Accelerated training...

[David Pavlich]

I've read several different ads about full immersion, accelerated training. Certainly, the theory of every day training until certified makes sense; no rust to develop, no time to forget what you've accomplished. Have any of you guys obtained your certificate in this fashion? Most places require that you've already passed the written exam prior to starting. It sure seems to be the way to go if time permits.

My concern is that the only school in the area that provides Sport certification is a Cessna school and they require a medical before they will let you into an airplane. The whole idea of Sport is to fly without the hassle of the medical. So I would have to go to a place away from home. An accelerated program would be in my best interest.

Thanks!

David

[CTLSi]

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[N918KT]

I think what David is trying to say is that a Cessna school, even with a LSA Cessna Skycatcher, requires a medical to become a sport pilot. I am assuming that the Skycatcher is the LSA that the Cessna school is using for its sport pilot training.

[CTLSi]

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[FlyingForFun]

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[newamiga]

I know a couple folks who have done the accelerated program and did fine. I still wouldn't count on finishing in the minimum 20 hours but I think it will reduce the total time. I know when I was finishing, flying three times in a week really helped a lot. I really like the idea of finishing the written as early as possible anyway. I know there are two schools of thought. One says that you will learn some of the written material in your training. The other says the study for the written will help you in your training. I guess I am in the latter group. As for the requirement for a medical despite being a SP training facility, I would walk the other way. I know some places claim their insurance dictates this. Paul can speak to the truth to this but I know the school I learned at was SP only and it didn't impact their insurance rates. They have since merged with a non SP school and it hasn't impacted their rates either. I think it shows either a lack of understanding what SP is about, or they are trying to get you in the door to push PP on you.

If you can afford to travel, someone like Paul or several other schools around the country are probably much better bets. The travel costs would probably be offset by the lower number of hours you need to finish.

Carl

[CTLSi]

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[designrs]

My concern is that the only school in the area that provides Sport certification is a Cessna school and they require a medical before they will let you into an airplane.

If they are training you in a LSA ths shoud be illegal!
I'd raise Hell about that!

New link on that topic:
http://sportpilottalk.com/viewtopic.php ... 312#p25312

[David Pavlich]

I think what David is trying to say is that a Cessna school, even with a LSA Cessna Skycatcher, requires a medical to become a sport pilot. I am assuming that the Skycatcher is the LSA that the Cessna school is using for its sport pilot training.

You rang the bell! This is the setup at the local Cessna school. I know that it will take more than 20 hours. The couple of schools that I looked at say that you can get the Sport certificate in about 2 weeks. That seems to make sense.

David

[drseti]

2 weeks? Perhaps if you come in with your written passed (and already know how to fly)! Starting from a true zero, my students typically take more like 3 months. I think that's much more realistic.

[FastEddieB]

If they are training you in a LSA this shoud be illegal!
I'd raise Hell about that!

I hardly think this rises to what should be illegal. Also, we need to make sure that's really the case, and that some underling may not have given bad info.

They're a private company and can hold their students and renters to whatever standard they choose, unless they run afoul of discrimination laws. It's like not renting a Shelby Mustang to a driver unless they're 25 years old - they're legal to drive below that age, but the company is free to set a higher standard if they want*.

It's possible also that their insurance rates are lower if their renters are not self-certifying their medical ability to fly. I doubt it, but it's possible.

Raising hell, or at least making it clear that they're losing business by this practice, is the best way to maybe pressure them to change their policy.



*Now that I think of it, that smacks of age discrimination. I wonder if anyone ever raised hell over that?

[deltafox]

An interesting discussion.I see at least two aspects about it. 1.) How fast can the student learn? I was a fairly capable pilot when I enrolled in "Transition to Glass" training but it took me a loong to switch the gears in my head to comprehend and apply the data being displayed. The system management philosophy was also new to me taking extra time to absorb. (I'm an old fart so you younger guys would probably eat this up, but for me it took time to learn.) My point is it takes some people longer "to get it". 2.) How can the school make a profit? The economics of running the school will dictate what rules to impose and drive the curriculum. Insurance is a major factor. (If the school can save $2K/yr by requiring a medical it will do so unless the customer base demands that requirement be dropped.)

I agree with the concept of accelerated training (its kinda/sorta how I did it) but I don't think ~2 weeks is very realistic.

[David Pavlich]

If they are training you in a LSA this shoud be illegal!
I'd raise Hell about that!

I hardly think this rises to what should be illegal. Also, we need to make sure that's really the case, and that some underling may not have given bad info.

Here's my source:

http://neworleansairplanes.com/flight-training/sport/

Scroll down to Personal Requirements.

David

[David Pavlich]

2 weeks? Perhaps if you come in with your written passed (and already know how to fly)! Starting from a true zero, my students typically take more like 3 months. I think that's much more realistic.

This school received AOPA's President's Award for flight schools. They claim that they can have you certified in two weeks for your Private:

http://www.tailwheelsetc.com/

David

[David Pavlich]

I've not contacted any of the schools I've looked at, so I can't say for certain how the courses would operate. My guess would be fly in the morning, debrief and ground school then back out in the afternoon, perhaps 4 hours of stick time a day, maybe more. At the end of two weeks, flying 5 days a week, a student accumulates about 50 hours, 30 hours more than minimum for Sport.

As mentioned, however, a good school isn't going to allow a student to attempt a check ride if he or she isn't ready. What I'm wondering is what is different about taking several months to get 50 hours of flight time or getting those 50 hours in a short period of time IF the student is willing to work that hard? As an aside, it's work, but as someone already posted, it was a good time learning to fly.

Like I said, some schools require that the written test is already in your back pocket. My reasons for sorting this out is because I have no recourse if I don't want to go through the hassle of a medical.

David