LSA training in the Pittsburgh, PA region?

[mikeinpa]

Greetings,

I'm interested in obtaining a Sports Pilot License but am having a difficult time finding a program/LSA CFI in and around Pittsburgh, PA. Does anybody have any leads?

Thanks!

[SSDriver]

Mike,
I'm in NJ myself but a friend of mine lives over that way in Butler. Maybe call Butler Air, (541) 923-1355 I cant say for sure they handle Light sport but if you get hold of the right person, many times they'll be kind enough to send you in the right direction if they can't help you.

Good Luck!

[CBKERR]

Mike, here's a website to checkout, they say they train light sport

http://www.pittsburghflyinglessons.com/ ... chools.php

Brian

[drseti]

That website says:

Pittsburgh Flight Schools will match you with a flight school in your area that will assist you in qualifying for and obtaining your Pennsylvania pilot's license.

Gee, I've been flying in PA for 22 years now, and I never obtained my PA pilot's license. I sure hope I'm not breaking any state rules!

[mikeinpa]

Thank you all for the replies.

SSDriver - I'll give Butler Air a call. Like you said, perhaps they will have a contact if they don't offer the training themselves.

CBKERR - I found that very website the other day and sent in a request for more information. It turns out, however, that it is actually some large clearinghouse that assists people finding a flight school....for a price, of course. No thanks

DRseti - I've seen your name in many threads. As I recall you offer LSA training in central PA. Wish you were located in western PA!

It's frustrating because I live very close to the Pittsburgh Flight Training Center at the Allegheny County Airport. Unfortunately their program is solely for private pilot training, which I would consider if it weren't for the increased cost; they quoted me at $8-12k, on average, with most students completing in 55-60 hours.

[drseti]

DRseti - I've seen your name in many threads. As I recall you offer LSA training in central PA. Wish you were located in western PA!

Yes, I run a small flight school in Lock Haven, and specialize in LSA and Sport Pilot. Training availability is indeed a major issue impeding the growth of the whole Sport Pilot movement. As it happens, I have one primary student right now who commutes to Lock Haven from Pittsburgh, two weekends a month, to take lessons in my SportStar. It's a major inconvenience for him, but he exhausted all other options before committing to my program. We have (limited) inexpensive lodging on the airport, of which he avails himself on his flying weekends.

One solution for you is to take a three-week vacation, and come out to scenic Lock Haven for intensive training. I just had a student from Boston do that, and go from zero to solo. I sent him home to resume his life, study for and pass his written exam, and then take another vacation downstream, come back here, and finish up his license. It can be done!

If you can make it out to Lock Haven for just a day, you could start with an intro lesson, as an inexpensive way to find out if LSA and my flight school are right for you.

they quoted me at $8-12k, on average, with most students completing in 55-60 hours.

Yes, those numbers sound about right. I tell my students to budget $5k for a Sport Pilot license, and another $5k for the Private pilot add-on.

[mikeinpa]

Drseti - Thanks for the info. I will keep your program in mind.

I just realized another hang-up in my plan to obtain a sports pilot license. I'm embarrassed I didn't think of this before, but if there are no LSA training programs in my area, then it is doubtful that there are any LSA rental opportunities either. At this time I am not in a position to purchase an aircraft and would therefore need to rely on a dependable rental opportunity. Maybe it is best to wait it out for another year or two. By then, perhaps, an LSA program might exist in Pittsburgh.

[drseti]

It's a chicken-or-egg situation, Mike. Only if there are LSAs in the area, will folks get their Sport Pilot license. And only if there are Sport Pilots in the area to rent them, will FBOs invest in LSAs. So, who blinks first? You could be waiting a long time...

OTOH, if you get your SP rating (somehow, somewhere), planes have a habit of showing up. Maybe not from an FBO as a rental. Maybe a partnership or club will materialize. But don't expect those doors to open if you don't have the rating.

As I said, chicken or egg.

[richgj3]

Mike

Remember, as a SP you can also fly airplanes like a J3 Cub and an Aeronca 7AC. Sometimes these are found for rent or inexpensive partnerships. Probably not at a big airport like Allegheny County, but at smaller fields.

Don't know how many of those are around there. My son works in Pittsburgh and when he moved there 3 years ago I thought it would be a fun trip from LI, NY to there in my Legend Cub, but then I couldn't find a Cub friendly field within an hour or so drive. So we have always driven or taken US Airways. Once or twice I got a ride in a Navajo or Saratoga and went into Allegheny County. Very convenient to the city. I could go in there with the Cub, but it just seems wrong, somehow

Rich

CFI-A, CFI-I. Flying as Sport Pilot since 2005.

[drseti]

I couldn't find a Cub friendly field within an hour or so drive.

Try Lakehill airport (P09), Mars, PA, Rich. It's 26 nm from the AGC VOR, and though unattended and with no services, can be considered extremely Cub-friendly. I haven't been in there in two decades, but from what I see on Google Earth, it hasn't changed a bit!

[drseti]

if there are no LSA training programs in my area, then it is doubtful that there are any LSA rental opportunities either.

That could be the case, Mike. Keep in mind that if you get the SP rating, and can't find a plane to fly, then you can always do a PP add-on. If you plan it right, all the SP training will count, and the SP stepping-stone will not add appreciably to the cost of getting your Private.

[jnmeade]

Mike,
You can use any CFI, they needn't be an SP CFI. You can use any airplane that is LSA compliant. That includes the J3 and 7AC mentioned, some Ercoupes, some Taylorcraft, etc. They may be affordable to you. It is conceivable that some pilots will train you in these tail wheel aircraft to SP standards and you can take your checkride in them. Granted, it can be very frustrating to rent a tailwheel, as well, I'm only putting out some further possible avenues.
You can use any airplane for your SP training, even those that are not LSA compliant, but you can not solo in them unless you have a Class III medical. So, all your dual hours can be in anything - even a Lear jet - since your CFI is the Pilot In Command (PIC).
Therefore, you can do considerable training locally in a C150, C172, PA-28, etc.
There may be issues transitioning between these planes and LSA compliant airplanes which you'll have to use for your solo and check ride, but it is not insurmountable.
If you are going to take a vacation to train, you can go anywhere, including areas where the weather is favorable most of the time.
Keep asking and exploring.

[richgj3]

Drseti

Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it. Any trip out there in the cub means a stop at LHV. I have been to SJ a few times and that's the end of my safe no wind range in the Legend. I think I may have met you a few years ago when you were first starting your school.

Rich G.

[drseti]

I think I may have met you a few years ago when you were first starting your school.

Could be, Rich. If you're out this way again, by all means stop by and let's get re-acquainted. I'll swap you a SportStar ride for one in the Legend.

[Jack Tyler]

Mike, the posts above this one have done a good job of outlining some of your options. My comment is that, when weighing them, you need to stick to first principles. I'd suggest a 'first principle' is that you want to earn a pilot's license because you want to fly. The license isn't just an end in itself so much as a means to an end. Consequently, if there is not a small inventory of LSA a/c in an area comfortable for you to commute to, you are not going to continue to fly. (And if there's only 1 LSA available and it's used for training and rental, its availability is going to be limited and that too can be very frustrating). As Paul noted, this is a major problem in the LSA/SP industry bootstrapping itself into viability.

I recommendation is to consider the PPL vs. the SPL. It will open up renting not just in your own area but when on vacation, as well. Of course, another 'first principle' is that the training must be affordable (as must the flying after you are licensed). In your shoes, I'd consider a hybrid training approach provided you can find an instructor in your area that's comfortable with it. Find a solid SP training program using an LSA (such as Paul's) and which provides you transferable training that qualifies for the PPL, block out several weeks and get as far along in the training as possible at a relatively affordable rate. (There are many hundreds of students in my area - NE Florida - that change continents to get affordable flight training, so it's certainly feasible). Pick up your Class 3 medical, finish up in a less expensive plane for the PPL, and Bob's your uncle.

Good luck to you. It really is worth it, so keep digging for info and saving your money!