Lesson #1 recommendation around Sheffield

[eltonioni]

Be nice, I'm new to this whirly lark... Christmas time and SWMBO has decided that she likes helicopters and my PPL(A) isn't enough, so I'm not objecting to her plan for me to learn with her paying for lesson #1.

I'm in Sheffield and obviously there are a few schools at EGSY but I don't mind looking further afield as it will give me an excuse to fly to another airfield.

I don't really want to spend an hour 'mastering the art of hovering' and a friendly instructor who doesn't mind flying somewhere interesting, and a quick cup of coffee in the middle would be nice.

So, I'm happy to go a reasonable distance of Sheffield in case the Wx goes crap? Sherburn? Nottingham? Barton? Derby? Humberside? Anywhere else worthy of a recommendation?

Cheers :)

[helimutt]

Whirlybird works out of Tatenhill I think, and i'm sure she would be happy to take you somewhere other than Sheffield. You could go to Sandtoft (sandtoft helis) or Humberside (York helis I think). Lots of scope really.

[Up & Away]

Should you not start and try to support your local schools?
I personally would recommend a Hu269 rather than a R22.
Go up and ask to talk to 'Instructor' not just the person at the desk.
Maybe you could fly around to all airfields you fancy before choosing.
good luck :)

[Martin Barclay]

Couldn't recommend this school highly enough. Did some commercial training there with Geoff Day and the school is professional and really friendly with that bit of flexibility that you were after. Got a 22 and a 44 and if you can afford it I would suggest going down the 44 route.
Hope you have fun.
P.S. My wife made a similar suggestion and has been regretting it ever since, obsession, bankruptcy etc!!

[Whirlybird]

Whirlybird works out of Sheffield

I'm not at Sheffield any more, but if you fancy a trip to Tatenhill I'd be delighted to take you flying. If you really want to land away we could nip into Derby, right next door. Nottingham is also possible but might take us slightly over the hour there and back. Or we can forget about landing away and go check out Uttoxeter Racecourse and/or Alton Towers from the air...or even hover over the 'H' in Muffin's garden (not allowed to land there as it's not licensed).

Oops, I'd better shut up in case this is construed as advertising. :(

[muffin]

If you want to land I promise to look away Whirly - you may well hear a strange noise while in the hover that needs urgent investigation while I brew some tea.

[Whirlybird]

Thanks Muffin. Funny how often I do hear strange noises when hovering in your field, isn't it. ;)

[helicopter-redeye]

E, there are four schools at Sheffield.

If you fly with Alpha it will probably be with John Spring, who is a nice chap (sure he wont mind me saying so) and you would be very relaxed in flying with him.

If you fly with Dragon it will probably be Paul Medhurst who does a lot of PPL training.

TAMS - not sure who would do it but may be Elaine (or John Spring..)

Kuki - Ray runs the place in Sheffield but is not an FI (I think?) so not sure who would fly with you but you could ask him.

Alpha, TAMS, Dragon all fly the Schweitzer. Alpha, TAMS, Dragon and Kuki all fly the R22. None seem to use the R44 :{

Over at Sandtoft there is Sandoft helis (noted above in previous post)

Further over Heather Sugden at HeliYorks.

North at Sherburn there is Hields (see separate threads)

South at Nottingham, Central Helicopters (Phil Speechley) and further south East Midlands Helicopters (Nigel Burton & co).

You'd want to look at travel - both for now and future hiring - driving for 3 hrs to fly for 1 is fun..



h-r theeverhelpful

[Whirlybird]

Kuki at Sheffield - Ray is not an FI, and Kuki book students in at Sheffield, then fly up from Gamston and pick them up. I think. Or something similar. So if you want to fly with Kuki, going to Gamston in the first place might well be easier. Maybe.

[helicopter-redeye]

driving for 3 hrs to fly for 1 is fun..
- see above - have you seen the state of that A57?:ugh:

[eltonioni]

Thanks for all that. :)

What's the hourly rate these days for various machines?

And because I'm too lazy to look in LASORS, does anyone know off the top what credits are available from PPL(A)?

[Whirlygig]

A Schweizer is around £250/260 per hour; R22s are cheaper.

A PPL(A) can get a maximum of 6 hours credit flying time which means the minimum hours that one can get a PPL(H) in, is 39 hours. However, unlike fixed wing, getting a PPL(H) in min hours is rare.

Cheers

Whirls

[lartsa]

HR
nice balanced post

[eltonioni]

Fair point about hours, but of course there's none of the general nav or procedures to learn so I'd imagine that even I could avoid getting lost in the circuit :)

Is there only the one written exam (helicopter technical) and flying tests are NavEx and GST?

[McBad]

"I don't really want to spend an hour 'mastering the art of hovering' and a friendly instructor who doesn't mind flying somewhere interesting, and a quick cup of coffee in the middle would be nice."

You are clearly either an optomist or superman! I'm about 20hrs in and still have not mastered the art of hovering... Sadly just about everything else (landing, taking off, not spilling your coffee and keeping your instructor friendly) does seem to depend on mastering that subtle art... So, unless you can do it, there is not much point in flying off anywhere (unless you especially want your FI to gain lots of extra experience of landing at other airfields)...

Perhaps I'm a slow learner but I just don't want you to be disappointed if hovering doesn't click within the sixty minutes... :)

Kind regards and good luck with it,

M.

[ShyTorque]

I too wondered about the "mastering the hover in an hour" comment.
Perhaps if the word "mastering" were removed and "in the same county" was added it might be more realistic..... ;)

One of these days I'll dust off that FI(H) of mine and have some more similar fun.

[eltonioni]

'mastering the art of hovering'

I didn't mean to sound remotely cocky, it's just something that I've seen on a few school ad's, hence the quotation marks. I'm guessing that its an option aimed at birthday presents... I mean trail lessons. :)

Of course I don't expect to fly like an ace, I just thought that it would be more interesting to do a bit of flying and attempt something resembling straight and level rather than looking sideways at Sheffield Airport's perimeter fence. I get to do that often enough as I sometimes fly from there and my office also there!

Funnily enough, when I had my first FW lesson it took quite a bit of effort to convince the FI that I actually wanted a licence, and that I wasn't in the least bit interested in looking at my house from 1,500'.

If I'm to become a heli-hero I'll no doubt be able to save mastering the hover for my second hour. ;)

[Whirlybird]

eltonioni,

You can do what you like on your trial lesson of course (within reason!). However, as a f/w pilot, I think you might find just flying to another airfield somewhat boring...it's not really much different to doing it in an aeroplane. Hovering is the one thing that's very different and tremendous fun. I managed to hover with all three controls on my trial lesson (though I needed the whole of Herefordshire to do it in ;)) and it was that which had me totally hooked - not the straight and level stuff, which wasn't that special except for having great vis out of a helicopter. And I still tend to tour in f/w aircraft, and enjoy throwing helicopters around at low level - that's what they're good at.:ok:

[ShyTorque]

I'll no doubt be able to save mastering the hover for my second hour.

That's more like it. Everything you see advertised about aviation involving cost (and what doesn't cost), at least double it. :p

[D SQDRN 97th IOTC]

Whirlygig

Are Schweizers better to learn in than R22s? Difference in cost is not a problem.

I would come up to Tatenhill to learn, but unfortunately the nearest airfield to me is Shoreham. So looks like Fast Helicopters might be an option.....

happy new year to you!

[Whirlygig]

D SQDRN 97th IOTC, could be opening a can of worms here but, here goes ....

The Schweizer 300 C/CBi was derived from the Hughes 269 which was designed by the US Army on which to train their pilots.

The Robinson 22 was designed as economical personal transport mainly aimed at those who could already fly a helicopter. It was not designed, per se, to be a training helicopter.

I've heard anecdotal evidence that a Schweizer is easier and quicker to learn on. Personally, I think they're more fun because, altough they are not very fast (in fact, downright slow), they are more manoeuverable and one can chuck 'em around a bit more! Plus, with the 300C or CBi, one doesn't have to worry about carb-heat as they're fuel-injected.

R22 pilots often come up with an expression, "If you can fly an R22, you can fly anything!" That may, or may not be true but I would suggest that if you can fly a Schweizer, you can fly anything (except, maybe, a Robbo!)

Hope that helps.

Cheers

Whirls

[helimutt]

I think there is another heli operator at Shoreham you could speak to. Shoreham Helicopters I think it's called. The one you mention are expensive and wouldn't be my first choice. Plus, they may end up going the way of an unfortunate hedgehog. If you do go with Fast, pay nothing up front to reduce the hourly rate or use a credit card for backup. Just in case.

[tightrope]

Whats the crack there anyway. Last I heard it was on its knees and they were wanting to bulldoze it for a business park..?

[Whirlybird]

tightrope,

Last I heard they were indeed going to turn it into a business park. :{ But I don't think that's due to happen for a few years, and meanwhile, AFAIK all the aforementioned flying schools are still operating. :ok:

[eltonioni]

AIUI, basically and without getting into any of the long and sorry history of duplicity, mismanagement and downright incompetence by Sheffield Council and everyone else except Peel who ultimately own it;

The runway is being chopped down to 400m at the terminal end.
Rotary operations only.
About three years away.

Meanwhile it's busier than ever, has a great 1200m runway with lights and an NDB, an adequate A/G service, not much spare parking, cheap fees, a cracking terminal and nice cheap little cafe run by Auntie Janet. It's bang next to the M1 J32 and has a dual carriageway that runs right into Sheffield City Centre making it a mere 5-10 minute taxi ride away. Contrary to popular opinion Sheffield is a bright modern city with plenty to keep you occupied - which is more than most airfields have to boast.

So please come and pay us a visit so there isn't a half cock excuse to close it before time. :) Just don't have EFATO on 28.

[helicopter-redeye]

I don't think the chop would be at the terminal end as it is green belt land. Any removal of runway would have to be up at 10 where it is very, very brown.

[A.Agincourt]

The chop will be approximately where the tower is - everything to the west.

[eltonioni]

That's what I meant.. there will be 400m at the terminal end, ie east. :)