Is it worth paying to get PPL after IFS?

[dnewinchester]

I am currently working through IFS and was wondering if anyone thinks it's worth spending the money and finishing up and getting PPL. It looks like after the solo XC there is not much left. I've been told ~$1200 out of pocket. Is it worth having the PPL and joining a flying club for traveling?

 

[schmuckatelli]

When you get your wings you can take the military competency test (about $70 when I took it) and get a commercial license. What you are allowed to fly with that license depends on what platform you end up going to and what aircraft you train in (T-34 vs. T-37). Personally I would not spend $1200 on something you may or may not use over the course of a year or year and a half.

 

[aeronerd]

This is a great question. I've always wondered if Military pilots retain their civilian ratings. With so many people having their PPL (or more) before going in, I'm sure others are curious also. Are there any Naval Aviators out there that mantain civilian ratings and fly for fun/travel? Or is it something that we'll be tired of and not want to do outside our job.

(I can't imagine switching back to a Piper Archer after flying a hornet).

 

[Fly Navy]

I pursued and obtained my PPL after IFS. I can now go flying whenever money and weather allows. Let me tell you, it's a great tool for dating It's up to you if you want to spend the money...personally I did not want to wait 2 years to take a competency test. Civilian and military aviation are two different worlds...I get to work (play) in one while I can play in the other.

 

[Jaxs170]

I agree with Fly Navy, its nice to have. I really believe the extra experience I got by getting then having my PPL before primary paid off in the end, especially during RIs, and helped me get the score I needed for E-6s. I would say go for it, but if it will break your bank account to do so, hold off.

 

[aeronerd]

I understand that ratings don't go away... I guess I should rephrase the question. How many NA's out there stay current in civilian aircraft?

 

[ShooterMcGavin]

There is definitely some value in flying on the civillian side in that you will gain experience that could potentially help you greatly in primary. The question really comes down to the value of that extra performance in primary vs. the value of spending that money elsewhere. There is no way to avoid studying hard in flight school but extra comfort on the radio and in the landing pattern can pay some benefits in primary. Don't listen to anybody that tries to say that you are not competing against your flight school contemporaries. If you definitely want one pipeline over another then an advantage is an advantage.

In this squadron of 27 aviators (10 pilots and 17 NFOs) only two NFOs have any degree of currency in GA aircraft.

 

[absolutVU]

I got my PPL after IFS and have not flown very much with it (although I would like to!). I like the idea of being able to take my friends flying with me--which hasn't happened yet-- but I think if I had known how little flying I would end up doing before getting to API (where I am now) then I would have just waited until after flight school to take the qualifying tests. So, I'll say it depends on how much flying you'll get to do before going to flight school-if it's a lot, then go for it. Realistically, I don't see me using my PPL while I'm in flight school because of a short supply of free time.

I know two hornet pilots who fly with their PPLs --one of them has his own plane that he has crashed a couple of times...

I'm still only in my first week of API but I have already found the ground school info I learned in IFS to be incredibly helpful. Most of the stuff we've covered has been a review of what I learned from the Jeppesen course. I haven't taken a test yet so I can't say how much it REALLY helped but I'm sure the time it takes me to read and understand the information is far less because of what I already know.