Don't have my 'bible' with me
The feds require 20 hours with an instructor and 20 hours solo for the private license. I'm anticipating the bulk of the instructor time would come prior to soloing, but I'm not sure if there's a hard requirement of hours. Tack on the increased difficulty of learning in a taildragger (ie, a REAL airplane) which should be good for a few hours extra. Plan for 2 hours per week and factor in weather in Wisconsin. That takes me into at least August.
I don't think I've ever been in a 152, but that's what most people learn in here, and for good reason. It's an easy plane to learn in. Of course, they can be a pain to land. If it's calm and somebody sneezes in the tower just before you touch down, plan on staying in ground effect for another minute or so! Usually it's either a 152 or the Piper Tomahawk (bleeeeach!) Pipers are fine, just not the Traumahawk-butt ugly; spindly little landing gear.
Brian Bronson
