From: pepper99@NOSPAM.primus.ca 
  
 Okay, for anyone who frequents this NG often, forgive the similar 
 post...I did ask a similar question back in 1999.. :-) 
  
 Anyhow, that aside... 
  
 I'm a long-time aviation buff, who has recently re-kindled my love for 
 flying...   Hoping to follow in my fathers footsteps (who had his 
 private liscence up untill about 15-20 years ago), I'm eventually 
 aiming to get my recreational licence. 
  
 My financial picture has signifigantly improved since my initial 
 thoughts on this, as of my last post on the subject, when I was last 
 seriously considering pursuing this.   Basically, now, it's a reality 
 of coming up with the cost of persuing this. 
  
 I'm very well versed in a great deal related to planes, flight, and 
 all that goes with it, and probably have about 2 to 3 hours of 
 left-seat flight-time..  However, that aside, I'm completely ignorant 
 when it comes to other areas. 
  
 So, my questions abound... 
  
 First, cost...   In in the Oshawa area, and Canadian Flight Academy 
 runs right out of the Oshawa airport.   Convenient, modern facility, 
 and very professional people and course, from what I've seen. 
  
 I was last up on this past Holiday Monday with one of the instructors 
 there, and something clicked...and has finally made me want to pursue 
 this once and for all. 
  
 So, I'll fling out the questions, and anyone here in the know can 
 offer advice.   I'm all ears.  :-) 
  
 1/  First, pie dream - is there anyone here that flies out of Oshawa 
 that would be willing to get me some more airtime, based on the 
 agreement that I'd obviously be willing to share expenses?  :-) 
  
 Ok..serious now... 
  
 Ground School:  CFA here in Oshawa right now has it at $125, which 
 seems like a steal..   I'm tempted to signup, but presumably I'm not 
 going to pursue the remainder of the training untill the spring, when 
 the days begin to get long enough again to fly in the evenings after 
 work.   If I go ahead and take ground school now, while the price is 
 low, am I reasonably going to be able to remember all of what I learn 
 when it comes time to utilize it?    Or should I just save myself the 
 frustration, and take ground school in the Spring, before I plan on 
 starting to fly? 
  
 Cost:   Several instructors at CFA have offered different aspects on 
 this..   Their website shows $3600~ for the rec permit...but the 
 instructors have said that the cost can quickly baloon based on flight 
 cancelation due to weather, etc...     Are they exagerating, or should 
 I expect it to head skywards and spiral way out of control...and 
 perhaps out of my afordability range? 
  
 Attendance:   I work nightly till 5:30 PM...   Presumably, with many 
 others like me flying after work, that's going to be a busy time to 
 book..  Should I expect problems with this?      Weekends are likely 
 to be another prime time for me to get flight time - and again, is 
 this usually an impossible time to book?   Is flight time flexible? 
  
 Catch Up:   If I miss flights due to weather, etc, am I going to be 
 penalized at all...other then the fact that I'm obviously going to 
 take longer to complete the course? 
  
 Time:  What's the average length of an instruction flight?   That will 
 give me a little bit of an idea on how long I'm looking at to complete 
 the course.. 
  
 Based on the guess of 2-5 available flight hours per week (probably 1 
 or 2 weeknights per week, weather allowing, and several hours on each 
 weekend), how long would I be looking at before Solo'ing? 
  
 Medical:   As a class AZ Licenced driver, I am subject to a medical to 
 maintain my licence every few years...  I've recently just completed 
 my medical - would this be acceptable?   I'm not sure what "Category" 
 the medical is, as the CFA website lists a class 3 or 4..  Can anyone 
 clarify?   Since my company covers the cost of this, it would save me 
 the $100 or so my doctors office charges.. 
  
 Speed:   If I'm available to fly 4 of 5 hours on one day (day off 
 work, long weekend, whatever) will I be able to accelerate my training 
 by spending a great deal of time on a particular day, or is there 
 regulations / expectations / maximums that prevent this?   Would I 
 likely find an instructor willing to do this? 
  
 Minimum flight time:   Not that this is likely to be an issue, as I'm 
 financially able to afford at least decent flight time each month, but 
 is there a minimum that I require to maintain my licence?   If for 
 some reason, my job should change, or otherwise, and I'm unable to fly 
 routinely for a period of time, would this become an issue? 
  
 My job bid changes once per year, and based on seniority, available 
 positions, and otherwise, my entire life schedule can change...so this 
 is a bit of a concern. 
  
 And after it's all over....   Presuming I want to rent from the flight 
 school's bank of planes, am I going to face any extra cost or 
 restructions as a "green" pilot, over and above what's listed for 
 rental costs?   I'd hate to go through the expense to get my liscence, 
 and then find out that I can't actually rent anything due to cost 
 restrictions, or insurance regs.. 
  
 And last but not least, any pointers, hints, or contructive criticism, 
 send it on. 
  
 Reply here, or email. 
  
 Thanks everyone. 
  
 Regards; 
 Mark 
  
 --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05 
  * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)