UK PPL Full-time - Weather & Time

[tartan 42]

Looking to the wise and experienced for advice:

Question 1: Is a Full-time JAA PPL course in the UK with a start date of sometime between Feb 04 to May 04 viable based on weather or will I spend most of my time on the ground due to poor weather?

Question 2: How many weeks should I budget for the full-time JAA PPL course if I commenced within the above dates?

Question 3: If I wanted to go straight on to the IMC, how many additional days / weeks should I add?

Question 4: If on a full-time programme, what would my average daily flying be (twice a day for instance).

I realise a lot depends on how many hours I complete the course in etc - just looking for an idea really.

I know the dates are not the best weather wise - but it is a good period for me to take time out. However, if the weather is not going to make it work out - then it would just be a waste of my time etc.

I was set to go the US for this but a few things have caused that not to work for me. I do, however, want to do this in one block rather than spread out over the next four years !!

Your views and feedback will be appreciated.
T-42

[Evo]

If you're after a US-style 3-week special, I'd say Feb... no chance, May... probably not much chance either :)

The chances of three weeks of good weather in the Spring are just too low for a quick PPL to be realistic - you could easily not fly at all for a week or more at time, so i'd guess a five week minimum, with luck, a hard runway and a lot of hanging around the clubhouse waiting to see if it clears up. With bad luck, a lot longer. Obviously the later the better, and should be possible mid-summer, but early in the year... well, a couple of years ago I was ready to go solo by the end of December, and didn't actually get to go until the start of March, despite having a slot booked every saturday and sunday in between. That can be the reality of winter PPL flying in this country. You either put up with it, and the PPL takes months, or go to Florida or South Africa.

As for the IMC, remember you need 10 hours P1 post-PPL (i.e. at least 20 hours total P1) before the end of the course, so that will add a bit of time. Couple of weeks extra?

[Another St Ivian]

I did a full time intensive PPL course this year in the UK. I started on July 4th and finished on August 18th of this year. Looking through my log book I actually did 20 flying-days (i.e. 20 days on which I flew). If I remember rightly during that period there was 5 or so days when the weather was not good enough. A major problem can be when you are waiting to do the QXC and need better than average weather.
I did my PPL in a little over 45 hours so that averages to 2.25 hours per flyable day. In reality it varied greatly, some days I would only do an hour, other days I would do 4 hours. However in the main I did two dual trips a day with solo flying interspersed between. An additional aspect you may want to consider is fitting in a few days in the 'program' to give you some breathing space to get things like the RT Oral and written exams in.

Hope this may have helped,
ASI

[Tango Oscar]

I had to wait 12 weeks just for my QXC. OK, so I was only
flying at weekends, but that's still 24 days.

[englishal]

Well, heres some statistics gained from the weather station on my roof on the South coast (yea, I know, my wife tells me I'm sad too :D):

2001
====
Feb:

14 days of rain
53.6mm total
(13 days > 0.2mm 9days > 2mm)
daily peak wind speed exceeded 10 kts every day (less than 15 kts on 8 days)
Average: 7kts from N

Mar:

24 days of rain
76.2 mm total
(19 days >0.2mm 12 days > 2mm)
daily peak wind speed exceeded 10 kts every day (less than 15 kts on 1 day only)
Average 7.2 kts from NNE
2002
====

Feb:

21 days of rain
67.8mm total
(20 days >0.2mm 8 days >2mm)
daily peak windspeed exceeded 10kts every day (less than 15 kts on 1 day)
Avg windspeed: 10.2kts from SW

Mar:

14 days of rain
41.6mm total
(13 days >0.2mm 5 days >2mm)
daily peak windspeed exceeded 10 kts every day (less than 15kts on 8 days)
Avg windspeed: 6.4kts from NNE

Good luck !

EA:D

[Evo]

2002
====
Feb:

21 days of rain
67.8mm total


And I swore at every single one while waiting to solo... but by that point it didn't matter much if it rained or not because Goodwood was a swamp anyway... :{ :mad: :{ Happy days ;)

[Flock1]

I passed my PPL back in May after about nine months of lessons. I started the previous summer, hoping to get it all done and dusted in my six-weeks holday (I'm a teacher), but the weather did not want to play the game. I've worked out that about 60% of my lessons were cancelled due to weather!.And this is a fact of life in the UK.

Having said that, once I'd accepted the fact that I wouldn't be getting a four-week PPL, I actually enjoyed flying in all of the various seasons. And flying in winter is a majestic sight from above.

But if you're in a rush.....

[Genghis the Engineer]

I had this problem when I did my PPL back in 1993 - the trick I found was both a flexible nearby flying school and a tolerant boss. I persuaded my boss to allow me to run off for lessons whenever the weather was good, and catch up with the leave paperwork at the end of each month - I did it in months rather than years, but weeks in the UK is going to require more luck than anything else.

G

[IO540]

I've been flying for about 4 years and the only time I remember when a PPL could have been done in weeks rather than months was sometime during the exceptional summer of 2003.

Summers aren't the best time, suprisingly, because of the haze. It's OK to fly with the instructor but he won't let you go solo.

During the autumn of 1999 or 2000 I recall booking a lesson every day for 3 months, and being able to fly only twice! The PPL took a year to do, due to the weather.

[Slow-Rider]

I wouldn't count on being able to complete a PPL in that time during the winter.

All it takes is one or two slow moving depressions and you will be well behind your targets on the course. I remember winter 2000/2001 being really bad for that with fronts just stoping over UK and leading to the floods. (Really bad for circuit consol at Bodmin's grass runway too :E)

To put it in perspective RAF pilots' Elementary Flight Training (EFT), which is very similar to the PPL upto PFLs is scheduled to take approximately 6 months flying mon-fri to complete 62 hours.

[tartan 42]

I appreciate your feedback.
I have the ability to take a two, possibly three month break from work and thus was looking to use that time for the PPL. I realise a US style 4 week'er is never going to work, but I thought two / three months might get me through the PPL. I guess luck in weather is the only hope !

Thanks again to you all,
T-42

[QNH 1013]

I think the biggest advantage is being available 7 days a week instead of only 2.
Although I couldn't manage 7 days availability, I did the whole PPL course (inc writtens) in 3 months in the UK (mid July- mid October in 1995) at what seemed a fairly leasurely pace and that was starting from zero knowledge and experience. Being able to fly on some weekdays probably made the difference. Wx cancellations included QXC and NFT several times.