No Private Pilot Licence Training On Weekends?

[Winnie]

Another thing to consider, is that most Helicopter Flight Training facilities are run by experienced guys who don't necessarily WANT to work 7 days a week anymore...

 

Whereas the fixed wing schools often have very junior guys that can and will work lots to build time.

 

If you look at cost of training tho, a PPL rewuires 45 hours, however the FIXED WING average for ppl nationwide is 67 hours... Thus, with the NO GST, Tuition refund etc, the cost of a CPL might actually in total end up being LESS than a PPL... AND you'll get a break on insurance later too! (if you buy your own machine)...

 

As for cost.. perhaps take some time off, and go somewhere to stay for a few days/weeks and get things done fast?

 

I know of a good place in southwestern Ontario that is good... (nope not afiliated in one little way!)

 

Cheers

H.

[lictor]

Commercial training is considered tuition, so you can claim it on your income tax. Also, there should be no GST on commercial training. Considering the cost of a CPL-H, the savings can be substantial!

I'm not sure why I had never considered that. Based on last years tax return, $50,000 in tuition would have returned an extra $11,000! Does anyone have any first had experience with this?

[Icewind]

Not only is there a tax deduction for commercial training, some training schools can help you get a student loan for commercial training. You would need to ask each school individually about that option. Althoough it is focussed on fixed wing training this program gets you access to student loans -

http://www.siast.sk.ca/programs_courses_descriptions/CPIL.shtml

[Daz]

I'm not sure why I had never considered that. Based on last years tax return, $50,000 in tuition would have returned an extra $11,000! Does anyone have any first had experience with this?

 

Yep. The past three tax returns have seen me get pretty much ALL my income tax back. Mind you, as a ski patroller and a (currently unemployed) lowtimer, I don't have very much income to pay tax on, so it's not like my returns are massive. I have enough tuition carryover for another good return or two yet.

[snowedin]

Daz is right....tuition is fully deductable as long as the school is recognized as an approved post secondary institution. You can carry the deduction forward up to 7 years i believe.

 

As for the private beng recognized I believe that is only deductable after you have achieved your commercial ticket.

 

The other factor to consider is that the private may be done in less hours, but few meet flight test standards in the prescibed number of hours (I think this is what Winnie is alluding to) especially when the training is being done periodically on weekends. 60-70 hours is more realistic given your situation, although everyone is different. I also think you would be hard pressed to find an instructor who would recommend that volume of flying for learning...perhaps 2 to 3 hours per day max, and that would only be to help accomodate you rather than be the ideal.

 

Good luck

[Winnie]

The other factor to consider is that the private may be done in less hours, but few meet flight test standards in the prescibed number of hours (I think this is what Winnie is alluding to) especially when the training is being done periodically on weekends. 60-70 hours is more realistic given your situation, although everyone is different.

 

Exactly what I meant.

 

Sometimes it is hard to get all the training rewuired in a CPL in the minimum hours, as people are different, and some require more hours than others to reach the minimum standard to hover for instance.

 

At the last school I worked at, the policy is 20 hours minimum before first solo, and most of the time you end up with starting the crosscountries etc, before first solo, to get to that magic 20, and in other cases you end up going beyond the 20 anyways, because the student does not meet the standard.

 

There are lots of schools around tho, and I can actually refer you to one in particular if you just want that PPL, that can give you all the training you need, as much as you need as fast as you need, but you have to travel.

 

Cheers

Harald

[lictor]

Yep. The past three tax returns have seen me get pretty much ALL my income tax back. Mind you, as a ski patroller and a (currently unemployed) lowtimer, I don't have very much income to pay tax on, so it's not like my returns are massive. I have enough tuition carryover for another good return or two yet.

cool! where do you patrol?

[Daz]

I've worked at Panorama Mountain Village since 1990... . Started out in snowmaking, did a few years of snowcat operating, then joined ski patrol in 1997. Became a full-time avalanche technician a few years later.

 

My career transition to flying has been happening kinda slowly, which so far is mostly my own fault - I think having a fun winter job to fall back into resulted in me not pursuing heli work as aggressively as I could have.

 

But, change is happening - My missus got accepted into UBC's accelerated nursing program, so we're moving to Vancouver at the end of summer - so no more avalanche tech "fall-back" job. This is exactly the kick in the butt I need to get moving with my helicopter career, plus I'm pretty keen on the idea of spending a couple years in Van!

 

Oops... thread hijack.

 

Back on track (sorta...)

 

I agree with what the posters above are saying - don't look at the 45 hour PPL standard vs the 100 hour CPL as a 'savings' - go into training with the mindset that you will fly as many hours as you need to be comfortable. The PPL guy in my class did this, and I think he took quite a few more hours. It was his decision - luckily he had the financial wherewithal (he bought his own Long Ranger!) to accomplish that. Again, everyone learns at different rates. I know that I could fly a heli at 45 hours - I'd already been soloing for several - but I wasn't as confident as I was at 100 (and I was no hotshot then, believe me!). I learned easily as much again in my next 122 hours.

 

Another way to think about it; If you pass your PPL at 45 hours, you're likely going to be spending money anyways flying around just to build time and experience; why not keep on going for a CPL and benefit from an experienced instructor during that timebuilding? Then claim that tuition come tax time!

 

More on tax deductions - don't forget that interest paid on student loans is tax deductible!

 

Whatever you do, keep us posted.

 

- Darren

[green arc]

Have you looked south of the border? I would be shocked if you couldn't find a CFI in North Dakota. As a side note I under stand that the university of North Dakota runs possibly the largest flight school in the world, some of which is helicopter. I think they offer private training. If you go south the transition to get a Canadian licence after passing the FAA minimums is a piece of cake.

Also you might try Rick Eardmann of Millennia Helicopters in Winnipeg. Millennia is not running full time right now because Rick is training military pilots. If he will do it he is arguably one of the best helicopter instructors in Canada.

[xrkyle]

To be clear, the tuition can't be used as a tax deduction but as a tax credit. Big difference.