Can anyone recommend any flight schools in the raleigh area. Any details would be nice (price)

5/28/2007 11:26:38 AM

i flew with flightgest... flew a 152 to save on $. cheaper here in wilmington to fly so i use the 172.

minimum total you'll spend after all is said and done (materials, tests, checkride, etc.): 5-6k

and that's if you fly at least once every week or two (at the most)

[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 11:31 AM. Reason : ]

5/28/2007 11:30:00 AM

a 152 is such a piece of crap. i fly in one about once a week and it is about as basic as you can get in a plane.

5/28/2007 11:34:34 AM

What would be the advantage of a "nicer" different aircraft at this point in their training? The only difference I can see is that it will end up costing more.

I've never thought the 152 in general was a "piece of crap." It's a great training platform. I'm sure plenty of them (Such as the one you may be flying?) are pieces of shit though.

Try a J3 if you really want to see what basic is.

5/28/2007 11:59:11 AM

PM CarZin

5/28/2007 12:27:23 PM

so after completing flight school, you can fly solo?

5/28/2007 12:37:42 PM

Mr. Joshua might know

5/28/2007 12:47:09 PM

^ you can fly solo after 10-15 hours, usually.

Quote :

"a 152 is such a piece of crap. i fly in one about once a week and it is about as basic as you can get in a plane."

oh, it gets substantially more basic than a 152.

[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 1:08 PM. Reason : all of my flight training is through the military and in 2 civilian schools in FL, though]

5/28/2007 12:47:20 PM

Quote :

"PM CarZin"

5/28/2007 1:03:31 PM

I guess its the most basic plane that I have flown in and wasnt sure they got more basic than that. The plane really isnt that big of a P.O.S. but it could be a lot better. I am interested in the light sport planes.

5/28/2007 1:21:51 PM

hell, some of the LSA are a lot more basic than a 152 (although some are very nicely equipped for what they are)

you can find an IFR equipped 152 pretty easily (i'd never intentionally use it for hard IFR, but it would be a nice capability to have in a pinch). even aside from avionics, it's a good airplane...not great for long trips or carrying much, but as a trainer, or just for buzzing around VFR on the cheap, it's good. not a big fan of a 152 with much wind, though.

5/28/2007 2:36:25 PM

OMGATEWIST

5/28/2007 3:13:55 PM

flying in south florida just about anytime means some wind

i really enjoy touching down on one wheel and feeling the wind push us over to finish the landing



And what the hell does OMGATEWIST mean



[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 3:36 PM. Reason : ]

5/28/2007 3:34:34 PM

I have a question for those of you with your private pilot's license. What is the policy on "renting" planes (for the lack of a better term). Say for example you wanted to go visit someone a few states away for like a weekend and you wanted to fly yourself. I know it probably depends on the airport, but what are the average policies/costs for such a trip?

5/28/2007 3:44:16 PM

i was under the impression that you can get your license for about 3500 to 4500 dollars. How accurate is this?

5/28/2007 8:13:55 PM

figure on the high end of that or a little more. you can legally get your license with less, but figure on at least 50 hours, averaging about $100/hour (roughly).

[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 8:52 PM. Reason : if you did it for $4500, you'd have done really well, although it's possible. figure on at least 5k]

[Edited on May 28, 2007 at 8:52 PM. Reason : unless you can score some reaaaally cheap rates for rental and instruction.]

5/28/2007 8:50:55 PM

embry-riddle has a satellite program in fayetteville if i remember correctly (if you wanna go all out)

5/29/2007 7:12:39 AM

Quote :

"embry-riddle"

i seriously was thinking about applying to them when i was real into flying... but circumstances changed

5/29/2007 7:14:15 AM

Quote :

"What would be the advantage of a "nicer" different aircraft at this point in their training? The only difference I can see is that it will end up costing more."

Training in a G1000 equipped 172 gives you a lot of exposure to modern avionics - of course, being able to fly with the old steam gauges is a good thing. You also get satellite radio and autopilot which are pretty kick ass on long cross country flights. I think that flightgest rents them out for ~$125/hr.

I need to fly soon.

5/29/2007 11:59:58 AM

The Franklin Co. Airport has a training course were they teach you to fly. My friend that just graduated did some work there teaching people to fly. I don't know how much it is, but pretty much any general aviation airport around here has a flight school.

5/29/2007 12:10:24 PM

Those of you who fly....was the license worth it? Is it as bad ass to have a license as i think it is?

5/29/2007 12:31:11 PM

Its great.

I'm just trying to build hours so that I can get my IFR rating because VFR in NC can be pretty spotty.

5/29/2007 12:38:30 PM

http://www.empire-aviation.com

I trained with Paul and his crew 3 years ago. MUCH MUCH cheaper than Flightgest, but you will not be flying in new shiney 172s. I now have close to 300 hours, and am part owner of a Piper Arrow. Paul has close to 10,000 hours, and is an incredible pilot.

Fuel costs have really gone up.

If you learned at Empire, the cheapest you can get out:
$75 * 40 hours (cost of a 152 wet for the minimum number of hours for the license at this type of school)
$35 * 20 hours (20 hours dual with instructor required)
$350 FAA Check ride
$100 FAA Written Test
$90 FAA Medical Cert
$300 Decent set of headsets

If you went to Flightgest, the price would be:
~$130 * 40 hours
~$40 (I think) * 20
plus all the other stuff

There are advantages to each school, but I think learned at a shorter runway makes you a better pilot. It takes little time to learn the radio in a controlled airspace, and isnt worth the taxi premium assocated with it (you'll probably spend an extra 5-10 minutes each lesson taxing to your runway instead of spending half that at an untowered airport). My plane is based at RDU, so I have seen both sides of the equation. Coming into RDU at night is so much easier than Lake Ridge nasteeerr can agree with that.
If you rent from Flightgest, you had better have deep pockets to rent an airplane for the weekend. They require expensive minimum hour requirements. Paul doesnt do any of that crap, and is very flexible with allowing extended leaves (he has 4 or 5 airplanes).


[Edited on May 29, 2007 at 1:55 PM. Reason : .]

5/29/2007 1:40:14 PM

^ wow you own your own plane?

5/29/2007 2:13:57 PM

How many hours could I log over a weekend. That is, if i were to try and log 6-8 hours both sat and sun. Is that possible or does it have to be broken up?

5/29/2007 4:11:08 PM

Anyone have an answer to my previous question?

5/29/2007 4:37:17 PM

Wraith... Depends on who you rent from. You generally are only charged for time the prop is spinning. Once the alternator is on, the Hobbs meter starts running and you get charged by the hour on the Hobbs meter. Most airports dont charge a landing fee, but will charge some nightly tie down fee ranging from 5-15 a night. They will often wave the first night if you buy fuel. Other than that, it is generally fee free. If you rent from places like Flightgest, they are going to charge you a 3 hour minimum per day for overnighters. And you will need to plan way ahead to find a plane free for that period of time. At Empire Aviation, while the fleet is not limitless, Paul doesnt charge minimums. If the planes are free, and you arent going to be putting only 1 hour on the plane for a 3 day stay, he works with you. But its not without any aggrivation. Thats why I decided being a partner airplane owner was the best method.

5/29/2007 11:03:45 PM

So would you say that it is cheaper (after you have already gotten your license and whatnot) than flying on a conventional airline? If not I would think it would be worth it just so you wouldn't have to deal with security, layovers, annoying kids, etc.

5/30/2007 12:44:22 AM

Flying commercial is going to be cheaper in almost all cases.

Don't get a pilot certificate to save money. Get it because you enjoy flying.

5/30/2007 1:48:42 AM

^^^ i'm about 99% sure the Hobbs runs when you flip the master, not when the engine starts turning.

and flying yourself is usually substantially more expensive than about any other option. in a light civil aircraft, it can be faster than either driving or flying commercially if it's kind of a medium-distance trip. but generally, you would fly yourself because you enjoy it (or just don't care about the money).

for example...KPNS to KRDU (Pensacola to Raleigh) is 532 nm. I figure that if I rented a 172, I could average, say 110 kts (i think they'll cruise at about 120, but that would account for initial climbout and landing/climbout for fuel stops, and probably not being able to fly it perfectly direct). That means it would take 4.8 hours. I think a 172 is around $100/hour here...let's be generous and say $90. That's $435...one way. By the time I fly home, that's $870...plus a few bucks for tie-down fees, etc...figure on $900.

On the other hand, it's about a 10 hour drive (prob $200 in gas), and usually about an 8+ ordeal when flying commercially (which costs, on average, about $250 round trip).

(all of these #s are quick estimations and rough calculations on my part, but they're close enough to illustrate the point)

5/30/2007 7:20:19 AM

I asked the instructor pilot that I fly with about "free" flying for fun, and he smirked and said unless he has a client he doesnt fly because of gas right now and the fact that after you fly 6-9 hours everyday in 152s and 172s then you just dont feel like it.

5/30/2007 9:01:37 AM

Quote :

"^^^ i'm about 99% sure the Hobbs runs when you flip the master, not when the engine starts turning. "

Are we trying to split hairs here? I stated that the Hobbs works once the alternator is flipped on [maybe all it takes is the master, but I was told its the alternator]. For general understanding, paying for the time the prop is spinning is 99% correct and for someone who doesnt know how it works, probably conveys the message across pretty clearly to a person outside of aviation.

You should not even begin to get into flying thinking it can save you any money. I do save considerable money over renting with the number of hours I fly with my share in the airplane, but it is still expensive, even after I normally have 3 passengers in the airplane, all paying their equal share of fuel costs [we go to atlantic city often, football games, races, beach....etc]. But it can also save money. For example, I took 3 people to atlantic city last sunday. We left at 9 AM and [unfortunately] came back around 2 AM. No hotel needed. About 2.5 hours each way. Cost in fuel per person was around $75 ($300 total). Cheaper than just about anything with all costs considered. If you rented, it would be $780 with the prices RDU charges, or around $600 if you fly an older bird!!! [not cheap]

[Edited on May 30, 2007 at 9:56 AM. Reason : /]

5/30/2007 9:55:43 AM

I've wanted to get certified for years, but now with gas prices I don't think it will happen for a long long time

5/30/2007 10:31:03 AM

Its all relative in one way or another. Gas prices go up, which means it costs more to drive your car, which means it costs more to fly. I started learning when prices were cheaper, and I was paying around $70 an hour to rent. I think that same airplane is $85 an hour now. Not cheap, but not the end of the world...

5/30/2007 11:33:42 AM

Well cost is just one of many things I was thinking about in terms of flying yourself. I just think it would be a hell of a lot easier to fly yourself then have to get a ticket like months in advance, get to the airport 2 hrs early, go through security, etc. rather than just doing your own thing and flying yourself.

5/30/2007 1:32:21 PM

It depends. Its a lot easier to get weathered out in small craft. You need your IFR to be able to plan a trip well in advance and not worry too much about weather (although you can still get screwed).

5/31/2007 9:16:35 AM

not at all about saving money compared to commercial or driving...

it's about the joy and challenge of flying, the convenience (when weather is on your side), and the fun.


it's $70/hr for a wet 172 in wilmington... not too bad imo.

6/3/2007 5:21:23 PM

that's cheap, even if it has only the most basic VFR panel.

a basic VFR 172 (except with dual radios) is around $100/hour wet here in Pensacola. Whidbey Island, WA's Navy Flying Club has a 172 for $85/hour wet (and you still have to pay $25/month plus $100 initiation to be part of the club.)

[Edited on June 3, 2007 at 5:39 PM. Reason : a basic VFR 172 (except with dual radios) is like $100/hour wet here in Pensacola]

6/3/2007 5:37:32 PM