Private Pilot Flight School Training: Weather and Flexibility

At the very beginning of flight training, with 0 flight hours under his belt, DH had a ton of limitations as far as what kind of weather he was allowed to fly in. Weather plays a huge factor in whether or not your flight is cancelled. As you gain certifications and ratings you're allowed to fly in different weather conditions but it takes many many hours to get to that point. His first year of training took place in Eastern Washington which can be known for wind and rain, especially in the Fall. Which isn't the greatest time to be starting out as a pilot, I'd like to point out.

Since he chose to do his flight training through a university there was a curriculum that corresponded with his flights and he was expected to schedule those flights with his instructor and keep up accordingly. There are pros and cons to this but it was difficult to keep up for the first two years simply because weather is unpredictable and fog, rain, a breeze or simply low clouds is enough to cancel a private pilot's flight.

So when DH first started his training, holding a job was not an option. He was part of the University of North Dakota satellite program which was a rigid university structured curriculum with the smaller class sizes of a community college. Since our first year in college was spent at a community college many of our classmates were working while going to school at the same time.  I won't sugar coat it- the majority of his classmates didn't make it past the first year because they fell so far behind.

Flexibility in your schedule is absolutely key when it comes to getting flight hours. Trying to hold a job while doing flight training generally leads to flight training becoming an expensive hobby. Every flight hour is crucial and when your schedule is limited it will lengthen your training time exponentially. DH did flight training for 3 years and held a part time job flight instructing for the last 6 months of his training. However, he didn't take summers off like most students did. It was more common to see training last the full 4 years, with most students also holding a job flight instructing for the last year of their training. 

While there are many different routes to obtaining flight training, we chose the college option because we were right out of a high school and it was a natural next step and because many airlines now require their pilots have a 4 year degree. By going this route he was able to knock out both at the same time. Also, since UND is one of the top flight schools in the country, it looks pretty good on a resume too.