Final Summary

It took me 65.5 hours to become a private pilot. This includes 13 hours of solo flight, of which 7.2 hours were cross country flights. In addition, I also had 3.3 hours of simulated instrument flight and 4.2 hours of flying at night.


In those 65.5 hours, I made 237 landings. Total costs, including plane rental, instruction, equipment and fees were $12,002.60, about $1,000 below budget. I finished in 10 months and 3 days.



I had anticipated finishing in about 6 months with about 55 hour, making it much cheaper. Yet, there challenges I hadn’t expect, some of which were outside of my control. If I was to look back on my training, I think the biggest mistake which cost me the most amount of time/money was switching planes near the end of my training. I think that tacked on an addition 10 hours on my time. I wouldn’t recommend it.

All being told, I’m still very proud of my accomplishment and take great satisfaction in my dedication towards a goal.

I’m not kidding myself into thinking I didn’t spend a lot of money on this dream. Was it worth it? Being that I’m basking in the glow of a success, my gut tells me to say yes. I have learned a lot about myself, which I hope I was able to share with my friends and family via the blog. I suppose the real answer will come if I ever have an urgent need for $12,000, and I don’t have it.

In the end, my gratitude goes towards Kate and her support of my dream. Thank you, my love.