Liverpool flying clubs...

[Ian_Wannabe]

Hey guys - Just been looking around the liverpool flying club websites. I'm gonna be moving home to Wales for the summer whilst I dont have to study and i'm wanting to be able to carry on my flying whilst i'm there.

I'm not sure if these clubs will do day memberships or turn up and hire kinda things but I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the following clubs....

Southport and merseyside Aeroclub

or

Liverpool Flying School

I tried Chester flying school but I was told that they're not open to outsiders...

Thanks for any replies

Ian

[BritishPPL]

Anglesey isn't too far away. I found Mona Flying club quite friendly in the past although they weren't able to fit me in when I turned up. Still I would check them out.

http://www.flymona.com/index.html

However, when I drove down the road to Caernarfon, the young owner of the local school almost fell over to accommodate my desire for an hour's dual over the island.

http://www.air-world.co.uk/QDM/Index.htm

Both of these should be about an hour's drive for you.

[Ian_Wannabe]

Cheers BritPPL - quite pricey arent they! Damn this game of ours...:ok:

Anyone else?

[Brian Fantana]

Another school at Liverpool would be Ravenair if Liverpool is where you want to fly from.
I too had the same issue at Chester - seemed an odd set up not at all friendly **ck 'em took my cash up the M56 to LPL.

[Ian_Wannabe]

Yeah you know what, I used to be a member and the owner wasnt very inviting at all.... just a great 10 min location away from me tho... ahh well....

Ravenair sounds good thanks for the word :ok:

[magpienja]

what about welshpool or is that to far from, not sure if there is a club there.

Nick.

[cessna l plate]

Southport and Merseyside is a private members club, not a club in the true sense of the word, more a very large group. Joining fee is about £700 at the moment, and then about £60 or £70 per hour.

As for the others at Liverpool, they are really schools. I wouldn't imagine (although I stand to be surprised) that any of them would be interested in daily hire, or if they did there would be limits. The "you pay for a minimum 3 hours" kind of thing.

My advice is go to Caernarfon. Sam the airfield manager is a truly great guy, is interested in general aviation,(not like Peel Holdings who own Liverpool) and will bend over backwards to promote flying. If nothing else the bacon buties there are superb!!!!

The best thing is highlight a few places, clubs or whatever that appeal to you, and then go along and have a chat, but I would reccomend CAE, and this is coming from a student learning at Liverpool!!!

[Ian_Wannabe]

Cool, some good pointers - thanks for the replies guys

[Cat.S]

I never had any problem with extended hire at Ravenair, especially midweek. I've hired a PA38 for an all-day to Wellesborne and Gamston and paid air time (+10mins T/O LPL and 5 mins landing LPL) only. Some members have even taken the Warrior away for a couple of days to Jersey etc. Bookings are in 2 hour slots, but I've had no problem with a double slot if you're doing a land away to a place like Sleap or Caernavon etc. (air time to SLP is about 15 mins, but the temptation to do some circuits and a bit of sightseeing is always too great!)

[jayteeto]

Is Sleap still flying training?? They are pretty close and used to be an excellent school.

[GullWing]

I too had the same issue at Chester - seemed an odd set up not at all friendly **ck 'em took my cash up the M56 to LPL.

Chester FS is very much a school and only seem to have enough aircraft/facilities for training purposes. Im currently doing PPL with them and they have been nothing short of great with me. I realise this doesnt help you Ian_Wannabe, just wanted to confirm what Cessna_L_Plate said :O

[cessna l plate]

Hmm. I got the hump at my school the other week, so in a fit of rage went over to Chester. Can't say that it was that welcoming though, apart from a room full of old chairs and worn out newspapers. Not a good first impression when you are in the business of helping people off load about 6 grand!!

Sleap is a wonderful little airfield to fly to. Wouldn't fancy being a member though. The problem is it isn't really a school, it a club that does a bit of traiining. My problem is that I like the 172 or PA 28. I am not a fan of 2 seaters for a lot of different reasons. So when I asked at Sleap about 4 seater training, "oh no. That is for the members, the comittee will only let you train in a 2 seater" So the comittee are going to tell me how to spend my money are they? Get stuffed just about covers it then! However for a PPL then this will work the other way, and ensure the good planes are available at weekends for use by the members, and not split up an hour here and there with students abusing them. It's just I am student and I will spend my money as I bloody well choose!!

Rant over and I still say go and see Sam at CAE!

[Phil Parry]

I have to agree - go to Caernafon if you can. I was at Chester (Hawarden) for most of my PPL training until my regular instructor left just before I was due to do my QXC, I felt that the other instructors didn't seem that interested in me finishing.

After a break of a year due to work commitments, I tried to go back to finish off. There always seemed to be a reason why I couldn't get airbourne, U/S aircraft, U/S instructors, too windy (1 runway)

Fed up I went to Caernafon and was frankly staggered at the friendly welcome and enthusiastic response to my request to complete my training quickly. I wanted to get done in a week, and that's what I did.

A short time later I recently qualified and have to say I am bowled over by:

Friendly, professional and enthusatic instructors
Readily available aircraft maintained on site.
Great setting
Good cafe, relaxed atmosphere.
Fantastic scenery - sod all that flying over flat cheshire stuff - flying over Wales and down the coast is fantastic. (My QXC was down to Havorford west (great all day breakfast) - on a beautiful sunny day and was just a visual feast.
Lack of restricted airspace. Flying at Hawarden you have Liverpool and Manchester, although you do get good practice and get over the fear that some I've talked to have of things like the low level route etc.
Doesn't shut at the times you want to fly - At Hawarden the airfield ATC closes along with the runways at bank holidays and fairly early on weekends.
2 runways mean that you havbe a decent chance of getting airborne on days that will get you grounded at Hawarden due to single runway.
Flying school/cafe buildings overlook the airfield properly, and you get to feel part and parcel of the whole thing - Hawarden were kicked off thier previous nice spot near the Chester Air Services hangar after some numpty aparently turned up for some enquiry and then promptly drove down the taxiways in his car! Now the non existant facilities overlook a bit of carpark gravel.I cannot recommend them highly enough, either for training or if you are wondering where to go for your next land away.

A couple of things in Hawardens favour:

Nice long well maintained runway
Beluga - regular site and always a treat - especially being lined up in front of it (awesome looking through rear window of Tomahawk and seeing that behind you - after take off being told early right turn, expedite and thinking "yeah - no sh*t!"
Proper ATC with radar etc, enabling you to get your radio sorted easliy.
I booked the old CFI Ian Sixsmith (no longer there permantly but they'll put you in touch AFAIK) to get me though my ground exams - Top bloke who knows shed loads and is a really nice guy to boot. If you need someone to help you through, and examine you on your ground exams you could do a hell of a lot worse than look him up.Just my opinion, for what it's worth.. (guess I won't get a welcome back at EGNR now !)

Cheers

Phil ..

[Hen Ddraig]

Ian
Best bets for you from Mold are Caernarfon or Sleap. Both provide excellent facilities and both about an hours drive for you.
Mona is no use to you, only operates evenings and weekends

Hen Ddraig

Time to spare, go by air.

[GullWing]

Hi all, seems you were right! :)

Heard today that Chester Flying School is to fold.

So Im off ot Liverpool myself to finish my PPL.

B*rst*rds!

GW

[Hen Ddraig]

There is a new flying training organisation at Hawarden, run by NWMAS the outfit that refurbishes JPs and strikeys and maintains the local GA fleet. They have 2 PA38s and a rental TB9 at least and will probably get one or two of the other aircraft CFS were handling. As they are just starting in the PPL training buisness they need all the help and customers they can get.
The prices I have heard quoted are considerably less than the old flying school. They have a very professional approach to what they do, both in terms of training and maintainance. I would have no hesitation in using them for training, I already use them for mainainance.;)
This training buisness has been developing for a while and has been one of Hawardens better kept secrets.
Hen Ddraig
Time to spare, go by air

[GullWing]

Hi Hen Ddraig,
Would it be possible for you to PM me with contact details?

Many thanks
GW

[Ian_Wannabe]

Me too please :)

[badboy raggamuffin]

Chester flying school deserve to fold in my opinion, and good riddance.
Those idiots refused to allow me to hire a plane on the grounds that my UK issued licence, obtained through PPL skills test with a UK examiner and instruction with UK instructors was not good enough for them, as I did my training in Spanish airspace. This was dispite my offering to go through a check ride so they could see that I was ok.
"We dont think you will be safe, thats the end of it" I was told.

They dont deserve to be in business, hopefully they will be replaced at Hawarden by an altogether more credible organisation.

I had a trial flight at Raven Air in Liverpool a couple of years ago and was impressed by their set up and level of service, if that hepls..

[mazzy1026]

Ian - I learned and still fly from LFS - the beauty of them is that it is very good school, but also an excellent club environment - very welcoming and homely. I've heard a lot of good things about the fields/schools/clubs mentioned above, but never been there so can't really apply comment (apart from Ravenair - wouldn't go there).

I work in Flintshire (Deeside) so let me know if you wanna meet up for a pint or ten and I will give you some info on LFS.

Best regards,

Maz ;)

[GullWing]

(apart from Ravenair - wouldn't go there).

why not? just looking at comparing LFS and ravenair. seems ravenair are the bigger outfit!? im planning on going to see both before i spend any money.

GW :)

[mazzy1026]

Hi GW

Sorry I should have said why. I am sure they are a good successful outfit, and my experiences may have just been luck of the draw, but I got the impression that they were only interested in my cash (obviously it's a business). I got there for the first time, no introductions or briefings (my firts lesson - no encouragement or anything of the sort) just got told that we were going (an hour late). At the end of the flight it was "see you later - give us yer cash".

Once I turned up for an exam which I had booked and studied for, only to be told that the instructor had "forgot" about it and had to leave early that day. Couple the above with random cancellations, different instuctors - basically, no rythm. That's why I went next door where I still am now!

Just MHO of course, I know a few people who are members there and have no problems - best advice is to go down yourself.

Cheers,

Maz :ok:

[jdaley]

why not? just looking at comparing LFS and ravenair. seems ravenair are the bigger outfit!? im planning on going to see both before i spend any money.

GW :)

I'd certainly look at Ravenair- I moved there from CFS three years ago to complete my PPL - the issue with CFS being the small number of aircraft, instructors at that time were fine - I could only do lessons at weekend and if weather happens to be ok you don't want to lose a slot because the aircraft has gone tech - especially waiting for qualifying XC HAW also kept factory hours so closes on bank holidays ...
(Flying around the wirral does suffer from mist and haze autumn/spring so its even more important that when the weather is ok .. )

Ravenair have a big fleet of tomahawks (12?) which means its often possible to get a weekend hire with less than a weeks notice. They are doing a lot of university training (hence the large fleet) which means that midweek slots in term time can be hard to book.

They also keep a tomahawk and cessna at barton - which means you can wander over for some grass and a quick fright from those trees - believe it or not from Mold, Barton is only 10 minutes or so further away than lpl - though the utilisation and landing fees at barton mean its more expensive than lpl. Barton doesn't suffer from mist/haze as much as lpl/haw but does occasionally have soggy grass!

lpl atc are superb at fitting GA traffic in - really do seem to try and squeeze you in/out however busy - 'expect late clearance ...' Barton are quaint but thats not a crime. Ravenair tend to use Sleap and Hawarden for circuit bashing - lpl atc will often try to give you straight in for HAW which is oddly fun - wheels still rolling type of thing.

It took me a long time to get ppl because I work away for long periods (currently in srfampton and enjoying lee) which means I've sampled a bunch of flying schools - delays will happen for all sorts of reasons :)

caernarfon is a superb field with the best setting and best cafe (ravenair doesn't pretend to be that sort of club) - but from mold you need to factor in bank holiday traffic on the A55 - it can be tedious to get back on sunday pm.