krish wrote:BTW, I'm aiming for PPL with an LSA certified for night VFR. Is Evektor certified for night VFR?
Not all are night equipped. Mine is. But even if the particular aircraft has the proper lights installed, it is not necessarily night certified, unless a particular Evektor service bulletin has been complied with. Take a look at the transparent stick-on placard on the right-hand side of the canopy. If it says "day/night VFR" you're good to go. If it says only "day VFR", the required service bulletin has not been complied with.
To keep the overall costs down I planning to train with a LSA (relatively newer and costs lower) and then spend few hours down the road to transition to a 4 seater, if I see the need for it or to go IFR.
That's basically a sound plan, But, remember that most LSAs aren't equipped with the avionics required for PPL or instrument training. The PPL PTS requires demonstrating of tracking VOR radials both toward and away from the station, for example. Most LSAs have GPS as primary navigation equipment, but no VOR receiver. (I added that capability to my SportStar, installing an SL-30, CDI, and Comant VHF dipole under a manufacturer's Letter of Authorization, specifically so I could do PPL and instrument training in it). So, check with the FBO to see if the LSAs they operate are properly equipped with VOR/Loc/GS before you commit to a particular acft.
Any thoughts on why some new/mid-level instructors charge higher rates and some very experienced master instructors charge very reasonable or lower rates compared to others?
Entry level CFIs are generally employees of the FBO, or even independent contractors, who do not set the rates. The flight school does, and only a small portion of what's charged typically goes to the instructor. Us old greybeards typically own flight school, and set our rates accordingly. We don't charge ourselves overhead!
Is bay area fall/winter not a good time to start training?
When I lived in the Bay Area, I flew (and taught) year-round. (Not so here in PA, where I only get 40 flying weeks a year!)