Getting my ppl- go direct or in steps

[dialedin]

Hi all,

Been lurking around here for a while now and finally decided to sign up. I've tried searching for an answer to this a couple times now an havent really gotten anyplace, so if its been staring me in the face, i apologise. Please dont be too hard on me.

I've been tossing around the idea of getting my ppl for while, but the nearest flight school is 2hrs away and i've got a young family and a farm to run, not to mention the 15+k they are looking for for the course. Anyway, the local airport, (Pembroke and Area; 30mins away) has a company starting an Advanced Ultralight training program starting in a couple of weeks. Their course will consist of a ground school (20hrs if memory serves) as well as 17hrs of dual flight instruction and 2 hrs of solo time, a radio exam, and the a written exam. About 4500$ start to finish.

My goal is to someday have my ppl and a float rating (i've always loved de havilland Beavers!), but i'm wondering if this ultralight course might be a good place to start. In some other reading i've found that Ultralight time can be used for rpl, which in turn can be used to go to ppl, is this true. My dad has his cpl and access to a Cessna 150, so i have the ability to get some more flight time when i want really, though the ultra light permit will limit me to 1200lb take off weight, so i guess i wont be able to do much in the 150.

Anyone with any advice or input to this, i would in very interested to hear from you. Thanks for now

[PilotDAR]

I suggest aiming at your target = go direct. If you want to fly ultralights, go ahead, but if certified GA ariplanes are your ultimate objective, I'd start there. There's no hurry, so take the lessons as you can, but at least you're on one track. Certainly, some of what you'd learn in ultralights would carry across, though there would be some unlearn/relearn required too for transition.

[ahramin]

If your goal is a PPL, go for the PPL.

Having said that, if you cannot dedicate the time and money to complete the PPL in a year or less you will probably be wasting both if the nearest flight school is 2 hours away.

Just to clear up some misconceptions, you cannot fly a certified aircraft at any weight with an ultralight permit. It's the maximum weight that counts, not the actual weight. As for using ultralight time towards your PPL, look up CARs Part 4 (licencing) and see what credits you can use towards a PPL from an ultralight or recreational permit.

[Posthumane]

I started flying in an ultralight before I got my PPL, and I thought it was worthwhile. Any flying experience is better than no flying experience, although there are diminishing returns to some extent as ultralights tend to handle a bit different than most certified aircraft so some re-learning will be required. But that's often the case when you transition between different aircraft types.

I believe that 10 hours of ultralight time can count towards your PPL, but this only matters if you are getting the PPL in close to the minimum required time (45 hours). Most people need more time to get up to test standard, so the extra "carry over" time is not really that important. What is more important is that with a bit of flying experience under your belt you may be able to get a PPL in less hours than you otherwise would.

[dialedin]

Thanks for the input fellas, i do appreciate it. Thinking that direct to ppl is probably a better way to go at this point; just really wish that there was a school closer than 2 hours away. A few people i have talked recommended doing the ppl ground school course online if i cant make the time to do it at a flight school. they recommended to do the one through harv's air in manitoba. ANyone done ground school online? Thoughts?

[AirFrame]

A few people i have talked recommended doing the ppl ground school course online if i cant make the time to do it at a flight school. they recommended to do the one through harv's air in manitoba. ANyone done ground school online? Thoughts?

I've talked to a few people who did the Commercial ground school online through Harv's... They all liked it, and they all got their Commercial license. So Harv's must be doing something right.

[flyingjerry]

Thanks for the input fellas, i do appreciate it. Thinking that direct to ppl is probably a better way to go at this point; just really wish that there was a school closer than 2 hours away. A few people i have talked recommended doing the ppl ground school course online if i cant make the time to do it at a flight school. they recommended to do the one through harv's air in manitoba. ANyone done ground school online? Thoughts?

I did Harvs online ground school for PPL, CPL and INRAT and it's good but it's way to long. It literally takes 200 hours to get all the quizzes done.

[lownslow]

It’s been a while since I had my head in the ah-initio instruction game but I *think* you can do your ground work to the PPL level while working on your UL permit. Throw in whatever is needed to carry pax and you’re having fun flying friends and family while building experience (disclaimer: not all of it will count on paper) for your eventual PPL flight test.