Airline Transport Pilot 2024 | for less than $35k | How I did it | save time and money |Start at PPL

Hey aviation friends! After my Instagram reel went viral, many of you asked for more details on how I was able to complete my flight training and earn my commercial pilot and flight instructor certificates for such a low cost.
In this video, I'll walk through my entire training process step-by-step, including how I was able to build time and experience inexpensively by taking advantage of the light sport aircraft category. I'll share tips on finding affordable planes to rent, instructors who charge reasonable rates, and ways to save money on exam fees, materials, and other expenses that add up during training.
After many requests I put together a guide of all things light sport and light sport CFI. You can get that here:
stan.store/pilotkaity
Whether you're just starting out on your aviation journey or are a pilot looking to upgrade your certificates, I hope this video gives you ideas for how to achieve your goals without breaking the bank. I never thought I'd be where I am today when I first decided to learn to fly - let me show you how you can make it happen too with strategic planning and determination.
Strap in and get ready for the complete guide to earning your wings on the cheap! Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions after watching.
Fly safe
-K

[@TGAV8]

I caught your interview with Kent and learnt about the sports pilot CFI and now here. Very informative. More need to know about this.

[@pilotkaity]

Thanks for watching! Glad it helped

[@coltonbaker9563]

I stubbled on your channel from trents video, and i watched all of your videos up till this one and saw u landed in salmon which is sorta close to my area, lewiston is where im at, before all trents and your videos, i had seen another video talking about what you need for ground school so u can "save money" so when u go to start praticing actually flying ie ground school reading the books helps not wasting time, i have in the last 3 days have read almost the first 100 pages of the pilot handbook of areonautical knowledge (im a slow reader so outside of work its all im doing) and seeing these videos makes me happy to see i wont be going completely bankrupt to presue my passion, tomorrow i get paid and plan on getting your book as well to add to my collection. Hope your taking to the skys and i appreciate you helping the people like me realize it can be done easier!

[@pilotkaity]

That’s awesome!! You are setting yourself up for success!

[@davidguerrero2657]

I stumbled upon your channel weeks ago before taking my discovery flight the traditional route,if you will, but after watching this and your interview with Trent. I am ready to tackle this dream of flying. Thanks Kaity for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!

[@pilotkaity]

Thanks for watching and I’m glad it helped!!

[@NewFrontierAerospace]

Thank you for this! I get a real positive vibe here - confirmed by what you have told us in other videos (e.g., Army Artillery officer, Christian) - thank you for your service to our country and for giving so much back to the aviation community.

[@pilotkaity]

Thank you for this encouragement!

[@lubricator]

Congratulations Kaity! You are doing good work for the aspiring pilots who are trying to figure it all out. I am you newest subscriber and look forward to more of your videos. Wow, how times have changed! In 1967, when I was 19 years old, I soloed out of Tillamook Airport in Oregon with a grand total of 4 hours and 12 minutes instruction. I did my private check ride with 40 hours total time. My instructor was close to 80 and had been a World War I (yes, one) instructor pilot for the Army. He was a great stick and rudder guy. I did my flight training in an old straight tail, manual flap Cessna 150. Tillamook airport was built on dairy land in 1942 for the US Navy' and has two runways, with the longest being 5000 feet by 75 feet. The airport was, and currently is, uncontrolled. The combination of all those factors made it easy for me to solo in such a short time.

[@pilotkaity]

Thanks for sharing your experience! Sounds like a lot of fun

[@zachschaneberger]

Great option for sure! I'm going to hit 150hrs this year so I'll look into this for sure! Keep the longer videos coming!

[@pilotkaity]

Glad I could put you onto this! I made a guide that explains all things light sport CFI stan.store/pilotkaity You can copy and paste this into your browser and access it there or the link is also at the top of my instagram page. Hope this helps!

[@zachschaneberger]

@@pilotkaity Awesome, thanks!

[@natali_espino]

Thank you for this Gem! 🎉

[@pilotkaity]

Hope it’s helpful!

[@IIIwke]

I love the washer/ dryer in the background. Reminds me of work. Haha. Such a great video with solid information. Seriously an under-viewed channel.

[@pilotkaity]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brandongeez6585]

Great info, I am currently looking into starting my PPL and changing my career at 38. I was contemplating some of the "full paid" programs but this definitely has me rethinking my path.

[@pilotkaity]

Get as much info as you can and make the best choice for you! Try to talk to people who have been through the program

[@Fly_High_with_Mortgage_Mike]

Kaity! Super impressed by you! Caught you on a "fly with trent" video last week. I'm a 48 year old "newbie" looking at making a "trent-like" 2.0 career shift, after "all the years in mortgages". If there is anything I'm missing that you can share for a guy starting from scratch just south of Denver, I'd so appreciate it! -Keep it up!

[@pilotkaity]

I have a ton of tips on my Instagram page and Tik tok!

[@Twizlair]

Stay safe great info

[@pilotkaity]

Thank you!

[@bill_cleared_for_approach]

Somewhat buried here is that you need to live and train in an area where LSA is feasible and marketable. NY metro area would be tough. Glad it worked out for you.

[@pilotkaity]

There’s a light sport school in DC so I think anywhere with a large population would work

[@jessicahuynh2116]

Thanks for this video. I was hesitant on part 61 but I found a flight school that I love in Ca. I’m contemplating purchasing an aircraft because my dad and grandpa are AP with over 30 years of experience each but I’m scared of cost of storage and insurance.

[@pilotkaity]

Any way you do flight training will have its pros and cons. If you find the right airplane it can be a good route from what I’ve heard

[@favbal2450]

Awesome and Congratulations! I thought you couldn’t get paid with a ppl. I stand corrected and it was awesome to hear this! Can you tell me where you posted the pdf? Thank you

[@pilotkaity]

This is the only way to do it as far as I know! I was surprised as well that the FAA allows this. I have the guide in the link at the top of my Instagram bio stan.store/pilotkaity You can also copy and paste this link into a browser and that will bring it up as well. Hope this helps!

[@jonsampson2128]

This is amazing, thank you. I’m a private pilot as of a few weeks ago and I also love to teach. I have 111 hours and it is encouraging to know sport pilot instructor may be an option for me. There are not a lot of flight schools in my part of Colorado and I can’t find a lot about light sport airplanes for sale. Can you share which light sport airplanes you have experience with? Thanks!

[@pilotkaity]

I’m so glad this is helpful! I flew Tecnam Eaglets and Bravos. What airport are you near in Colorado?

[@jonsampson2128]

@@pilotkaity nice, thank you. I fly out of KCOS and KFLY

[@ronsflightsimlab9512]

I had this same idea... But the sport plane rental scene in San Diego dried up. Working on my CFI now... Years later.

[@pilotkaity]

How is your CFI going? I think finding a private owner and building a client base out of their plane would be the route I’d go if there wasn’t a light sport school in my area

[@ronsflightsimlab9512]

@@pilotkaity The tough part in San Diego is finding an examiner. I've got about 500 hours now, and I'm not trying to get to the airlines... Just want to teach! But if you can find a sport plane owner, yeah... This is a really viable option!

[@JohnLee-ip4ul]

Hi, Kaity. Took your advice, read your book, and contacted John Wayne airport in Santa Ana, CA to inquire about lessons. They said I was too heavy at 235(did not have CFI light enough to compensate), and would be too cramped in the cockpit with my build(literally said my shoulders are too wide), and recommended I go PPL route instead. They also quoted 55 hrs(hence the $17000 estimate) minimum due to the airspace around LA being so busy. Should I go to FL for this? What are your thoughts?

[@ricoserrano8942]

Im right there with you bro. I’m in south Florida I got into a sling 2 just fine here I’m 230 and dropping if you want it you have to get it that school was not off with the estimate but in my experience you have to fly 5 days a week if you want to beat that estimate

[@pilotkaity]

Size is a limiting factor for sure. My husband is 6’5” 240 and we have to have him physically try the airplanes on in GA to see if it works. When I was instructing LSA I did work with some guys your size but I was pretty much the only one who was able to fly with them and half fuel. I think flight training in that airspace in general will probably take longer for the reasons they stated. Overall my opinion is: not impossible but definitely some challenges that would need to be addressed.

[@amayligonzalez1]

thank you for this video! i have a few questions, so when you were getting your requirements done for instrument and commercial etc as a light sport instructor, were most of your requirements for those licenses already done during your time as an instructor? or were they done when you went and trained with your coworkers? i’m more confused on the training with coworkers part! was it just you guys doing a flight to have fun and it knocked out a requirement or were you basically like a “student” renting the plane and paying them to train you? and is that cheaper than being just an actual student and not a worker? sorry if this is confusing! I might really go this route because flight schools in Charlotte are so expensive and I’ve almost got my private!!

[@pilotkaity]

I got flights requirements met both ways. Mainly from instructing but I would get night time or some instrument flying with coworkers who I split the time with

[@joshburfoot7986]

Great abundance of knowledge! I never knew CFI sport was an option!

[@pilotkaity]

Yeah good option! Hope this helps!

[@n085fs]

Pack it up, pack it in. Let me begin... As a kid that partially grew up in Buffalo NY at a certain time, I appreciated the subtle JUMP AROUND tangent.

[@pilotkaity]

Hahaha glad you enjoyed that

[@AviationZero]

I saw a couple of your videos and one w/ Trent. Thank you for sharing. I just wished there was a flight school w/ light sport planes here in the greater Phoenix east valley. There is one instructor who owns a C150 and rents for $125/hr for the plane and $50 for the instructor.

[@pilotkaity]

That seems like really good rental rates

[@AviationZero]

@@pilotkaity Any recommendation what to use for ground school prior to training?

[@pilotkaity]

@@AviationZero I don’t have one specifically that I endorse there are tons of good options

[@ShahmoonAliShah]

Well done

[@pilotkaity]

Thank you!

[@charleslewis564]

Greetings, I enjoyed your video, great information. I am looking for more information about getting my LSA license. I reside in NC. What are your suggestion to get it done , cheap as possible

[@pilotkaity]

Hello! I’ve made a pdf guide walking through all things LSA. It’s linked in the description of this video. While I’m not familiar with NC specifically, in general the more you study and chair fly the faster and cheaper your training will be.

[@user-hu3gf5sz1j]

How would students convert a LSA PPL over to full PPL to get their instrument or commercial. And how would you convert CFI-S over to a full CFI?

[@pilotkaity]

They don’t convert. They have a sport license. Or a ppl. So come pretty different Checkrides. Obviously all the hours count so I have had students who started as sport and went back and took the ppl checkride. CFI is the same way. It’s an additional checkride for a new rating

[@ikkinwithattitude]

One interesting quirk about starting with Sport and then going for Private and Instrument is that the FAA will allow you to train for Instrument while training for Private. So, while there's maybe nine hours of extra requirements for Private past the requirements for Sport, most of them are things you'd have to do anyway for Instrument, and the Private checkride can be done at any point after the Private requirements are met.

[@zetareticulan321]

Hi, Kaity, love your videos. I just want to make sure I am understanding this correctly. So what you're suggesting is; get a Light Sport license and use that to time build for your PPL, then get a Light Sport CFI, and use that to build time for your CPL?

[@pilotkaity]

No just get your ppl and then light sport CFI and then start working and get the rest of your rating during that time

[@zetareticulan321]

@@pilotkaity Got it. Thanks!

[@nathanielnew3955]

Is the Lightsport a kind of plane that you're talking about? It sounded like you said we should buy our own plane(like the lightsport) and use that to get all the hours we need. If that is so, how would that be cheaper than 35k? I just applied to Southwest Airlines for their Destination 225 pathway program(which I've heard is the best pathway program in the US to get to a commercial airline) so I'm wondering what the cheapest and fastest way is to become a commercial airline pilot. However, the D225 Pathway Program costs about $100,000 so I will definitely need a big loan for that. But I prefer to become an airline pilot as fast as possible without being in huge debt for a little bit.

[@pilotkaity]

Buying an airplane is only a suggestion for certain ppl I wouldn’t recommend this to you. I’m not saying to buy your own light sport in this video (some ppl that might make sense but not all) I’m saying to go be a light sport instructor in someone else’s plane. Pathway is definitely not going to be the cheapest route. If you cheapest that’s going to be at a flight club probably or independent instructor

[@jakeserdar640]

Can you get paid to be a sport cfi if you don't have your commercial? I tried to find it in the FAR's but I couldn't find it.

[@pilotkaity]

Yes you can

[@amendez93]

Hey there, i came from Flywithtrent's channel with the interview he did with you. I feel like stumbling across your story is an eye opening moment for me and an opportunity to take the step into getting into aviation. I feel as though I needed this to help me see there is a path for me that aligns with my circumstances and desires to enter this world of flying. I know I already asked u a few questions in the comment section in Trent's interview video, so I hope 1 more is okay haha, But could you tell me which flight school you personally did CFI flight training to build hours at and was is the same school you began your training? Thank you Kaity :)

[@pilotkaity]

I don’t like to give out the name of exact school I worked at because I’m hesitant to endorse one school over another but there are a few in the Orlando are that will come up if you Google light sport flight training! Hope this helps!

[@amendez93]

@@pilotkaity can u at least tell us what part of florida?

[@stephenhayes5322]

I've heard that the CFI checkride is the most challenging checkride for most people. How do you think a CFI-S compares? People typically take their CFI checkride at over 250TT. I ask because that extra 100 hours is a lot of experience and knowledge gained before becoming an instructor. Does that pose a challenge when becoming a CFI-S?

[@pilotkaity]

CFI-S and CFI-A were not hard Checkrides for me at all. The CFI-S was less in depth knowledge wise and you didn’t have to teach the commercial maneuvers so it’s easier overalll

[@rickpellicciotti]

Its a great way to go. Buy a used airplane do your training in it and then sell it. Most times, you will sell it for what you paid for it. Also, time built in a Piper Cub or a new $600K 172 counts that same for total time.

[@pilotkaity]

Yep!! Airplanes actually hold value really well or go up over time which a lot of people don’t know

[@aliciabodington3272]

Quick question: what if you buy your own cessna and build hours? Is there companies that will compensate for your training if you work for them?

[@pilotkaity]

You can buy your own plane a time build. You’ll still have to pay for Checkrides and instruction. I believe Boeing and some other companies may help pay for flight training but I’m not 100% sure.

[@aliciabodington3272]

@@pilotkaity thanks for the response, will check it out.

[@patriceschrama2625]

My husband works for Boeing. There is a program for employees that gives you a stipend once you get whatever certificate or rating you are working on. So you pay for it and show it to them once you earn it, then they give you the money. I think it’s $5k for private. Which won’t cover the entire cost but it helps.

[@pilotkaity]

@@patriceschrama2625 wow that’s awesome!

[@akhenatondieudonne314]

What if I’m going through a part 141 school but I don’t have an aviation degree do I still need to get 1500 flight hrs to get an ATP?

[@pilotkaity]

It depends on your specific program and school. Definitely something you should get a for sure answer on from that particular school before going through their program

[@michaelsmith5463]

QUESTION: Have you considered getting your DPE for LSA?--Might make a video about that!

[@pilotkaity]

I have talked to the FDSO about this extensively and run into a lot of red tape with how slow they are to make new DPEs. Part of my why to social media is to be able to generate enough income to pay my way through my DPE training if I do ever get the FAA to “put me in coach”. Being a DPE is a dream of mine since I love general aviation so much. Unfortunately it’s a large cost up front to put yourself through their training

[@chrismatkin7354]

Hey Kaity, I live in the Boise area. Do you know of any light sport training options locally? Also, thanks for providing all this information!

[@pilotkaity]

Try fly with Trent

[@chrismatkin7354]

I'll send him a message, thanks!

[@michaelsmith5463]

QUESTION: So, as an Light Sport Instructor, we could teach a PPL student on a Light Sport aircraft (not just Light Sport students)??

[@ikkinwithattitude]

A CFI-Sport can't sign a PPL student off for a Private checkride, but a Sport Pilot who has completed a Sport cert with a CFI-S can use those hours towards their Private cert. (My impression is that hours spent training for Sport under a CFI-S that don't result in a cert might not count.) The idea isn't to remain a CFI-S, though -- it's to use the CFI-S to start gaining teaching experience sooner and then convert to a full Commercial/CFI at 250. So it's possible for a CFI-S who's training more frequently than their student to become a CFI who can sign them off by the time that student is ready for a Private checkride.

[@pilotkaity]

They would still need 20 hours with a CFI-A not a light sport CFI to cover the dual time required for a ppl

[@ikkinwithattitude]

@@pilotkaity Now I'm curious as to the case law on this, because the impression I'd gotten from my instructor was that training from a light sport CFI would count as dual time if and only if a light sport cert is received. The FAR could be interpreted either way: - FAR 61.109 describes the dual time requirement for Private as, "at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor" - One definition of "authorized instructor" per FAR 61.1 is "A person authorized by the Administrator to provide ground training or flight training under part 61, 121, 135, or 142 of this chapter when conducting ground training or flight training in accordance with that authority." A light sport instructor giving flight training for the purposes of achieving a light sport cert would be conducting flight training in accordance with their part 61 authorization, while a light sport instructor whose training resulted in a Private cert rather than a light sport cert could be argued to be conducting flight training out of accordance with that authorization (and hence /not/ an "authorized instructor"!). But it also wouldn't be surprising in the slightest if the precedent broke the other way under the argument that 61.109 /implies/ that the instructor giving the dual time needs to be authorized to provide dual time towards a Private cert rather than simply authorized to provide the training that said instructor had given. Gotta love legal questions, lol.

[@michaelsmith5463]

Upon further research...Yes, but can't sign-off on the checkride, and the student will need 17 additional hours of "dual" time with a CFI-A (3 hours of LS-CFI counts as "instruction"). And, yes, as long as the aircraft the LS-CFI is instructing in is LSA.

[@NorthwestAeronaut]

Good video. 👍 I did all my training for about $40k. Also “ATP” and “student pilot” are “certificates” not ratings :-)

[@pilotkaity]

That’s awesome!

[@studentpilotlookinahh]

Is this still possible if Im doing all my licenses through a university? If I don’t do instrument and commercial through my university I won’t get the RATP…

[@pilotkaity]

This would be a part 61 route

[@mostbaitedfishing1101]

I'm a senior in college majoring in Aviation and aerospace, and I'll graduate with no hours or flight experience, and I've never been in a cockpit. I'm over 43k in debt now and I am stuck wanting to drop out but then I'll have nothing to show for 3 years of hard coursework. Any suggestions?

[@pilotkaity]

At this point finish your degree. Then you’re going to have to start figuring out flight training. Any interest in the military?

[@bml33]

How about age? What advice wold you have for someone who is 50s but can still pass a physical but doesn't have a ton of money to spend? Obviously the 121 airline route is probably out because of the mandatory retirement age. I could probably get to ATP level but then would have a short time to "live the dream" before aging out thus not getting a good return on investment. Corporate world might be better? What's your thought on an older person going this route?

[@pilotkaity]

Look up fly with Trent and see what he thinks on this. Personally I think if you’re going to do it at that age you need to get through the training and time building at an insane pace and if you don’t have the ability to do that then it might not be in the cards

[@SoarAndMore]

The cheapest way to learn to fly is to start LIKE NOW! Ask me how I know!

[@pilotkaity]

This is definitely true

[@didartorbayi4635]

what is the cheapest way?

[@SoarAndMore]

@@didartorbayi4635 I’m making a video. I’ll post it here

[@skatergirl1759]

@@didartorbayi4635 tell me when they answer

[@christopherleveck6835]

Ok, I'll bite. How do you know?

[@bennithomas8414]

I have been trying to find an unskilled job in a flying club, where I can work for free and get my flight training in return, so far not successful. Anyway great information,

[@pilotkaity]

I think it would be hard to get the flight time completely free even if you volunteer for them but you may be able to get an employee rate. I like the way you’re thinking though!!

[@meredithbmilam]

Which curriculum do you suggest for ground school?

[@pilotkaity]

Sporty’s is pretty good

[@zachschaneberger]

I personally used King Schools. I found it best to use an online school instead of in-person, since one flight school closed on me, and another couldn't get instructors to teach the ground consistently. Both King Schools and Sporty's are great programs!

[@abacojack13]

Gold Seal is the best I have found

[@hartlandaerialsolutions2567]

I've got Rod Machado, Part Time Pilot, and ordered but have not started, The Finer Points. Like PTP the best, wish I'd have bought it first. I would have skipped Machado. He's not bad at all just a lot of dorky humor in it. I haven't started TFP because it's only available on IOS so I have it on my Ipad. Anyway, my .02 worth.

[@jmizzonini]

Big fan of FlightInsight . His teaching and visual style really clicked with me.

[@mustafak.m2113]

Which country is best for schools, USA Canada or Australia?

[@pilotkaity]

I’ve in the US and that’s all I know. I have worked with people from those countries and I believe the US is the best

[@Turbo_Tastic]

I got a private at 30 hours, took about a month when I was 18, for $5000. Although with the Fed printing literally trillions of dollars, those dollars are worth a lot less right now, just like $35,000 will be worth a lot less next year, because they haven't stopped the printing. I have a good friend of mine ran a heli ski company for rich people in Alaska for 20 years, he can fly helicopters no problem, and never ever got a license. A license is actually just a robbery by the state. Will be interesting to see if this comment makes it in.

[@pilotkaity]

It may not be good to advertise that he’s operating as a commercial pilot without a license

[@Turbo_Tastic]

@@pilotkaity he wasn't he just owned the whole thing, had a number of pilots working for him, but could fly the helis himself too, without a giant criminal gang stealing money from him! (gov)

[@shreyashahluwalia4066]

Maximum age for pilot training required

[@pilotkaity]

Right now there isn’t one. It’s just 65 for retirement

[@shreyashahluwalia4066]

48 yr n above can learn to fly aircraft

[@pilotkaity]

What do you mean?

[@kongkittipradit4614]

It’s all about time value for money, she spent 5-6 years to get all the rating with 35k while she lose the opportunity cost at the airline with minimum $300k

[@pilotkaity]

I could have gone to an airline at the exact same time as my peers. I got to 1500 hours in about 2 years and had all my instructor ratings etc

[@jeffp862]

Why would you ever need a bachelors degree to become a ATP w the majors that’s just so foolish and likely why we have a shortage. If your gonna get a bachelors your likely gonna stay close to home w family unless your getting paid crazy money to fly or you just plain love it but once your settled and have a family it makes becoming a ATP much less likely

[@pilotkaity]

Most of the majors don’t require a bachelors right now

[@jumbo.fly17]

Not easy to understand from a European point of view

[@pilotkaity]

This is US FAA regulations. I’m not familiar with European aviation

[@-Mike]

More dogs.

[@pilotkaity]

Always good advice

[@The_matthew_mckee]

@@pilotkaitywhat kinda dog do you have 🤔

[@williammiller4786]

I hope there is not an abundance of hubris building here.

[@pilotkaity]

What are you referring to?