Hours to PPL

[Colonel]

This topic keeps coming up, year after year.

Students want to save $$$ and do their licence
in the legal minimums.  People like to point out
that's it's impossible these days, but then stop
talking when people mention the Air Cadets,
who year after year do PPL's in the minimum
flight times.

People like to lecture students endlessly about
what they should do differently during their
training.

I have to laugh.

The problem isn't the students.  It's the instructor.

Do you think the Air Cadets all express their artistic
creativity and snowflake individuality during their
PPL flight training, to perform well?

Of course not.  They do what they are fucking told.

You want to do your PPL in minimum hours?  Ask
your instructor for his last 10 student to PPL's
hours.  And, I bet they will suck, because your
instructor sucks.

He can't help it.  His instructor sucked, too.

Civilian flight instruction is really crappy, because
[b]no one cares[/b].

That's why you're going to take 80 hours to your
PPL - your flight instruction is going to suck, and
you won't know it until it's too late.

No different than hiring any other contractor.

First comes the test, then comes the lesson.

It took me 25 years to become a really good flight
instructor.  If you actually did what I told you to do,
you would progress very quickly to a very high level
of proficiency.

[img width=500 height=375][/img]

[img width=500 height=332][/img]

But no one cared, so I gave up and went back
to writing software.  Pays a lot better, and TC
can go fuck themselves.

NB  I'm a slow learner.  I used to think that TC
was about aviation, and that's the farthest thing
from the truth.  Their name is an oxymoron.  They
don't give a shit about aviation, and sure don't
know anything about it, either.  Politics, promotion
and pension is what TC, like any other government
department, is all about.  The three P's.

[David MacRay]

Bah, who wants to be qualified? You can't put that on a resume. Certificates are King. "Do you have your papers?"

[Colonel]

Remember:  airplanes can read.

[anofly]

Waterloo Wellington teaches air cadets AT least did a few summers ago,  and they all work hard at it. They also fly 2x a day, morn and aft, every day they can. I think even with a mediocre flight instructor , if the students flew 10-14 hours a week, and prepared for their next lesson, like they are told (and air cadets do!, most of the time) they might get to the flight test in a shorter time.
Air cadets have very little in they way of distraction like work, spouses, jobs, etc and the full time immersion seems to help them get it done.

[Colonel]

I spent many years sharing an airport with Air Cadets,
and they are great guys.

[John Swallow]

The RCAC is indeed an excellent organization.  One of my progeny acquired gliding and powered licences through them.  Went on to set up a flying training operation, worked on the nort' shore of the St Lawrence, and helped shutdown two airlines before finding a home with that Calgary based operation...

I think they do RCAC gliding out of Oliver and Salmon Arm here in the Okanagan.

I think there's many an RCAC alumni in every facet of our profession. 

[Chris]

[quote author=Colonel Sanders link=topic=6263.msg16537#msg16537 date=1494941929]
I spent many years sharing an airport with Air Cadets,
and they are great guys.
[/quote]


Thanks! We always enjoyed it when you guys went up for practice, the kids felt like they had a private airshow.


The occasional gear up landing was also good entertainment.

[kevind]

[quote author=John Swallow link=topic=6263.msg16540#msg16540 date=1494943442]
The RCAC is indeed an excellent organization.  One of my progeny acquired gliding and powered licences through them.  Went on to set up a flying training operation, worked on the nort' shore of the St Lawrence, and helped shutdown two airlines before finding a home with that Calgary based operation...

I think they do RCAC gliding out of Oliver and Salmon Arm here in the Okanagan.

I think there's many an RCAC alumni in every facet of our profession.
[/quote]


The Okanagan Gliding program is based out of Oliver each spring and fall.  We deploy for 1 day to Grand Forks, and 1 weekend each to Salmon Arm, Trail and Cranbrook.  It is really an amazing program.  Now we could just a few airport operators to get onboard.

[Three Bars]

It kind of reminds me of new parents bragging about how early their kids could walk and talk when 10 years later it's more important if they can sit down and shut up.

Lots of people don't care about how many hours their PPL took. I didn't. Same with time to solo. I was going on to commercial anyways and was signed off at 200 hours just like pretty much everyone else I know. And that was 200 hours total. No ride alongs or unloggable stick time.

The wonders who solo at 4 hours or get signed off at 45 often forget to mention the dozens of hours and the hundreds, thousands, of maybe even tens of thousands worth of equivalent experience they gained because someone they knew had an aircraft.