is it feasible to get a PPL in 10 weeks?

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ltcterry@reddit

Ten weeks is possible.

National average is 70-75 hours. That would be an hour every day if evenly distributed.

A lesson a day is too fast a pace for most people.

A Private Pilot Certificate will cost $18-20k.

I know busy pilot examiners who are scheduling eight weeks out. And only scheduling when someone is ready.

Ten weeks is unlikely. $10k is only half the typical cost.

Rethink this a bit and see if you can get a head start if you have enough money.

I have a friend who specializes in Private in two weeks. It works for him but is seriously intense training with an examiner already booked. But you won’t have two weeks vacation in your ten-week internship.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

thanks for the reply! based on the comments i think im just gonna aim for the 2k bonus on the solo, it seems like too much stress on top of everything else

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Menno_knight987@reddit

Still difficult but possible, have your medical and you can do one of the online ground schools. Keep an eye on the fine print, schedule your written prior to starting.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

I am honestly unsure whether I want to work for boeing in the future, i’m not too focused on the return offer and there are other companies I’m aiming for next summer, out of state. Why do you think I should schedule my written before starting, if you don’t need to finish that for a first solo?

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makgross@reddit

If you’ve had a previous internship, you’ll be asked about it at your next. If you produced nothing because you were screwing around, one of the 100 other people looking for the same internship will get it.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

I mean if the job is 9-5 or 8-4 and I only do PPL training after it ends for the day, why would that be screwing around? Boeing isn’t really my goal, rather just a stepping stone, because i’m not too enthusiastic about the specific division i was placed in. It has a huge presence in the PNW and CA, but I want to live elsewhere after graduation. Also, I just want to explore other aerospace companies that pique my interest more like Boom or Sikorsky or Honeywell, unless I absolutely love working as an intern.

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ltcterry@reddit

Boeing is doing a lot in South Carolina - a place I’d much rather live than the PNW, where I was born.

Tons of aviation companies in SC.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

What do you like about SC? The only places I would seriously consider living besides the PNW and CA is Colorado and New England

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ltcterry@reddit

I live in GA. Went to grad school at USC. Was in the SC Army National Guard for 15 years. Low taxes, great weather. Easy drive to “mountains.” Easy drive to the ocean. Lots of people have been choosing to move there.

If I remember correctly from my contact with the Governor’s office close to 100 Aviation manufacturing businesses in the state.

Georgia has at least Lockheed and Gulfstream.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

Whatever floats your boat! For me, the south would feel like a downgrade in most ways

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makgross@reddit

So, you don’t care if Sikorsky or Boom or whatever hears you’re not engaged?

Wow, are you ever missing the point of an internship. You’re not frying burgers at McDonald’s. While people might be in the office 8-5 (no, not 9-5 or 8-4, ever), longer hours are common in engineering, and even if they aren’t, you will have a lot of stuff to learn after hours.

You didn’t think you learned all you need in two years of general ed classes, did you?

If you’re not interested, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Go 100%, or don’t go. You don’t ever want to be the first out the door, or the last in. Slacking off is a terrible idea.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

I mean, the point of an internship is to learn while you work. They wouldn’t give these benefits to interns if they felt like they wouldn’t be able to handle it. Flying a few hours a week after work isn’t going to make other companies “hear that I’m not engaged”. Taking flight lessons on your off time is hardly anywhere near “slacking off”

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Menno_knight987@reddit

As far as scheduling test I’m not sure what the rules would be about when you officially “started” training.

I honestly think the smart play would be getting your medical/written knocked out if it doing it prior didn’t DQ you. When you show up, wait a week. Do you have a ton of free off? Is there something else you’d rather be doing? Do you get the impression that completing this might attract negative attention? Or is your boss passionate about aviation and has his PPL and thinks it’s a great idea.

You may not intend on working for Boeing now, but you might find yourself having a better experience by reading the room once you are there and learning as much as you can during your internship and living part of your life that only comes once. You also may indirectly benefit from references/contacts you make. If you get labelled in a negative light that can stick for a bit.

I love flying, but I’m pretty lucky I have a job that makes it possible.

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ReasonablePractice83@reddit

I hope this is something you really wanna do, and not do it just because it's someone is willing to pay for it, cause pilot training has risks obviously. If the weather is great and flyable in your area, yeah possible in 10 weeks if you're super dedicated and spend every single day studying and practicing, but there's other considerations such as getting your medical, ground school takes time, etc. Where I live, students have waited a year or more for their medical to get processed. Also, won't you be busy for the 10 weeks of interning...? Flying training takes a ton of time and focus and effort.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

you’re right, it was definitely something i wanted to do for a while but i think based on all the comments it’s unrealistic especially with ground school thing. Still gonna focus on getting the $2k for the solo though, since that seems a lot more attainable

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ReasonablePractice83@reddit

Oh yeah any experience is good especially if its paid for. Even if you never go further than first solo, you will remember that you did it forever.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

i mean it’s not paid for fully either way, i think it will cost more than $2k to get to my first solo, but it’ll be progress toward my license

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NeedSomeAdvice37@reddit

Former Boeing employee here 👋🏼 my advice is make good impressions with your team and get a full job offer. Then, go for the cert. If you want to fly for a career, there’s a plethora of reimbursements for the ratings/Certs along the way that make it all a lot more affordable (that’s what I did). Or if you want to do it for fun, get your PPL and instrument.

I personally don’t think it’s very feasible to balance the internship and flight training full time from zero to getting that cert in the small time frame. And you’d miss out on the full reimbursement if you got half of it done, then did the rest after you leave your internship.

My advice would be start studying ground and get your medical/writen, and then get a Boeing offer (if that’s what you want to do) and do your Certs/ratings.

Good luck, and enjoy your time at Boeing. It’s a great place to work!

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

thanks for your advice! Based on comments like yours i think I’ll just aim for the first solo reward because it’s too much mental strain to spend so much time after working 40 hours a week and commuting nearly 1hr each way every day from home. I’m not sure if I want to work at boeing in the future (we’ll see if i like it this summer), but since I’m lucky enough to have my parents cover it, money isn’t really an issue and the 2k from the solo is just a nice temporary perk to have.

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NeedSomeAdvice37@reddit

Good idea :) good luck and fun flying!!

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makgross@reddit

You got an internship at Boeing and intend on spending all your time learning to fly?

Unless your internship involves flying spam cans, this is an incredibly bad idea. You’re there for a reason, right?

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

I mean my thought process was that I won’t be doing internship stuff off the clock

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makgross@reddit

There is no such thing as off the clock for an intern. This is essentially an extended job interview. You must produce something by the end or you’ve wasted a good opportunity.

And learning to fly takes more brain cells than you think. I tell my students to expect 3 hours on the ground for every hour in the air. It is much worse presolo.

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AlexJamesFitz@reddit

It's doable if you have the time and dedication, an instructor who can work with your goal, and everything goes right weather/maintenance-wise.

That said, 10 weeks is ambitious if you also have an internship to focus on. IMO, I'd aim for the $2k solo bonus then see where you're at. Even that would be a nice little discount if you finish up PPL later/elsewhere.

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AlexJamesFitz@reddit

One other way to think about this, and forgive me as I shift into Dad Mode a bit: If you dedicate yourself to the internship and really kick ass at it, maybe it leads to a job offer and you'll get the benefit without worrying about the time frame.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

right, i’m just super unsure whether i’d want to work for boeing (i graduate in 2028), so that’s why initially wanted to try to reap the benefits while I could, but it’s okay if i can’t, especially since im lucky enough to have my parents cover the cost

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

thanks for your input!

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joku249@reddit

Last year I was an engineering intern at a different aerospace company (without a flight training bonus, having that is sweet!) and was in a similar boat, where I could walk 100ft from work to the nearest flight school. I flew 2 times a week and soloed after 7 weeks, around 21 hours, of course everyone is different and you might take more or less time. I think a good target for 10 weeks would be to solo and do some fun cross country flights with your instructor. A 10 week PPL might be doable but would be exhausting and very intense, probably requiring you to fly at least 4 or 5 times a week, and would take away your focus from your internship. Also, get your ground done. It was super helpful for me to come in with completed ground school. I spent much less time on ground than others and more time flying, which was more fun and saves time and money. If you do decide to go for a PPL over the summer, get the written done early as well.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

thanks for your advice!

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TitleSpare5344@reddit

Was your flying free??

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joku249@reddit

hell no lol

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redditburner_5000@reddit

Focus on the internship. Get a job at BA. They'll pay you more and you'll still get the benefit.

The cost of a PPL isn't with bombing your internship.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

Thanks for your input! I don’t really plan to work for boeing full time in the future (we’ll see how this summer goes) but i think sticking to the first solo goal is much more realistic from the common consensus in the comments

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s2soviet@reddit

I did mine in 7 weeks, but that was flying 6 days a week, on average twice a day, and doing 2-4 hours of ground-school. Literally did not have time for anything else but it.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

Cost isn’t a huge issue since i’m lucky enough that my parents will cover it, but I think the solo is a doable goal that has the added bonus of getting 2k covered

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Anonymous5791@reddit

No, it's not possible. Former Seattle area CFI here...

Yes, it's possible to do this in the timeframe, in theory... I got a PPL in 3 weeks, for instance, when I was a college student one summer, but that was almost a full time job of fly 7 days a week and study in between. You actually have a real job (internship) to deal with an will be learning and absorbing a TON of new information during that period. And your goal needs to be to do a really good job at that internship to get an opportunity to return for a FTE slot, or at the very least to have a solid professional reference when you get out of there for whatever you choose to do after graduation.

Your summer goal needs to not be goofing off with a PPL. If you have time for a few lessons, so much the better, but this is not the summer for you to be trying to do both things.

Seattle area traffic and airspace is challenging as well. Most students here take 70-ish hours to get done, not the 40 hour minimum. We have tight airspace, three major airports, serious weather and terrain issues (although summer is pretty good flying time!), and in general it's not the stupid simple flying of Florida, the Midwest, etc... it's more challenging in general, which adds time and training expense.

Finally - the examiner (DPE) situation is still pretty backed up. You may wait up to ten weeks or more just to schedule a checkride. You'd have to almost go in to ab initio training and have to schedule your ride on day one to make this possible, and then everything would have to work out right. I can tell you it won't happen.

So... that said - BEFA is a bunch of great folks and an amazing opportunity. I grew up in a Boeing household with my father doing almost 50 years there and for all it's issues, I'm proud to have been part of that. You should definitely fly and take some lessons because it's beautiful out here and it's a great (cheap!) resource to explore. But you are not going to get a PPL done this summer. You _may_ get to the point where you could solo. Maybe...just maybe...if you were lucky. But I would focus on the real job, which is what you're here for.

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

thanks for your comment! From what the common consensus is I think i’ll just aim for a first solo rather than the entire thing since that’s way more realistic. It’s also not worth it to try so hard, go through the mental strain and potentially not even get the 8k at the end.

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jonspw@reddit

If you have ground done and a basic starting knowledge, absolutely. I did PPL in about 3 months flying 3-4 times per week without it even feeling rushed. It wasn’t rushed and I wasn’t on a timeline, I just wanted nothing more than to be in the air every chance I got.

Dive in!

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THROWAWAY72625252552@reddit (OP)

I don’t have ground done unfortunately, thanks for your input though

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Low_Sky_49@reddit

You don’t have time for it. As another posted mentioned, the average time for PPL rating completion is about 75 flight hours. To master the required knowledge, you’ll also need to be studying at a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio to your flight hours. That could be as much as 30 hours per week if you’re trying to finish on a 10-week timeline.

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arcticslush@reddit

There are those people who do the intensive accelerated program and get their PPL in a week.

But they usually walk in with ground school completed and are fully prepared for it and fly the entire day.

Don't forget you have an internship to be focusing on, too.

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TitleSpare5344@reddit

And it would cost more than what they are giving you at least 12k

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davidswelt@reddit

Not if you're actually doing your internship. Which would be more valuable in the long run than a PPL.

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Top-BrilliantOps@reddit

With extreme dedication yes

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draggingmytail@reddit

But not while working a full-time internship

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rFlyingTower@reddit

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

for context, i am an incoming engineering intern at Boeing in Everett, Washington this summer (right next to PAE airport). I found that Boeing pays any employee, including interns $2k for their first solo and $8k for completing the PPL. However, I haven’t started at all yet and my internship starts next Friday 6/12 and ends exactly 10 weeks after that. I have to get the certificate before my internship is over, or else I won’t get the payout from Boeing as I would no longer be an intern there. Given that the airfield is right next to my office, is it at all feasible to get my entire license, self study for ground training, and get everything done in 10 weeks after starting? What should I do right now if this is a possibility? Also, would it help me at least a little bit in ground training if I already know basic aerospace engineering concepts? Thank you for the help =)

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