I did not grow up with a lifelong desire to learn to fly, it was always one of those things that I considered unattainable. I was just a kid, only rich grown-ups much smarter than I, were meant to be pilots.

I have a friend who owns a ’55 Tri-Pacer. I flew with him sporadically for 20 years or so, with him letting me take the controls many times. One day I made a statement that someday I’d like to learn how to fly. When we landed, he gave me a phone number and said to call this guy for a discovery flight. If I liked it, I should take another lesson, if I still liked it I should take yet another lesson. Continue doing this until I either don’t like it anymore, or I have a pilot’s certificate.

After expressing my interest in aviation to my wife she became concerned with our family budget. We had 2 boys at home at this time, and, well, learning to fly isn’t cheap. I made a promise to her that I wouldn’t use any money out of my paycheck to pay for flight instruction. I agreed to find another source of income to pay exclusively for my lessons.

I’ve had a passion for photography since I was 10 years old. I took my first photography class when I was young, and learned how to shoot and develop black and white film. Over the years, shooting on film was replaced with a small digital camera, and then a high-end DSLR. It was my favorite hobby for many years, but it made me no money. I decided I would try to make a go with a photography business on the side.

I started out offering to shoot graduation/senior photos for students. The money I earned went into a separate “flying” account that I used to pay for my first flying lesson. The money spent a lot quicker than it took to earn it. I started to offer wedding photography (ugh), then moved on to sports photography and class reunions. I was spending most weekends at my new second job, but it was really paying off. My lessons became more frequent, and I started advancing toward a pilot’s license.

The plane I was renting was a Cessna 150 out of Galion Ohio, N11142. At the time I paid $82hr for the plane wet, and $35hr for instruction. I flew three full summers, and very rarely in the winter due to pre-heating requirements. Over three summers I paid a total of $6,500 for flight instruction, plane rental, third-class medical examinations, renters insurance, miscellaneous educational supplies (books, study guides, etc.), a written test, and finally a check ride. It took 2 1/2 years from the first lesson to check ride, but I finally obtained my private pilot’s license! I paid for it all with my camera, computer, and editing software.

Ten years later, I feel this was a good decision. Instead of looking back and wondering what it would’ve been like to learn to fly, I can look back at a decade of great experiences. I’ve got close to 400 hours in my logbook and now own my own airplane. I was very frugal when learning to fly. I stretched my money as far as I could and did it for $6,500. You will find it difficult to do it for that cost these days, but I can guarantee that it will never again be any cheaper than it is today!