Hello aviation enthusiasts,
As a Private Pilot License (PPL) holder, working toward your Commercial Pilot License (CPL), you are embarking on a journey of personal growth and achievement. A significant challenge that often presents itself is building flight hours in a cost-effective manner. Recall that the total time to get your CPL is 200 hours. Often you will complete your CPL flight training before you obtain the required total time. Simply renting aircraft from flight schools can be quite expensive, so let's explore some alternative ways to log those crucial flight hours without breaking the bank.
Here are a few strategies that might help make your journey to a CPL more affordable:
Look for Shared Aircraft Ownership
Consider joining a flying club or finding a shared aircraft ownership arrangement. By sharing the costs with other pilots, you can significantly reduce the per-hour expenses. Flying clubs often offer lower rental rates and may provide additional resources like discounted fuel and maintenance services for their members. Shared aircraft ownership comes with a variety of considerations, so do your homework before jumping at this opportunity.
Explore Aircraft Partnerships
Forming a partnership with other pilots can be a great way to reduce costs. In a partnership, you and your fellow pilots can share the costs of owning and maintaining an aircraft. This arrangement can be particularly beneficial if you’re flying frequently and need a reliable aircraft at your disposal. This option is very similar to the previous one in that it comes with a lot of considerations. Ensure you do your homework before entering into a partnership.
Find a Mentor with a Private Aircraft
Networking with experienced pilots who own their aircraft can open doors to affordable flying opportunities. Some pilots are open to allowing others to share their aircraft in exchange for contributing to the operating costs. This arrangement can be a win-win, providing you with valuable flight hours while helping the aircraft owner offset their expenses. One consideration with this option is to ensure you are properly ensured and trained on the aircraft.
Utilize Cross-Country Flights
Cross-country flights not only build hours but also provide valuable experience. To accumulate time efficiently, plan trips to new destinations and take advantage of longer flights. Ensure you’re planning these trips safely and legally, adhering to all flight regulations. Efficiency can equal savings!
Consider Flight Time Builders Programs
Some flight schools or aviation organizations offer structured time-building programs that include bulk hour discounts (often known as purchasing bulk time). Research different programs to find one that fits your needs and budget. These programs often provide a more cost-effective way to build hours while maintaining high training standards.
Keep an Eye on Aircraft Rental Deals
Occasionally, flight schools and rental companies offer promotions or discounts on aircraft rentals. Stay informed about any special offers or seasonal discounts that could help lower your costs. Some examples include evening, weekday, or non-peak time flying. Also, specific aircraft that may be underutilized will often be discounted to encourage higher use.
Fly as a Safety Pilot
While this one doesn't exactly build you time, since logging time as a safety pilot is generally a no-go, it can be a great way to stay involved, or learn from others. By flying more, even if it's not being logged, you can gain valuable experience by immersing yourself in different flying scenarios. And the best part, you're with a flight buddy! You can trade roles between the PIC and safety pilot on each leg, essentially sharing the cost of the flight.
Leverage Simulator Training
While simulator time doesn’t count towards your total flight hours, it can be a valuable tool for honing your skills and preparing for real flight experiences. Investing in quality simulator training can enhance your abilities and make your actual flight time more productive.
Train toward a License or Rating
By working on your Multi-engine or Instrument rating, you are building time and productively accumulating the required 200 hours. If you have to build time, you may as well tie it into continued progress and learning. Besides, aren't you planning to get these things done anyway? Remember, you don't need to have your CPL in hand before continuing your training.
By exploring these strategies, you can make the journey to obtaining your CPL more affordable and manageable. It’s essential to find the approach that best fits your personal situation and goals in aviation. Always keep in mind that we covered each of these in brief detail. Always take the time to research any applicable regulations or considerations with each of these time-building methods.
Safe Flying!
FAQs
It sounds like a difficult process to become a pilot. Truth is, it's fairly straight forward and you are guided every step of the way. Refer to the following links to learn about the process to become a pilot and the various licenses and ratings. Included in the links is our articles page which is always updated with new content that can answer more of your questions.
To answer this we need to know what kind of pilot do you want to be. Do you want to be a private pilot and fly recreationally? Or do you want to be a commercial pilot and fly for hire? One thing to note is that flight training can be a variable cost that is dependent on each specific person's rate of progress. Be wary of anyone that will give you a solid low price figure as it may be based on an absolute best-case scenario and not average statistics. Check out the link below and click on each license and rating to learn more about the specific costs and requirements. Each one is listed in the typical order in which you might obtain them.
Generally speaking, a pilot will spend anywhere from approximately $12,000 to $100,000 to become a pilot depending on what kind of pilot they want to be. Note that ground school is the cheapest part of the flight training experience. The actual flying part of the training is where the big money is spent. Flight schools roughly charge an average of $200/hr for each flight.
You need to start with a Private Pilot License and then get a commercial pilot license, multi-engine rating, and an instrument rating. From here you need to build some experience to meet the current qualification requirements that the airlines are looking for. Jobs might include flight instructing, survey or Arial work, charter flying, or bush flying. Eventually, you will obtain an Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL). This license is not required to work as an airline pilot in the First Officer position but if you want to be a captain you will need your ATPL license.
Take Flight Now
Level Flight is Canada’s best online ground school. It is our mandate to provide higher quality, more engaging training for Canadian Student Pilots. If you are seeking the exhilarating freedom of flight for a hobby or with aspirations of a career in the skies, Level Flight offers the best ground school experience available. Sign up for our online learning platform now and discover the adventure that awaits you at Level Flight.
By submitting this form, you opt-in and give expressed consent to receiving SMS / text messages, calls, and emails from us for the purposes of communication related to your inquiry or related to the products and or services we provide.