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Hi all! Brand new to the forum and the world of general aviation. Getting my PPL has been a dream since I was 15, but time and money limitations have always gotten in the way. I'm now 29, with a decent engineering job, and looking to move ahead. I recently was fortunate enough to fly the right-seat for almost 8 hours with a friend in his Piper Arrow, and it was excellent. We did 3 takeoffs and landings at 3 airports across 2 states, including an IFR approach, so quite a full day. However, I'm still completely green, and have not begun my training yet. So I apologize in advance if my questions seem elementary and lacking in the proper technical jargon. I'll get up to speed, I promise! Firstly, the PPL instruction itself. I'm in Richmond, VA, and the two FBO options in my area seem to be Hanover County Airport (KOFP) and New Kent Airport (W96). Hanover is closest, and would probably be my home airfield once I got my certificate, hopefully renting a hangar. They offer a "one size fits all" price for a PPL, but it seems to be a bit above what I've seen elsewhere for average costs ($8200 in a Tecnam or $9950 in a C172): http://www.flyhova.com/Flight%20Packages%20OFP.htm Any thoughts? Any concerns with using a Tecnam vs. a Cessna? I am not sure about the relative size of the fleets and their availability, but that will be one of my questions when I go to visit (hopefully this week or next, depending on work). New Kent seems to be slightly less expensive ($129/hr wet vs $143 for a C172, with a C152 as an alternative option at $99 wet), though the fleet is only three aircraft: http://www.newkentaviation.com/rates.html My average cost estimates came from: http://www.pilotcareer.info/Private_Pilot_Costs.html Do all of the above seem reasonable? Any recommendations with using a FBO school like above vs. trying to find a CFI on my own? I DO NOT want to get rushed/rubber stamped through, I'm genuinely looking to learn as much of the ins and outs as possible, which is why I wonder if finding someone with a huge passion and enthusiasm for flying, that just happens to have a CFI, could be a better route than a school. On the other hand, the training at a school is less subject to the idiosyncracies of any one person........so I don't know. The main reason I'm asking these questions here, is I think a Mooney M20F or J would fit my long term goals very well. The performance and efficiency of the aircraft vs. it's competitors in class is a strong draw, as is the reasonable running costs and long-running design. Reading about the background and the design of the aircraft, alot of it spoke to me as an engineer. My budget is ~$60K, and the majority of use would be trips of 200-300nm, with perhaps 4 trips/year of 600-1200nm, visiting friends in the midwest. Would an M20 be at all feasible as a first aircraft? Could I legally even fly one without a Complex rating? I would like to progress on from a PPL to an Instrument and Complex endorsement, so would be interested in hearing others' thoughts on when purchasing the plane and switching over to it as the primary trainer would be advisable. I doubt anyone would recommend starting from hour zero in one, but what about after the first 20-30 hours in something like a Cessna? Lastly, anyone local to the area? Any chance I could buy you lunch one weekend in exchange for talking Mooneys in person, checking the fit, maybe even go up for an hour or so? I know that's alot for a first post, but sincere thanks for any help or guidance you can offer a newbie. Cliff