[Joeaksa]

Matt,

You might also look into taking a few weeks or even a month off and going to someplace not so crowded. The problem with taking it locally and flying once a week or every couple of weeks is that you learn something and the next time you fly there is a good chance you may have forgotten it. If there is anyway to do it all in one or two time periods you learn and retain more.

Sheble Aviation out in the high desert is not that far, has trained thousands of pilots and you can fly ever day without worrying about fog and low weather. http://www.shebleaviation.com/ I used them years ago for my commercial ticket and they were very nice to work with. There are others around, ask other pilots or get a copy of the Pacific Flyer at any smaller airport.

There are several ways to learn to fly. Some enlist and do the military route. Others do it yourself like you are looking. The problem is going from having a private to a commercial if you want to do it for a living. The old days you could fly cargo or instruct to build flight time. Instructing is still there but cargo jobs seem to be not as available as it was.

Its still the best job in the world for me. I get paid far too much (do not tell anyone!) to do something I love. I leave in 10 days for Geneva, on to Dubai, then Bombay, Bangkok, Singapore and Hong Kong on a trip. Others are stuck at a desk somewhere. I like my office a lot more.

JoeA