From Zero to Thirty Two - my NPPL Diary

[rich_g85]

I don't know whether this thread will be of interest to anyone apart from me, however I thought I would keep a diary, similar to what Mazzy wrote four years ago. I intend to keep a record of my progress as a student pilot towards my National PPL, lesson by lesson.

I should make it clear that due to time and money constraints, progress will be slow but (hopefully) steady.

So if anyone's still reading, let's begin. :)

[rich_g85]

Background
Ever since I was very young, I have always been fascinated by flying. Whether it be asking for a visit to the flight deck when we go on holiday, or playing Flight Sim on the PC. When I heard that my friend John had obtained his PPL at Elstree, it really made me begin to wonder whether I could acheive a similar thing!

I began to look around our local area and found Compton Abbas Airfield about 20 miles away from home. On their website I found that they offered something called an NPPL which requires less hours than the PPL... what's that I thought? A quick Google search and I had my answer- a Pilot's Licence which was valid for UK-registered aircraft in UK airspace. Perfect! Several Skype conversations with John later, and some thought about the cost and I'd made my mind up. I was going to book a 'trial lesson' at Compton and see how it went.

So I contacted the airfield, who were very helpful- and suggested instead of booking it as a trial lesson, that I actually join the flying club and benefit from the cheaper hourly rate of lessons. What a good idea I thought, as I think I knew even at that stage that this would not just be a one-off "flight experience"!!

Lesson 1, Hour 1
So this is it, my first lesson. Quite an occasion, so much so that I've brought several family members along to share the excitement with me. My mum, my brother and my girlfriend. Dad, if you read this- sorry you couldn't be there. Perhaps you'll be there for my first solo? :)

Anyway, after letting Ops know who I was, I was given a club membership form to fill out and asked to take a huge binder full of all the Club rules and read several relevant sections relating to insurance and personal injury cover.

After some time, the instructor came over and introduced himself and invited me to the briefing room for my first ground school session. With a big model of a plane, he demonstrated the different types of movement- yaw, roll and pitch. Also the control surfaces- ailerons, elevators and rudder and the effects of each one. He also described the secondary effects of the controls.

With the big poster on the wall he gave me a brief run through of the PA-28's flight instruments and then produced a large chart and asked where I wanted to fly for my first lesson. We decided on a route West towards Yeovil, then turn south towards Bridport and from there back over the Cerne Giant and back towards Compton Abbas. Once we'd settled on the route, we walked out towards the aircraft. This was it- it was really happening!!

As we walked towards the plane, he explained what I should be looking for- adequate room to manouever, any fuel/oil leaks on the ground, anything majorly amiss with the aircraft.

We put our things on the back seat and began the walkaround. He pointed out various items which I should be checking, control surfaces, fuel, tyres, lights, stall warning and so on. After the walkaround we got settled in the plane and went through some basic safety procedures, and then began the pre-start checklist. I was very pleased that I was asked to call each item out, while the instructor explained what it was and why we did it.

I don't want to become boring, so I'll skip forward a bit to the point when I first took control. "I have control" I said.. what a feeling! I was really flying, although I was only keeping it straight and level towards Westlands airfield, I was FLYING!!! :ok:

We did various exercises demonstrating the effect of the controls and secondary effects, climbing, descending, turning, yawing. Before I knew it, we were doing an overhead join and we were back into the circuit. I was allowed to make my first radio call as we turned towards runway 26, "Golf-Charlie Kilo, finals" - what a feeling!

We were soon back on the ground, taxiing towards the hard-standing. Once we stopped I was asked to run through the shutdown checklist, and then as it was the last flight of the day- put the cover back on the aircraft!

We did a quick debrief back at Ops, my instructor gave me a few things I needed to buy before the next lesson. Following this advice, I have now bought a checklist, logbook and first Air Pilots Manual - 'Flying Training' from FlightStore (who were conveniently having a sale!) It was a very proud moment filling in my first flight in my logbook, a 1hr 10mins local P/UT flight in a PA-28.

I also bid on a headset on Ebay, which I later won for £30 inc. P&P - I'm now waiting in great anticipation for it to arrive!

My next lesson is booked for this Sunday at 3pm, so fingers crossed for good weather!

Richard

[Lister Noble]

Richard,
Good to see another Mazzy type thread.It was helpful to me when a student.
Good luck and keep posting.
A minor detail,but we call G-ABCD final 26, not finals,ie no s.
Lister:)

[G CEXO]

Weldone lad :}. I remember when I had my first hour in a PA-28 not long ago, about 3 weeks to be precise. I'd advise you to start studying Air Law and get that boring :mad: out of the way.

Good luck :ok:

G CEXO ( reg of my first aircraft I flew )

[Gatecra5her]

Any updates to this thread? I wanted to keep reading but the post ended lol.

Can you fly the PA-28 with a NPPL license then? I only found out the other day that you could fly an Ikarus C42 on one, I just thought the NPPL was for the traditional microlights with the hang glider look :uhoh:

-Mark

[rich_g85]

There will be an update shortly, I'm just limbering up... :p

[Nibbler]

Yes you can fly any single engine propeller aircraft (you've done differences training on) with a SEP NPPL - but just in UK airspace and you can't add things like a night rating or IMC. Question would be are you taking the NPPL (microlight) or the SEP NPPL?

You can 'update' your microlight NPPL with the SEP rating, tailwheel and complex types (varible pitch prop and retractable gear).

The C42 is, like many aircraft of the microlight type, an odd one. As far as I am aware you can't maintain your SEP NPPL rating or PPL licence on this type because of it's microlight clasification, however there are some versions out there on which you can.

Someone with a little more knowledge will provide a more expansive answer I'm sure. While you wait for the Guru to arrive here is a link (http://www.theflyingschool.co.uk/nppl.htm)you may wish to follow which should answer more of your questions.

[Gatecra5her]

Thanks for the very helpful reply nibbler! Gotta love these forums :)

-Mark :ok:

EDIT: That link is great, cheers!

[vincegod]

The NPPL A can have 3 ratings, SSEA, Microlight and SLMG. You can maintain each rating with hours flown on the other ratings. Here's the new requirements:


Holder of a licence with 2 or 3 ratings (SSEA/SLMG/Microlight): (a) Within the period of validity of the rating on any of the classes of aeroplanes held, have flown as pilot: • at least a total of 12 hours including 8 hours PIC • at least 12 take-offs and landings • at least 1 hour training flight with an instructor. If this flight has not been completed all ratings will be endorsed ‘Single seat only’. (b) Within the 12 months preceding the expiry date of the ratings held have flown, as pilot on any of the class ratings held: • at least 6 hours flight time. (c) Within the period of validity of each class rating held, have flown as pilot: • at least 1 hour PIC on each class held; or • undertaken at least 1 hour of flying training on each class held with an instructor entitled to give instruction on aeroplanes of those classes. If (c) has not been fully completed, you will be required to renew the relevant Class Rating(s) by GST. * NOTE: After 31 January 2008, Microlight/SLMG privileges may not be exercised on an SSEA Rating. However, a general exemption applies to anyone currently exercising such privileges and the relevant Class Rating(s) will be added to the licence upon revalidation.


Downloads it here: http://www.nppl.uk.com/documents/REVISEDREVALIDATIONREQUIREMENTSPOST31JANUARY2008.pdf

Vince