How many training hours to Certificate

[Admin]

We all know the minimum amount of hours, as defined by the manuals, is 20hrs of training for an RAAus Pilot Certificate or a GFPT in the PPL arena however, we know that in 99% of cases it does actually take longer then the required minimum amount of hours to do it.

 

Now, I know we will try and brag about how long it was...how long was it?...but let's see what the average really is as this will help the many potential students out there to budget their finances and their real expectations and not just think they can become a pilot just after 20 hours of instruction.

 

(this will get you running for your log books )

 

 

[Compulsion]

I was actually a conversion but took 26 hrs. Then again I am probably a slow learner.

 

 

[Guernsey]

I can't accurately answer that one as I gained my British PPL license (no such thing as a Certificate ) in just over 40 hrs '

 

The minimum requirement was 40 hrs or 35 hrs if completed within six months.

 

There was no such thing as a restricted license it was a full license including navigation, or nothing.

 

Alan.

 

 

[dazza 38]

18.4 hours in Jabiru 55-922, including flight test. ( I cheated abit as I had flown a Drifter (solo),Javelin single seat(solo) , Huges lightwing (Dual) and a Piper tomahawk (Dual) seven years earlier for a grand total of between them of about 14 hours). Im not counting the 14 hours as they where 7 years earlier.

 

 

[Hongie]

took me 32 hours for my certificate. slow learner i spose :P my biggest hold up was getting sick every time i strapped an aircraft on

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Oh dear, at present I seem to be the only one in the 51-60 hours group!

 

Just to elaborate, 55 hours to RPPL (GFPT).

 

 

[Admin]

Oh dear, at present I seem to be the only one in the 51-60 hours group!

and your out flying Kingairs all day...see perhaps the longer you take makes you a better pilot

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Problem was I didn't get on to the theory early enough, so had about 35 hours and then gave it away (due to finances) for about 3 years!

 

 

[frank marriott]

Can't contribute here as I converted from a GA Lic.

 

 

[Admin]

Can't contribute here as I converted from a GA Lic.

The poll also says GFPT if that helps Frank

 

 

[frank marriott]

Before GFPT

 

About 70hrs for a PPL from memory

 

FrankM

 

 

[driftamark]

Hi are we counting test time as well 20.2 plus 1.2 for the test.Mark

 

 

[Bryon]

40.2 hrs, not slow learner, just thorough

 

I must say that it didnt worry me how long it took, I just loved learning and flying around in a Gazelle

 

 

[Compulsion]

Can I ask? The longer it took to get your certificate did it make you less nervous after you got your certificate. I find I am extremely nervous at the moment flying solo after getting my certificate. Is this normal?

 

 

[Admin]

Can I ask? The longer it took to get your certificate did it make you less nervous after you got your certificate. I find I am extremely nervous at the moment flying solo after getting my certificate. Is this normal?

I can remember driving to the airfield, with 150hrs in my book absolutely nervous as hell for some unknown reason...not sure about others but I found that it comes and goes and I get confused whether it's the universe trying to tell me something or it's just a reality check but trust your training and remember they wouldn't have given you your certificate if you were not good enough so think about that

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Can I ask? The longer it took to get your certificate did it make you less nervous after you got your certificate. I find I am extremely nervous at the moment flying solo after getting my certificate. Is this normal?

I can attest that even with several thousand hours you still have days when you feel nervous, so I would say you are very normal!

It's just another 'human factor' that you need to contend with.

 

 

[Compulsion]

Thanks guys sometimes I think I am the only one that gets these issues. It certainly helps us newbies to know we are not alone dealing with issues. I once used to teach Scuba diving and most students once sent out on their own never dived again. I formed a club and took people diving in groups on Sundays to help support them through the initial nervous stage until they formed diving friends and went out on their own. Problem with most of us men is we don't want to share emotions for fear of looking weak.

 

 

[flyerme]

As I've mentioned before ,If your NOT nervous then more likely your over confident ..over confidence leads to poor judgement in my experience,fear will keep you on your toes and out of trouble.I ALWAYS do 3 pre-flights that take around 15-20 mins,in doing this Ive found things that have been missed by other pilots,even found a crack in a wing box attatchment on a training plane and felt a little nervous telling the CFI,He was very appreciative and gave me a pat on the back, he cancelled the flight and... removed and replaced it .Since then I have ALWAYS spent extra time in pre-flight., have noticed a LOT of pilots, CFI included don,t even look for cracks and alike..

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Using your diving analogy, nothing wrong with finding an experienced pilot to take along with you!

 

PS: I love diving and have all my own gear, sadly with two young kids and no friends who dive, I only get about one or two dives in per year.

 

 

[flyerme]

Using your diving analogy, nothing wrong with finding an experienced pilot to take along with you!

Ill second that.

 

 

[Admin]

I took right on 40hrs to get my Pilot Certificate. The extra time above what is looking like the average was mostly due to being blind in one eye. With only having sight in one eye you don't have that extra dimension, the 3rd dimension of height especially when ascertaining the correct time to start flaring. I spent many hours just trying to get the right point of when to flare...I could have been 1ft off the ground or 10ft, I had no idea.

 

My Instructor at the time, at Shepparton, was a guy named David Wickham...now he was a pretty smart little character because on the left of 36 at the time was a tree so he said he will guide the controls but I had to look at the tree, runway, tree, runway, tree, runway etc so I could see what my height was by the tree and what the runway looked like at that height. We kept doing this over and over and over again till I knew what the runway looked like at what height...in 2 dimensions. Eventually I was then able to know when exactly to flare by what the runway looked like.

 

This worked fantastically until the day came that I landed on the main runway at Avalon...do you know the size of that runway, how wide those white lines are down the middle...that is another story but I was given a great compliment by a guy named Leo Moras, the Flight Design CT agent. Leo was at the time a Singapore Airlines A340 Captain and he was taking me for familiarisation flights of my new CT at Riddells Creek...after several circuits Leo said "You may only have one eye and you see things in 2 dimension only, but he had never met anyone who can line up a runway as good as me"...the point is, it doesn't matter how long it takes, what factors make it hard that you have to overcome, enjoy the ride and pick a good instructor as a good instructor is worth every darn cent!

 

 

[68volksy]

Best guess for me - did 24hours and GFPT pre-flight with ATO and then gave it all away for 2 years (work issues). Now I hang around and been flying only when there's a cancellation and no other students waiting (for about 3 years) so up around the 60 hours but no GFPT...

 

Interesting to see so many with minimum hours being set loose. Not often the bureaucrats get something like this so close to spot on?

 

Also like to see a first solo poll as a good 16hours of my first 24 were with my instructor chained firmly to the right seat (I passed on her offer several times before I let her get out)!

 

 

[dazza 38]

I dont get nervous unless it is a aircraft I am not familiar with it.We all get that gut feeling from time to time.Best to listen to your gut feeling. Eg- I left a job, after putting pipe, tools etc into the back of the ute. I started talking to someone (distraction) then drove off.I had a nagging feeling that I had left something behind.Pulled over, and went through my equipment.Sure enough I left my electric Drill behind.Had to go back and get it. After I got up myself for being a knob head for forgetting it.

 

 

[facthunter]

I've tilted it towards the high end (40 hours). When I did it the test was for the full PPL with X/C ,spins etc. There is no direct comparison to the current format and I don't get a look at the voting unless I vote.

 

No-one should worrry about getting solo Gfpt etc by certain hours. We are not in the military and there are many factors contributing to the differing outcomes. The expectation from some students that they should solo in a certain time can be unproductive. The hours are minimum quoted in the book and should be regarded as just that. Nev

 

 

[rdarby]

I am way into the high end. I think that few do it in 20, we are not seeing so many of those who took longer as maybe they don't want to report it?