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Just how long should training
really take?
Just how long training should really take comes down
to just two (2) basic issues, the flight school/instructor and you.
The flight school/instructor
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The flight school, regardless of part 141 or 61,
is always the one in ultimate control of the environment. The
instructor is in control of quality, which the school should have under
direct control. An instructor can have good intentions and desires,
but he/she may not be able to do things as they desire because of the way
the flight school is managed.
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Think about it, the school tells you that it will
take 12-14 months for you to complete 200 hours of flight training.
That is 14-16 hours of flight time per month. Now, a flight will
consist of from 1-3 hours of actual flight time, so we'll average that at 2
hours for the purpose of this discussion. Also for the purpose of this
discussion, remember that a flight instructor can log no more than 8 flight
hours per day. If you will fly 14-16 hours per month, and the average
flight will be 2 hours, you will average 7.5 flight days per month.
Yes, that is right, there is no denying it. You will sit around and
twiddle your thumbs and watch others fly 22.5 days per month for the
duration of your 12-14 months of flight training. Those are the facts,
and that is a lot of sit around time. Trust me, no one needs that much
ground time, no one! You will not be proficient, period! Now a
school may tell you that you will get 30-minutes of flight time per day, but
understand that 30-minutes is absolutely inadequate for you to learn
anything, and nothing more than a waste of your hard earned dollars.
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Your flight time will be strictly controlled since
there are so many students in line to fly, there is no way that the school
can be flexible in the aircraft/instructor schedule to take advantage of
your times of high learning ability. The schedule just won't permit
it.
You, how you directly affect the duration of your
training
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Flight time - Barring school problems
indicated above, whether or not you take your training serious, and whether
or not you are so motivated, is under the control of none other than
yourself. I will say that I have had relatively few students who were
sincerely motivated. Those who were always completed every rating in
5-weeks (35-days) or less, without fail. Now keep in mind, that if a
flight school makes an instructor and an aircraft available for you to fly
at least 2 hours each and every single day, you will complete each rating
within 2 months as you should. Also, keep in mind that there will be
weather and maintenance days, but it will not change the realistic 5-week
possibility.
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Ground training - This is the part that
sets the serious students apart from the spoiled brats. The flight
training part is the fun and easy part. All a student needs to do is
to take part in the ground classes that are available, and study
while not flying. 5-weeks of available class, and self study is
sufficient for any serious student to accomplish any rating level. The
key here is motivation and discipline, any other excuse made by a student is
nothing more than bullshit, and those who don't study don't deserve to fly.
I always required a written test passing score of 80 percent or better for a
practical test sign-off; anything less only shows the lack of of motivation
and discipline, and my time is worth more than that, and there are students
who are much more worthy of my time.
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