Thinking of giving up/postponing

[ma11achy]

Hi all,

I am managing to fly an average of 50 minutes per month - which in my opinion isn't helping with training. I have been told by my instructor that my progress is excellent (am in circuits after approx. 5 hours).

The final straw was last night (which was the nicest day of the year) and I wasn't able fly to because the roster was interpreted incorrectly.

Should I move to a different school, or is 50 minutes a month the average?

Thanks

[worrab]

Everyone's different, but at 50mins per month you're going to take a long time to get your PPL!! You don't say what your own availability is like, or whether it's the weather or aircraft/instructor availability which is causing the relatively low time. Could you expand on these themes a little?

[Pace]

If you are saying that you are available to fly weekends and all your school can manage is an average of 50 mins a month then in your position i would have it out with the school and look elsewhere.

You should comfortably be able to complete a PPL from start to finish in the course of a year so its either you not making yourself available or there is something wrong in that school.

Pace

[ma11achy]

Hi all,

Many thanks for the replies.

I make myself available 4 days a week (am at the airfield waiting to fly), but due to weather, aerodrome limits on wind and instructor availability, I've only averaged about 50 minutes per month in the past month and a half.

The big benefit of this school is that it's near to me (about a 10 minute drive). The other nearest school is about a 2 hour drive away.

Maybe it's time to change flying schools?

Cheers!

[Captain Stable]

To be quite honest, I wouldn't change school just yet, especially given how far away the next closest school is. If you change, it will be very embarrassing if you then want to change back.

Go back over the occasions when lessons have been cancelled. If 75% or more are weather-related, then you're about right. If as many as 50% are caused by instructor non-availability, aircraft non-availability or aircraft U/S, then you need to start making noises.

50 minutes per month is really not enough. IMHO, PPL students really need to fly once a week. Given the above rate, I am very surprised you've got to the circuit in only five hours, and that would concern me - I am nursing a slight suspicion that earlier lessons may have been skimped. Ex. 10 alone should be a good hour. It may be, of course, that you really are a natural - they're rare, but they happen. This ain't a problem you need to worry about, and I won't call your instructor(s) unprofessional without evidence.

From what I remember about my time in the Emerald Isle, weather had a lot to do with almost everything. The song says there are 40 shades of green. Personally, I'd have been happy with only 20 shades and 50% of the rain. In Belfast, they say if you can see Divis Hills it'll be raining soon. If you can't see them, it's already raining.

Enjoy your flying!

[ma11achy]

Captain Stable, many thanks for your very informed and interesting reply.
It's given me food for thought, that's for sure.

You are indeed very correct, more than 75% have been weather related cancellations - too windy, cloud cover below minimums, heavy rain, etc.
Very little has been to do with instructor or aircraft non-availability.
I'd give my instructor 100% for professionalism - he's the only instructor there that I have had a ground briefing with before flying, he's very thorough and teaches me the fundamentals of why - not just how. I couldn't praise him enough. I don't think I'm a natural (wish I was :} ) although I did hear one instructor say I was a natural stick, (whatever that means).

Maybe I will give it more time and stay with the club. The weather is utterly crap, but I'm hoping to emigrate to Oz in a year or two - so that might fix that :ok:

Thanks again Captain - it's good to get a second opinion on things like this.

[Pace]

Sometimes i wonder if some clubs are too cautious regarding weather.

I am not talking about solo work but where you are with the instructor. It is good under supervision for the soul to fly in stronger winds, less visibility, lower clouds rather than only flying on perfect days.

Going into winter matters will only get worse and an average of 50 mins a month would take you forever to get a PPL.
There has to be another reason other than weather so you need to talk to your school and find out why.

Your other option is what you already mentioned which is to go elsewhere to a climate which can allow you to get the job done.

Pace

[jonkil]

All very good info, Pace is correct, I believe that flying in less than ideal conditions is something ALL students should do, especially if you live anywhere in Northern UK or Ireland as I do. I know for a fact if I sat on the ground when the weather was less than ideal then I would do very little flying, as it is I manage 250+ hours per year, a lot of in less than ideal conditions. I am not saying you should fly in conditions that are in any way dangerous but moderate weather here in the UK isn't always "perfect" for flying.
All the best and good luck with your training and forget about giving up, it will all come together in the end.

Jon
www.RuskeyAirfield.com (http://www.RuskeyAirfield.com)

[Stephen Furner]

When do you make the fly no fly decision? If it's a phone call to the airfield in the morning to check if there is any flying that day then it’s certainly worth your while going there if the weather is marginal. The weather may well break long enough for a lesson and the time waiting can be productively spent in self study for the ground examinations.

Have you discussed this with your instructor or the CFI to see if they have any suggestions about ways you can drive up your flying time? There may be scope for booking additional slots during good weather periods. Perhaps you could have first refusal on cancelled slots on a good weather day since you live close by and it is easy for you to get there.

There may well be some simple organisational strategies you can use to drive your flying time up from its current 50 mins a month to the 50 mins a week you need for your training.

Stephen

[Say again s l o w l y]

An hour a week is about the minimum to allow you to get through your training without any regressive steps.

How many lessons are you booking at a time? If you are booking daily and only getting under an hour a month, then there is something very, very wrong. Not just for you, but if a school is only getting that utilisation, then they won't last long.

Have a word with the CFI and your FI, if you are getting on well with your FI and the school in other ways, then I wouldn't jump ship just yet.

Steven, I think it was every couple of weeks you flew when I was training you back in the mists of time at EGSR having just dug out my old logbook from then. That worked alright didn't it!

[Stephen Furner]

You are quite right “Say it again slowly” I certainly did train for my PPL at EGSR on the Robin HR200s and now keep my old C172 there. I could only get to EGSR at weekends so used to book a slot on both Sat and Sun and made sure I had this booked weeks ahead. In winter often one or sometimes both days got weathered out but on average I was able to get a flight roughly once a week even during very bad weather periods. I’m not a natural pilot so I presented a considerable challenge to the fine art of instructing, however for me personally a regular one to two hours a week did the job and I got my licence.

[mad_jock]

Go with SAS 50mins per month the only person getting any sort of benefit out of your training is your instructor with their hour building

[Superpilot]

That is taking the mick. My bet would be that the school have assumed that you for some reason have chosen to train part time. Happened to me during my CPL. I couldn't explain why others were flying 5-6 days a week and me 2-3. In the end and after 3 weeks, I walked into the office and challenged them. I was told "You wanted to train part time didn't you!?!"

In the end they came up with this assumption because I used to live off-field. :rolleyes: