Fly Your Way To A Homesteading Experience

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If you can afford it, though, by all means do go for your seaplane rating as soon as possible. Here, there's a flight test but no written exam. The seaplane rating is easy to obtain (normally, about ten hours of dual are needed), fun to use, and of potentially great value to the low-time pilot looking for work in Maine, Alaska, or any other place where lakes are the rule and runways the exception.

THE COST OF LEARNING TO FLY

Flight instruction costs (like the wages paid to pilots) vary throughout the country. Instruction is generally much less expensive in the South and Southeast than it is in the North or West, although you can count on paying pretty nearly $25 an hour (that includes the plane, gas, oil, and an instructor) no matter where you go.

Here—roughly—is what the various licenses and ratings will cost you:

Private (complete) $1,000
Commercial & Instrument (complete) $4,500
CFI & CFII $1,500
Multi-Engine $ 800
Seaplane $ 300

Bear in mind, when looking over these prices, that about 75% of what you spend on flight training goes for plane rental, fuel, insurance, etc. If you were to buy your own aircraft and take instruction in it, you couldconceivably- cut your training expenses in half.

HOW TO FINANCE YOUR TRAINING

If the above prices seem frighteningly high, take heart. Very few students actually begin their lessons with enough money in hand to see them through their advanced ratings. Most find a way to pay for the training as they go along.

Undoubtedly the best way to finance your instruction-if you can swing it-is with veteran's benefits. If you qualify for educational benefits under the G.I. Bill, you're in ... all you have to do is enroll at a VAapproved school (of which there are hundreds). You will have to pay the entire cost of your private certificate, but the Veterans Administration will pick up 90% of the tab for all further training.

No veteran's benefits? Don't fret. With a little ingenuity, it may be possible for you to barter your way to a flying career. Many pilots have earned their wings by working as gas boys (and gas girls) at flight schools in exchange for free flying time. Visit the nearest fixed base operator (FBO) or flight school and ask if there are any openings for "line personnel". Offer to paint the hangar, wash and wax planes, etc. You never know what kind of barter arrangement you might find until you try.

Many of the largest schools offer loan programs, some of which are federally funded and have excellent terms. Look for these schools' ads in Flying and other aviation magazines (or write to one of the academies listed below).

If you intend eventually to buy your own plane anyway, by all means consider purchasing your bird now and taking most of your lessons in it. Many pilots have gone this route and used the money they saved on plane rental to help pay off their own aircraft. It's an option worth considering.

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