I am researching flight school because I am very interested in getting my PPL. I live in DFW I just graduated from college and money is tight. So I am saving money to get the PPL. I know the bulk of the cost is paying someone to train me. My question in regarding the privileges you have as a student pilot.
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2$\begingroup$ Actually, the bulk of the cost is renting the airplane. $\endgroup$– Dan PichelmanFeb 8, 2018 at 21:43
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$\begingroup$ Your solo flight needs to be endorsed by an instructor. Depending on how far away you go, this could be more than one endorsement needed. You can't go to just any airport. See BoldMethod.com: Basic Solo Endorsements Part 2. $\endgroup$– Ron BeyerFeb 8, 2018 at 22:06
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2$\begingroup$ Flying is not the best hobby to take up if money is tight, trust me! $\endgroup$– BDLPPLFeb 9, 2018 at 9:20
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$\begingroup$ Lol yeah it really sucks that everything is so expensive. Not that a car hobby is any cheaper but if you had to pay 6K just to learn to drive everyone would ride bikes. Barrier of entry is a b*tch. $\endgroup$– CaWarFeb 9, 2018 at 14:55
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$\begingroup$ if you came up with a figure of 6K then there is something wrong with your calculations or you think you will be done in the FAA mandated 40 hours. Most people take 60 hours or more. Also look at this answer for additional costs that you might not have factored in: aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/47899/… $\endgroup$– Prashant SaraswatFeb 9, 2018 at 22:23
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2 Answers
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No, the airports you can fly from/to must be specifically endorsed by your instructor. Once you have your PPL, you can fly to any airport.
answered Feb 8, 2018 at 21:41
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$\begingroup$ Based on CFI endorsment I can fly solo in the plane specified. So if I show up to an airport with CFI endorsment even if it is a different airport and plane but of the same type. I ask only based on price so if i start at an airport that charges 145 dollars for a cessna 172 but i find another airport that only charges 100 dollars for the same model would i be able to switch? $\endgroup$– CaWarFeb 8, 2018 at 22:13
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1$\begingroup$ You can switch, but the endorsement for solo is from a specific instructor and they may not (most likely will not) allow you to solo in the new aircraft without some instruction first. Pick your instructor/school carefuly at the start to avoid these types of issues. $\endgroup$ Feb 8, 2018 at 22:21
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$\begingroup$ Yes, I would suggest researching pricing etc beforehand. Your main goal is to minimize the number of flight hours that is needed before you instructor signs you off for the checkride. Each instructor is different and they all have a different way of teaching/evaluating. If you end of changing instructors miday, you will also end up spending more hours in the flight while the new instructor 'assesses' you $\endgroup$ Feb 8, 2018 at 22:25
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$\begingroup$ Thanks for all the advice I think I have a lot of research to do. $\endgroup$– CaWarFeb 9, 2018 at 1:16
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In addition to the student solo endorsement limiting you to a specific airport (or set of airports), a different flight school or flying club won't let you rent their planes unless you've been checked out by one of their CFIs. That new CFI will need several hours to check your skills, knowledge, mental state, etc. for themselves before they give you another solo endorsement (and as a byproduct, permission to rent their planes). It's not quite starting over from scratch, but the additional hours involved can easily negate a small per-hour savings. If you're even considering that a possibility, then do the research now and just start at the cheaper place, because you're pretty much stuck where you are from the time you solo until your checkride.
