[Porsche-O-Phile]

Budget $10k-$12k and you should be fine in most all cases. A lot depends on how often you can get up in the air which is a function of a lot of variables - availability of student/plane/instructor, level of commitment, weather, etc. I've had some guys bang it out in 1-2 months and others that have taken upwards of a year. It just depends. A lot of the value of a PPL is that it demonstrates tenacity and perseverance.

In addition to frequency/how often you can fly, the quality of those flights is important - how well-prepared you can be for them, how "dialed in" you can be doing them (i.e. not feeling pressured to do this, do that and five minutes after landing having to go run to a meeting or whatever - try to build in enough time around each lesson to allow it to flow at a reasonable, constructive pace that's conductive to learning and enjoyment. Far too many flight schools (more so the "academy" types) cram students into rigid time blocks and there's always a pressure feeling that IMHO makes it far less enjoyable for the kind of money you're investing. For someone who's looking at getting into it for a career, perhaps it doesn't matter so much if it's a little strained, but if you're doing this for enjoyment and enrichment, try to find an instructor/school/routine that keeps it enjoyable, enriching, rewarding and positive.

Best of luck - look around, shop around and definitely talk to other people about who good instructors/schools are - both in terms of knowledge, skill/mechanics and personality. Remember you're investing a lot of time/effort/money in this and you're going to spend a lot of time in close quarters with whomever your teacher is. Don't compromise or shrug off personality traits that disagree with you. If someone gives you a bad "vibe" even though they might be skilled or competent, you may want to look around for someone else. Personality clashes really suck at $150 an hour...

FWIW I'm a CFI and can give you some questions to ask, etc. if you want. PM me.