Is 2 months enough for a PPL?

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Complex-Brief69@reddit

2 months is enough if you can find a school that has available to fly a 3-4 times a week.

Waiting for a DPE is another story.

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veranohermano@reddit

If he’s starting fresh with no prior flying experience there’s no way that 3 times a week is sufficient unless those flights are painfully long.

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Complex-Brief69@reddit

It’s gonna be painful to finish this in 2 months either way.

Ground has to be done prior. 3-4 times per week works with a morning and afternoon lesson each day. That’s how the “14 days to x rating” schools will do it.

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schlossdog5@reddit

I got my ppl in 45 days. I just treated it as my full time job and didn’t have any other responsibilities. If you can commit to that I think it’s doable.

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EliteEthos@reddit

While potentially possible, in all reality, it won’t happen

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Nice_Young_4188@reddit

Do you think IR in 3 months is possible man? Any tips to make it efficient and quick ? thx

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H1_rand0m_p3r50n@reddit

Did mine in 3 months and it was a university 141 program 😂

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937OYE@reddit

I did IR in 5 weeks but I basically didn’t do anything else during that time

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I did my IR in just under 3mo and I had a newborn baby at home. I flew 3-4 times a week and put in a lot of safety pilot time on the weekends. It is fully doable.
I already had all the XC hours otherwise, so didn't have to time build for anything other than hood time.

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EliteEthos@reddit

I’m not sure why so many think speeding through training is an upside. There is not a job currently waiting for you. Each stage of training is building upon the last and are teaching you the very basics to stay alive in that airplane.

If you have such tight time constraints, it’s best to not try and cram 10 pounds of shit into a 5 pound bag and wait until you have adequate time to ensure you can get quality training.

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unnecessary_overhead@reddit

Absolutely. Two summers ago I took a guy from zero to checkride ready in 6 weeks, only flying on weekdays after work. We flew just about every day the weather allowed but we got it done no problem.

He had already completed an online ground school and taken the written. We used a syllabus, had a plan for the next lesson before leaving the previous lesson, and he showed up studied and ready every single time. We also flew mostly at night when then airplanes were most available. If he had only had the weekends available it would have taken a year.

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Nice_Young_4188@reddit

Ok appreciate the help guys. I actually grew up on flight sim so I still have all my stuff set up ( vatsim etc) so I think I am good with coms. The last time I flew the only issue I had was just not chasing the needle and I was doing S turns down the localizer. I hope this will improve with time. I know small corrections and let the needle come to you. I think atc coms wise I am ok and its just actually flying the approach I need to work on. I also completed the written already so I think it is gonna be ok

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VileInventor@reddit

Depends on you.

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scottwo@reddit

Totally doable. I just did mine in 3 months. I had a CFII who was new and hungry for hours, we flew 5 times a week, and were done in 2.5 months before waiting for the checkride. I had already done all my ground and taken my FAA exam, though. So, if you haven’t yet, I’d factor that in.

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indecision_killingme@reddit

I used to teach IR in 4-6 weeks.

2X a day flight. 2 hour ground school everyday, 5 days a week. Student brown bagged lunch and ate during ground school. Studied the 4 hrs a day they were not flying or in class.

I had a tail number assigned time as an instructor and myself and those two flight students flew it almost non stop.

We were shooting for 4 weeks. WX and DPEs stretched it out a bit.

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skunimatrix@reddit

Find a flight school with more than 2 IFR capable airplane as one is always booked and the other is always in MX.
Pass the written before you start the flying part
X-Plane at home can be handy for IFR procedure practice. It's not going to help stick and rudder, but X-Plane with a $30 joystick (probably $75 these days) and you can practice a lot of the approaches. If you don't have a Mac or PC, then MSFS20/24 and an Xbox can fill the same role.

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DOOM__SHROOM@reddit

It is barely possible. If you can dedicate yourself to the entire two months and get a checkride lined up early enough, it is barely possible.

If anything goes wrong or something comes up it will not happen so keep in mind that it will by no means be a sure thing.

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Enough_Professor_741@reddit

When I was teaching regularly in a 141 school, we would take in foreign students and take them from 0 time to Com, ME in 90 days. They flew every day, studied a lot, took the written as fast as possible using the king videos. We were in Texas, where the weather was mostly good, and when it wasn't, all day ground school. We had a DPE on retainer for this school. So find a 141 school, plan on flying twice a day, studt=y a lot, and its all possible.

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bootfullofrudder@reddit

No

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kristephe@reddit

I think you could be setting yourself up for disappointment between scheduling, mx, and examiner availability, especially if you havent' done any studying or ground school yet. Switching isn't as big of a deal as you may fear. You may repeat a few lessons, but if you get 2 months under your belt, you'll learn enough that then going up with new instructors can be a good experience. So if you have the time to focus on studying flying now, still do that, and if you're close but not through a checkride, keep pressing for that.

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SanDiegoLan@reddit

Might be enough time to schedule a DPE after one is ready these days.

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Present-Village-9858@reddit

I have no idea but I started last month and schedule for 2,3 times flying a week but the weather is terrible so I have only almost 10 hours in. I think it depends on a lot of things rather than yourself solely..

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Excellent_Stage9729@reddit

I’m literally going to try this! I’m starting this Friday. I’m getting my 3rd class medical examination Wednesday. Good luck to you we should keep in touch!

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voretaq7@reddit

If you fly every day, push yourself to the absolute limit, and can get your checkride scheduled in that window? Yes, it is technically possible to do zero-to-PPL in 2 months. Even 1 month is enough to check all the FAA-mandated boxes if you're crazy and the weather cooperates!

Realistically? Three months, minimum. Both to get an examiner scheduled and to actually learn stuff during your PPL instead of just blasting through to check the federally-mandated boxes and emerging with zero real aeronautical decisionmaking skills because you've never faced a real Go/No-Go decision.

And even in 3 months that's not a lot of time. You're rushing it a bit more than you should, and as much as it feels like you're saving time and money there's an extent to which you're cheating yourself out of instruction (do more than the minimum required cross-country, hood, and navigation work!) and practical learning (rack up some solo hours in excess of what the FAA requires - be comfortable with your decisions and your ability to handle the plane when things don't go exactly as planned).

If you don't go beyond the FAA-mandated minimum knowledge and skills getting to your PPL expect to spend 2-3 months after it getting instruction to fill in those gaps.

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bailaowai@reddit

The lead time AFTER your instructor thinks you’re ready for a DPE to do a checkride is AT LEAST 2 weeks. 1 mo is common. That means you’d need to be very close to standard with your maneuvers, and have shown your CFI a good mock oral or two, within about 6 weeks.

Not impossible, but very close to impossible. You’d have to do this absolutely full time.

You also need to get your written done and get your physical/medical obviously.

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roguemenace@reddit

Or you just book the DPE and commit to being ready by then.

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bgrant902@reddit

It’s enough to be ready for a checkride probably. It’s not enough to get a checkride.

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SnooMuffins3614@reddit

I don't know why people here think it's close to impossible to finish in 2 months, but it's definitely realistic if you are going to take this as a full time commitment.

I guess the only drawback is DPE wait but can be manageable if you can find the right school/CFI that have a good relationship with a DPE. I would get the written done in the mean time.

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Hot_Faithlessness118@reddit

you can do it in 2 weeks if you try hard enough

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ltcterry@reddit

Yes. But everything has to mesh properly. You’ll work your ass off. You need a good CFI who’s sent people to successful checkrides. And who has a good connection to an examiner.

Just because something fits mathematically doesn’t mean it’s smart, effective, or the right choice.

I have a friend who specializes in 14-day private. But it’s not for everyone!

I recently took an Army-trained helicopter pilot through ASEL Private and airplane instrument in five weeks. Two other instructors to share the work, two airplanes, and two examiners. Was work. But fun work. And he already knew “pilot stuff.”

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TheGacAttack@reddit

The problem is that many hurdles are out of your control: weather, maintenance, and DPE availability. Those are huge barriers to you, and each can itself add two months to a training plan.

Can you do it? Yes. But there's a good breath of luck required.

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GingerB237@reddit

I got mine in 2 weeks but that was with the written already passed. If you dedicated yourself and did nothing else then you can do it. But there won’t be much time for anything else.

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Unable_Request@reddit

Depends how much you can fly. I started mine April 2 and my checkride is next Sunday. With any luck and skill, I'll have completed in just shy of two months -- but I've been flying nearly every day, and some days twice a day.

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AtomicShadow117@reddit

No

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annoyazz@reddit

Likely , i go to fast paced program here in florida , we are assigned 2 flights a day , checks are really quick instead of waiting for a dpe cuz we have a inhouse check instructor . 3 of my friends have completed ppl in exactly 2 months . This is my 2nd month and i have 5 more lessons and a check before i get my private pilot license . So i expect 2.5-3 months for me

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roguemenace@reddit

If you're smart and willing to study a lot it's easily doable. We do it with 200+ kids up here in Canada every summer through air cadets.

You'll also have to be somewhere that doesn't have terrible weather and have a DPE available.

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Purgent@reddit

Yes, absolutely doable if you have good weather and are free every day.

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Bythion@reddit

Eh, maybe technically possible, but not likely. You'd have to have perfect weather, be flying 4-5 times a week, studying and passing the FAA written beforehand, scheduling the checkride, etc.

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No-Cell-8208@reddit

No. How ever long you plan any rating to take, multiply it by two.

Also, you don't want to rush the PPL - you need time to digest and read in between lessons.

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SweatyAppie@reddit (OP)

I understand, based on all the advice I think I’m going to just knock out my written over the summer with Sheppard air and fly in college

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pilotjlr@reddit

There is no Sheppard air for private.

You should do whichever ground school your flight school of choice recommends.

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SweatyAppie@reddit (OP)

They reccomended King Air, but one of the CFI’s that worked there said it wasn’t the greatest

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No-Cell-8208@reddit

Sounds like a good plan. Also know that there's no issue whatsoever starting with an instructor at home and telling him/her that you want to train as much as you reasonably can and intend to finish with another instructor while in school. There's actually an incredible benefit to flying with many different instructors. I haven't counted, but in 30 years of GA flying I probably have over two dozen instructor's signatures in my logbook.

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SweatyAppie@reddit (OP)

The manager of the part 61 school said the exact same thing, they cycle the students though all 18 CFI’s so they can get a different opinion each time throughout their training

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headies1@reddit

Short answer: no

Long answer: it would be highly dependent on many, many things and the ability to fly almost every day. I don’t think this would be beneficial for the student, either.

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VileInventor@reddit

Depends on you

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machzuck@reddit

1) What are the regional weather trends in the area during this time 2) Does your school have an in house maintenance facility

Not unheard of for a solo/ solo cross country to be delayed 2-3 weeks for weather. Thats nearly 30% of your budgeted timeline.

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Flaky_Summer_9800@reddit

Nope. DPE availability alone will likely take 2 months. I’ve waited close to that on ever ride I’ve taken.

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indecision_killingme@reddit

Is your written done? Will you be flying in a structured program twice a day? Aircraft availability issues? Weather issues?

Can be done, but need a very structured aggressive approach and you will do nothing but study and fly for 2 months. Plus all the stuff I mentioned above hast to fall in line. Possible you can get away with starting written prep now.

Read the Airplane Flying Handbook and Pilot’s Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge cover to cover twice. That will help.

Not impossible, but improbable.

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Chemical_Depth_6569@reddit

have you already started?

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SweatyAppie@reddit (OP)

No not yet, I’m thinking about just studying for my written over the summer and just starting during the fall in college after all these replies though, I don’t want to rush something so important

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Chemical_Depth_6569@reddit

does your college have a nearby flight school? how are you going to balance your studies with flying? it’ll take more time than you think - best to do it in the summer/breaks

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SweatyAppie@reddit (OP)

It’s a part 61 right next to my university that has a lot of college students about 150 or so, they are very flexible and plan flights around the students school schedule

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skunimatrix@reddit

I mean if you were doing one of those dedicated programs where you are flying twice a day...maybe. But it was a 4 month wait to get on the schedule of a DPE for a commercial checkride. And we booked that when I got my plane back in the air in April.

I started flying about April and my check ride was in August of that year for PPL.

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Gabriel_Owners@reddit

2 months to go from 0 time to PPL ain't gonna happen.

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garbagekr@reddit

That seems extremely optimistic to me, just the DPE waitlists are often that long

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Thomas-Ligotti97@reddit

Doable, but highly unlikely

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rFlyingTower@reddit

This is a copy of the original post body for posterity:

I go to college soon and wanted to get my PPL over the summer but I’m afraid 2 months isn’t enough, as much as I would like to start over the summer I don’t want to switch flight schools while still in the middle of my PPL since my college is a couple hours away from home, I could technically start working on my PPL as soon as I get to college, but that’s if 2 months isn’t enough, any advice is appreciated.

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