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Ten years ago, I decided I wanted to get my Private Pilot Certificate. After four years of stress and about $24,000 spent, I finally got it. What a relief.
I had been told it would take six months and cost between $8,000 and $10,000. Boy, were they wrong. Or was it me? Why did it take me so long? I thought I was smart.
Turns out… there was a lot I did wrong. But it wasn’t about my flying skill or aeronautical knowledge. Instead, it came from a lack of understanding: of my role as a student pilot, of how the training industry really works, and of the fact that flight schools are businesses—not hand-holders.
So, to help new students avoid the mistakes I made, I’m sharing my story.
My First Flight Training Mistake
Aircraft and aviation weren’t new to me. I had both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in aerospace engineering and more than a decade of experience as an aerospace engineer, including seven years as a flight test engineer working closely with pilots. I assumed my background would make training easy.
I started flying once or twice a week on weekends. On just my second flight, I landed by myself. Things looked promising. But when the Seattle fall and winter rolled in, everything slowed down. The weekends filled with other students, weather delays stacked up, and my progress stalled.
My first mistake was not saving enough money. I only had $1,000 set aside—just a handful of lessons. Once that ran out, I was stuck waiting for each paycheck to afford the next flight. Some sunny weeks went wasted simply because I couldn’t afford more than one lesson.
Looking back, I wish I had scheduled more aggressively. I felt guilty about booking too many slots, worried I was taking opportunities from other students. In reality, I should have scheduled backup flights and planned farther ahead. Every interruption meant “redos,” and every redo cost money and time.
And then came another big decision: I moved to a new state. I had no idea how much this would hurt my training. Changing schools is expensive and always comes with transition costs, no matter what they promise. If I could do it over, I never would have started training until after the move.
Wasting Money
After the move, I picked a new school mostly because it was close to home. I didn’t research much beyond convenience and price. That was a mistake.
Flying only on weekends meant competing for aircraft with everyone else. Flight schools make more money by packing in students, but that often leads to scheduling headaches and maintenance delays.
A hard lesson: a lower hourly rate doesn’t always mean lower overall costs. If a school has too many students per airplane, you’ll lose weeks of training time waiting for an airplane or an instructor.
Troubles with Part 141
My new school was Part 141, with a far more rigid structure and added requirements compared to my previous school. They could have enrolled me under Part 61, but they didn’t. Instead, I had to meet every one of their extra requirements before being allowed to solo again.
The biggest time- and money-waster? Fifteen quizzes, each of which had to be reviewed with an instructor until I scored 100%. This meant multiple ground sessions, on top of flying. With my work schedule, I could only meet on weekends, which slowed progress even more.
Flying with an instructor always costs more than soloing. Yet because of all the requirements, I couldn’t fly solo. The cycle fed on itself.
Finding the Right Instructor
Eventually, I was back to solo status, but by then I was broke and flying paycheck to paycheck. I got maybe two to three hours of flight time a week. Just as things started to settle, my instructor left for an airline job.
My next instructor wasn’t a good fit. He yelled, talked down to me, and never offered encouragement. Already stressed about time and money, I found myself stressed in the cockpit, too—never a good thing. I pushed through, but progress slowed.
This taught me another lesson: ask about instructor turnover before committing to a school. If most instructors are building hours for an airline job, expect turnover. Also ask whether the school has a standardized teaching curriculum. If they do, a new instructor should be able to pick up where the old one left off.
Weather, Cross-Countries, and More Delays
At one point, my school assigned me two cross-country solos to desert airports. Sounds simple—until you realize it was July in Southern California, and those airports hit 100° F by 10 a.m. Meanwhile, my coastal home airport was socked in with morning marine layer until mid-morning. The two weather systems were incompatible, and I ended up canceling 15–20 times.
On top of that, my instructor left again. Then again. By the time I reached my fourth instructor, I had lost another several months. Each new instructor meant more requirements, more endorsements, and—you guessed it—more redos.
Ground School and Checkride Delays
I didn’t take my FAA written test until the very end, which was a huge mistake. By then I was juggling written prep, oral prep, and checkride prep all at once. If I’d taken it earlier, I could have had it out of the way and focused on flying.
Even scheduling the final checkride was a mess. My school only used one examiner, which meant limited availability. Then the airplane I prepped in broke. Then another had a missing bolt. Each delay cost more time and money.
Summary
Three years and eight months after my first lesson, I finally passed my checkride. Relief doesn’t even begin to describe the feeling.
But the truth is, flying had stopped being fun along the way. I had blamed the weather, the schools, the instructors, the money. Only later did I realize I should have taken more accountability—asked more questions, planned better, and taken control of my training.
In the end, it cost me $15,000 more and three years longer than I ever expected. But I don’t regret becoming a pilot. Flying is magical, and it’s an experience I wouldn’t trade for anything.
That’s why I now share my mistakes with others—through social media, a YouTube channel, a podcast, and my company, Part Time Pilot. My mission is to help new students avoid the pitfalls I fell into and make flight training as stress-free and cost-effective as possible.
Flying doesn’t have to be the way I did it. If you plan ahead, ask the right questions, and take ownership of your training, it can be one of the most rewarding journeys of your life.
- I Made Every Flight Training Mistake Humanly Possible - September 22, 2025
Yes it cost you more time and money, however your analysis is flawed! I bet you your al better pilot then others that are freshly minted. You didn’t waste anything you got more training the others.
My story:
Soloed a J-3 out of a rural grass Texas strip after 6.5 hours of instruction… then life, family, work, and finances intervened.
A restart 15 years later. First step was a gamble… I (and the bank) bought a used C-150L for $5,100 (yes, it was that long ago), and I began instruction with a local fellow. Toward the end, his availability became limited due to his USAF Reserve flight duties, so I had to finish up with a replacement. Written was passed with only self-study. Check flight in Salisbury, MD went without a hitch.
Obviously, my journey was much less complicated than Nick’s… which, I believe, was more a “sign of the times” (less complicated regulations), than anything I contributed.
However, I found “hanger flying” did contribute a lot… just hanging around with older, experienced pilots listening to their tales (which sometimes required a few “pinches of salt”), until I learned enough to ask at least semi-intelligent questions, and determine which advise I could actually employ without endangering myself or other aviators.
Long since then, and a series of upgrades in aircraft, the inevitable march of age and health caused me to make the difficult decision to give up my passion… and now, long since even then, I still miss it… a lot.
P.S. Thank you, Nick Smith, for your article, and congratulations for your perseverance and accomplishment.
I got all of my ratings in 3 years with a High School Diploma. . From start to Multi- CFII. I got a job at a busy local FBO. More ways than one to skin a Cat. Advantage: I remained single and was very young. College cost was out of the question!! Worked one year in a furniture factory to save the money. Ugly but worth it. Stayed on budget. All ratings, <8000. 1980 to 1983. Advantage: 40 year Airline Career including International.
Nice informative article. Many unforeseen challenges, indeed. Very useful guidance.
I had some similar experiences in my flight training career. I was fortunate to live near a major state university with a flight training program, and while still in high school, was able to train there under a non-university student program offered to the public at the time. Through various local part time instructors, most of which were older guys with other careers who instructed because they enjoyed it, I obtained my private certification right after high school graduation. As I recall, my private license cost around $800 total (in 1969).
My training difficulties began when I entered the college program with the goal of obtaining comm, multi, and instrument certification and went through a series of instructors, (all college students themselves) who were there only to build time. I dealt with the screamers and discouragers too. Because of this, and some funding issues, I dropped out of the flight training program. Later, still wanting to continue, I started up again after college graduation when I had a steady income. I did all of my subsequent training through flying clubs, and mom & pop operations, resulting in getting my comm, multi, and instrument ratings. That was enough to get me a lower rung copilot freight dog gig to build time. Eventually I went corporate, and several years later got my ATP through an accelerated professional program, all on my company’s dime.
Spent 39 years flying airplanes for a living, accumulated nine type ratings, and retired nine years ago. Getting good flight instruction back when I was learning was tough enough. I can’t imagine doing it today.
I started my flight training in 1973 at Palomar CA in a Cherokee 140 and was hitch hiking to the airport from camp Pendleton marine corps base. I was flying with the base flying club. I was then sent to the east coast for advanced training in my mos after which I had a medical issue and was restricted to a limited duty capacity and no flying for six month and my temporary assignment to the east coast became permanent. After I was medically cleared I started with the military flying club at New River and flew two flights before my instructor was sent on deployment to the MED and he had insisted I leave my logbook with him. When I asked him and the club for it they claim I never left it with them. So I got out of the corps went home to Orlando Fla and started training with the Civil Air Patrol flying there 152 and 172. Once again I started with zero hours and soloed after 40 hours. Went back on active duty to MCAS El toro and didn’t do any flying except for a couple of sessions in the F-4 Sim that our squadron pilots used to stay current on their procedures. Got married in 1984 while still in the corps, got out in Dec of 84 moved to Tulsa OK and while going to A&P school tried to take up flying again and was only able to do a couple of flights before realizing that money was going to be a problem as I was already struggling with paying for my school. In 1988 I started work with United airlines and found a flight school in Oakdale CA where I finally finished my flight training in 1990 and afterwards I traded work for flight time an built hours until I got my High performance checkout in a 172RG.
50 years in the flying business including 35 with the airlines. My advice is always to save the money to get you to your check ride first, all the while studying for the written trying to get it passed before you start. Fly often on a regular schedule. Taking breaks for whatever reason will only cost you more money. I have met hundreds of folks over the years that actually soloed but never got the license because they never took the written. Best of luck on your journey!!!!
It’s sad how it’s necessary to check, ask, double check. They weren’t “YOUR” mistakes. They were the result of a system that’s flawed. Unfortunately, flight schools are way too focused on the dollar bill. Yes they need to make a profit but SERVICE should be their main goal. If they would do their job right they wouldn’t have to worry about money. Teach, nurture and guide and they will come. Unfortunately, the aviation industry is severely lacking in this.
Again not your mistakes.
My story is almost the exact opposite.I started flying in February and got my private in May. The following Feb I got my instrument. I bought a plane Cherokee 6 in March of that year and by the time I got my instrument rating I had almost 200 hours in that plane. I’d also had an engine failure at about 500agl taking off and 3 months when I didn’t fly while I waited for a replacement engine and the installation. I ended up putting a little over 1600 hours on that plane before I sold it. I understand what you are talking about. Even though I had 100 hours when I lost the engine most of my instrument training up until that point had to be done again. I was lucky and only had 2 instructors so that all worked out fine. Both were good instructors and were as different as night and day.
After reading this article, I swear it was written about me. I got my ppl 4 years to the day I took my very first flight lesson! Multiple schools, airports, club, aircraft, instructors, etc. Broken airplanes, fired instructors, instructors that quit, indifference, weather, you name it. Finally I took a week off, planted myself at an out of state FBO, and finished up. Took the test and passed on my last day. It was ugly, but I did it. Almost gave up. But I’m glad I didn’t. Been flying 25 years, and hopefully will make it another 25….
My experience mirrored yours, but with more moves and longer delays (two of about 10 years). Still, most of it was back when training was $30-$40/hour. From my first lesson at age 14 to until age 49 and our move to our current home only three miles from the airport, I had 65 hours. The final push of 10 months came at a cost of just under $6,500 for 32 hours flight time and online ground school through Sporty’s. I’ve spent WAY more than that in the 17 years since, but it’s relatively cheap therapy.