Private Pilot lessons at USAFA?

[Kirkmanj]

My C4c wants to get a ppl for personal use and may be restricted from UPT later due to slight color vision deficiency. Will taking soaring and other flight classes first save him time and his own money? What is the smartest way to do it at USAFA?

I read prior posts by Stealth, indicating that it may be better to wait and use USAFA courses to save money on ground training and flight hours. What makes sense for cadet who may not get UPT? Forgive me if I get any lingo wrong! Thanks

 

[nolifepilot]

Taking soaring over the summer between 4° and 3° year makes you eligible to become an instructor pilot for the gliders, in which case it is relatively simple to progress to getting your private glider license. However, it is pretty competitive. Cadets take powered flight during the summer from 2° to 1° year, and they can get up to around 7 hours in a powered aircraft. That might be awhile to wait though. If he wants some practice, he can contact the Cadet Aviation Club, which flies T6 Sims everyday, and use them to train on. Additionally, lesson are available for a pretty big discount to cadets from the aero club down at the airfield. Lots of opportunities! Have him talk to upperclassmen in his squad who will be able to give him a better insight into each of these programs. Best of luck!

 

[HNeedle]

Soaring and Powered Flight certainly won't hurt when it comes to getting his PPL. Any airmanship experience is better than none, however the PPL will be much more thorough than both of those. I started my PPL during 2nd semester 2* year and finished Firstie year. The smartest way to do it will be at the Aero Club on base; he can call down there and talk to them to get an idea about what it's like. They may still have a website; at least a few years ago they did. Having taken Powered Flight or soaring will not save him a substantial amount of money when getting his PPL. Yes it will help build airmanship, but the courses just aren't long enough or in depth enough to really give you a leg up on your PPL. If you have any specific questions, let me know!

 

[Kirkmanj]

Thank you for your reply! I imagine cadets have more time after the first and second year to devote to a PPL, plus I think it best not to spread out the learning time too long. Do most cadets go into Initial Flight Training, and if so would that be the time to learn, even if a pilot slot/UPT is not offered?

 

[BlahuKahuna]

IFT (or IFS, depending on whatever the acronym is that day) happens after graduation, so only the grads who need it before UPT will take it. Powered Flight is offered to cadets, and you can take it during either semester of C2C year or the summer before firstie year. You don't need to commit to a pilot slot to take Powered Flight.