nine days of intense flight training and ground school, and most likely your solo wings. It is the best way to get started. (Alternatively, some wings, such as NY and IL, have their own Wing Flight Academies, which are just as good.)
• Budget for 60 hours of flight time. Find out how much your wing charges for the C172 and what the fuel price is at your airport.
• Find a CAP Instructor Pilot who is retired or unemployed (or an airline pilot) so can give you a lesson at least once a week (2 or 3 times a week is far better).
• Find a backup CAP Instructor Pilot for the days / weeks when your primary instructor is unavailable.
• Get permission from your wing, by submitting a properly formatted "CAP Memorandum" (see CAPR 10-1) to your squadron commander asking for permission to being flight training. In the memo, explain that you've done the calculations, have the money ready to spend, have the support of your parents, have a way to get to the airport, have the time to take lessons twice weekly, and have lined up two different CAP CFIs who will fly with you.
• Buy this private pilot kit, which contains ALL the different books and materials you will need (except a headset and a local sectional chart) Gleim Private Pilot Kit (As a CFI, I buy these kits directly from Gleim and as long as I buy 2 at a time, I get them for about $100 each. PM me if you want to buy one.)
• Clear the decks of all other activities. Earning your Private is not rocket science, but it does take a major commitment of time and energy, and of course funds. Don't try to do this during football season, or soccer season, or marching band season, or AP Exam time, whatever you do that sucks up a lot of your time. If you are too busy during the school year to fly twice a week, better to make it your full-time summer vacation project.

Good luck! Many, MANY other CAP cadets have earned their Private Pilot Certificate (PPC, please, not PPL) through CAP and you can, too, IF your local Instructor Pilots and wing allow it.

[Thrashed]

I know most CAP instructors don't teach cadets... but believe me, if you are a CAP CFI and you're not giving flight instruction to cadets, then both you and the cadets are missing out!

I've taught ground school to CAP and offered to teach flying for free. Not ONE has taken me up on it. Not ONE has taken the written. It seems they want to fly, but don't want to do the work (some don't have the money). Now the plane's engine is timed out and we are losing it. It will not be replaced. Now I couldn't teach if they wanted me to. Oh well.

[mdickinson]

I've taught ground school to CAP and offered to teach flying for free. Not ONE has taken me up on it. Not ONE has taken the written.

Don't feel bad. Out of every ten cadets that contact me to express their interest in flight training, only three actually get the permissions to begin flying. Two of those will get to solo and only one will earn his private.


Despite your lack of local cadet student pilots, you can still get the satisfaction and reward that comes from teaching cadets to fly. Just volunteer to serve as a flight instructor at one of the Powered Flight Academies that are held each summer. Most of them are looking for pilots. In 201, PFAs will be in Nebraska, Wisconsin, Virginia, Maine and Oklahoma. Each one is nine days long and is held in either June or July. Check the schedule at http://ncsas.com/index.cfm?Name=Powered+Flight+Academy

If none of those fits your schedule, check with your wing and nearby wings to see which ones are holding wing flight academies (same syllabus, same format, just as enjoyable; only difference is no NCSA ribbon for your uniform.)

You will have to pay your own travel to get there, but in most cases, flight instructors receive meals and housing during the academy at no cost.

If you can't take 9 days away, contact the activity director and ask if they need a CFI for half-time. I have twice taught at PFAs for half the time due to schedule constraints on my cart. If one CFI is only available for the first five days, and another only available for the last five days, that works out well.

[Thrashed]

9 days off in the summer is not going to happen. Perhaps the part time would. Travel is not a problem for me. GA is dead in my area, so I don't fly much GA. I did fly 825 hours in 2011, so at least I'm flying.