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Journey to Private Pilot

By: Felicia Sturgeon

By KAVU

April 16^th, 2024

I've always thought one day I would learn to fly airplanes, but I could never really wrap my head around what that would look like, or when I would have the time or money.

Back in October, I was presented with an opportunity from a skydiving friend to buy a share in his airplane, along with 2 others I worked with, to learn how to fly.

So, I decided to go for it... and bought in on a Lark Aero Commander 100-180.

Journey to Private Pilot

Similar to a Cessna 172, it's the perfect airplane to learn to fly in. Even better, we could bring it out to the skydiving dropzone where we worked to start learning....

Only thing was, the plane was located in Vermont.

So at the end of October, the Lark made its way across the country from Vermont, to our dropzone near Salt Lake City, UT.

Around that same time, my childhood best friend, Jess, was finishing up her CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) rating. Suddenly, I found myself owning an airplane and my best friend could teach me how to fly it! I never imagined this would be how my journey through aviation would start, but honestly, it felt like it was meant to be.

Journey to Private Pilot

I did my first flight on November 1st, 2023. I really had no idea what to expect for all of this, but flying a plane was way out of my comfort zone and very challenging. I've been jumping "out" of planes for over a decade, but actually flying one felt so foreign.

I also really underestimated the amount of work and knowledge you need to learn for your private pilot license. But I was determined, and fortunately, had the time to commit to it.

And before I knew it, I was doing my first solo on November 25th.

Journey to Private Pilot

At the beginning of December, Jess and I were going to a wingsuit event in Perris, California. So, we decided to do a huge cross country in the Lark (from Salt Lake City) to get there, while accomplishing my required cross country training. I had about 12 hours at the time, so this was a wild experience. But, I learned so much and gained a ton of valuable knowledge. Our little Lark, in less than two months, had traveled from coast to coast of the U.S!

Journey to Private Pilot

We had an awesome time at the wingsuit event and our good friend, Compton needed a ride back to Salt Lake City, so we gained a passenger on the way home. All wearing ponchos Compton got us, we made our way back to Utah in disbelief this was really happening.

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Flying in the winter had its own challenges. It's much more difficult to start the plane when it's cold, and the snow can shut down runways and make it difficult to fly. But the dense air during winter weather is often the best to fly in. The plane performs better and the winds are often very calm and great for learning in. Lucky for us, we were able to keep our plane in a hangar through the winter and could warm it up to help get the prop spinning.

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

I continued to chip away at the requirements over the next few months and prepare myself for the "Check Ride", or final practical flying test.

Honestly, at first flying was super overwhelming, but eventually I got a bit more comfortable with it and learned to relax.

Suddenly, it had become super fun!

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Finally, it was time to schedule my Check Ride for the end of February. I was trying to get it done before I was set to leave town for two months on other adventures. 3 days before the test, the DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner) cancelled... I was devastated, because I could not imagine waiting any longer to get it done. Jess messaged every DPE in the area, and then some, to see if anyone could do it that week (before I left). Apparently,it's very difficult to get a check ride scheduled these days. The DPE's are often booked out for months.

Only one guy, in St. George, Utah said "YES".

So, Jess and I set out on another cross country down to southern Utah to see if I could get it done.

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

I was super nervous and spent the whole day before my Check Ride panicking, and studying.... even though I probably didn't need to. In the hotel, I just remember Jess saying "I'm so glad I don't have a Check Ride tomorrow."

Haha yeah, Thanks a lot Jess.....

Journey to Private Pilot

The next day, February 24th, the weather was perfect and the stars aligned. I went out for my test and I passed! I can't really explain how awesome the feeling was when I was finished. I never fully realized how much work earning a private pilot license would be, but it was definitely one of the more rewarding experiences in my life!

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

Journey to Private Pilot

I also have a whole new respect for everyone that's gone through it and achieved multiple ratings. I'm so impressed by Jess and the work she has put in to get to where she is at. Getting there is no joke and I'm so proud of her. I was honored to be her first student. She was the perfect instructor for me. She guided me, and gave me so much valuable knowledge that'll I'll carry with me forever. It's still hard to believe how this all came together. So stoked!

Since KAVU came from an aviation acronym, it feels even more right to be a part of the KAVU team :)

Life is Klear Above, Visibility Unlimited..... indeed!

Journey to Private Pilot

For anyone interested in getting their PPL, here are some big takeaways from the way I did it:

-Owning your own airplane when you learn to fly is awesome because you save a lot on rental fees and you can set your own schedule with a CFI. However, when the airplane breaks, you have to figure out how to fix it and pay for it. On the other hand, this does force you to learn a lot more about how the airplane actually works.

-Owning an airplane with multiple people is very beneficial. It lowers the cost of everything. And if one of them has more experience than you, they can help guide you through the whole process and share their knowledge with you.

-It's a lot better when you can fully dedicate yourself to flying instead of doing it a little bit at a time. If you have the time and money to send it all at once, go for it. I think if you ask anyone that's done it over a longer period of time they would probably say the same.

-Flying in the winter can be really challenging unless you have access to a hangar. It's hard to deal with winter conditions when you're learning. If you do have access to a hangar, winter is probably the best time to learn to fly because the plane performs better and the winds are usually way calmer and consistent.

-All together it took me 4 months to complete and cost me about 13k to get my PPL. That includes all the training and everything I bought for flying (headset, iPad, ADS-B receiver, books, hourly rates/gas/instructor fees, exam fees), plus I went on a huge cross country from Utah to California which added quite a bit to my overall cost (awesome and valuable experience but not necessary).

-Although it requires a lot of work, getting your PPL is an amazing and very rewarding experience. If you've ever thought of doing it, I highly recommend. It was well worth my time and money and I'm excited for the future with aviation!

Lots of KAVU days ahead!

Journey to Private Pilot

Footnotes

"Fish" is the newest member of Team KAVU and is an ace at everything she does. Most of all, her contagious energy and positive vibes brings nothing but light to anyone lucky enough to know her.

FootNotes

"Fish" is the newest member of Team KAVU and is an ace at everything she does. Most of all, her contagious energy and positive vibes brings nothing but light to anyone lucky enough to know her.

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