Managing two companies, flight training, a husband, and two dogs is not something to be taken on by the faint of heart. While each thing is unbelievably rewarding, burnout is always something that can be difficult to overcome once it has its hands on you.
One major challenge when flight training is the cost. The $85,000 price tag can be daunting, especially when one also has regular bills: rent, gas, insurance, etc. A loan is an excellent tool to ease this burden, but as an 18 year old with no credit history or cosigner, sometimes it is simply not an option. You find yourself in an endless loop:
Work to have money for flight training
Spend money on flight training
Run out of money
Take a break from flight training to work again
These breaks set you back significantly because by the time you come back to your training you need to review, and a plane is an expensive place to be reviewing things you have already learned. With bills to pay you cannot simply stop working, but you also don't want to drag out your training. This plagued me for years, the proof is the two years it took me to get my private pilot certificate. The cycle seemed endless.

The Short Field Takeoff Strategy
That's when I came up with a new system for myself: the short field takeoff strategy (or so I call it). When an aircraft is taking off of a short runway, rather than rolling straight into the takeoff the plane will taxi to the very beginning of the runway. Then you hold the breaks and apply full power. Once you release the breaks you will takeoff in a shorter amount of runway - a short field takeoff.
This is how I strategize my training. When I prepare to start a new rating (for now my instrument rating) I focus on work and I don't schedule any flights. However, I set time apart to study. I dedicate this time to getting my written done and my oral knowledge ready to go. I have a specific method for studying that I will go over in a future blog. During this phase of studying I pick up any extra side jobs I can. My income from my job is dedicated to my regular bills, but anything additional is set aside for the flying portion of my training. I accumulate it until two requirements are met:

My written is done and I can pass a mock oral
I have enough money for the entirety of the training required and a checkride
This takes about 6 months, and they are exhausting months, but when those requirements are met the flying is easy. You already have all of the knowledge and you can focus on just mastering the flight requirements. I use the PTO I build up at work to get these flight hours done quickly.
This is just what works for me, a different strategy may work better for you!
How to Make Your Schedule Work For You
Prioritizing work, personal life, and flight training can be extremely difficult. I find that the best way for me to manage it is to spend adequate time planning to ensure that I allocate time frames to specific tasks. I am pretty Type A, so this definitely isn't for everyone. But if you want to take on multiple large projects at once I highly suggest you prioritize organization. I do this by building out my calendar at the beginning of the week.
Here is an example:


If that looks insane, that is because this is an especially busy week. However, because I have adequately planned, I know that I will have time to study for my checkride every weekday. I try to keep at least 1 day solely dedicated to time with my husband and our pups. Of course, I have everything color coded to help my easily recognize it.
Here is how I do it:
Sage Green - Flygirl Aircraft Detailing activity or job
Pink - Personal task
Light Blue - Work task
Dark Blue - Reoccurring meeting
Purple - Meal
Lavender - Study time
Green - Freelance marketing
Yellow - One-time meetings
Now it's definitely a lot, but I want to do a lot, so it works excellently for me. Before I implemented a calendar with specific tasks I would find that the time gets away from me. Two hours of planning allows me to get two weeks of work done in one. If you have big goals, this method allows you to accomplish them faster.
Staying Healthy
Staying healthy sounds easy enough, but when you are busy with work and flight training it can be easy to cut corners in your health. You end up getting fast food cause you didn't have time to cook, skipping a workout cause you're tired, or missing sleep cause you overbooked yourself. Let me tell you... THAT is how you burn out. I have done all of those things and you know what happens? My body MAKES me rest. I end up getting sick, burnt out, exhausted.
The extra time it takes to stay healthy is worth it, your body is working hard for you, treat it nice. The little bit of time you save from getting fast food, skipping workouts, skipping sleep will not be worth the setback of weeks in bed because you are sick. You cannot be successful as a pilot and in your career at the expense of your health.
Balancing flight training with a busy life isn’t easy, but with the right mindset and strategies, it’s entirely achievable. Remember, every pilot’s path is unique, so don’t compare your progress to others. Stay focused, stay flexible, and above all, keep your passion for flying alive!
Are you currently juggling work and flight training? Share your experience and tips in the comments below!
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