uk weather

[aerofoil1]

so the great British weather is upon us what misery!!
cancelled lessons
i have four variables in order for me to fly they are as follows
money
time off work
instructor availability
and weather

if one of those things lets me down im grounded!!!!
does any one else have the same problems


regards

[gasax]

Pretty much everyone who learns to fly in the UK - unless they have a really generous father!

If it is too much trouble you could always give up - most people do after all!

[Put1992]

Had all your variables throughout training for my PPL,
Haven't been grounded in the 15 hours since getting my PPL funnily though! :ok:

Rarely fly at weekends because I have a repetative, boring, and poorly paid part time job to pay for flying.
At college all week, but have 2 afternoons off, no car = relying on friends or getting the train.
Getting dark early now, so flying on those afternoons is becoming a rush/pain!

Stick at it, things get better, and don't give up on winter flying, you can get some days that are better for flying than summer days.

Cheers, Put

[liam548]

i actually found last year i had less lessons cancelled in winter than spring early summer!

[sandbagsteve]

join the club :ok:

I have all but given up flying model planes due to the weather, and my microlight training is only slightly less affected!

Stick at it... as has already been said, winter can provide some truly fantastic flying weather.

[aerofoil1]

yes its nice when you get a cold front passing leaving behind calm and clear skies!
beats the hazy summers i suppose:ok:
model planes are the best things ever invented :ok:

[IO540]

One needs to learn to read the MSLP charts, and not book lessons when there is frontal weather passing through. When I was doing my PPL, there was a 3 month period Oct Nov Dec when I booked every day to fly and got just 3 lessons in. Of the ~ 87 cancellations most were due to exceptionally bad weather (a stationary warm front) but a lot due to instructors not turning up, planes broken, etc.

The only way to do it fast is to shack up next to an airfield in the summer and fly every day possible. Most people that do that do it in the USA, however, where it is cheaper, and in say Arizona you will have great weather which is virtually guaranteed.

In the UK, it probably takes a year on average.

[DBChopper]

That's the great British weather for you :ok:

It has always been the same, and always will be. I've been lucky enough to fly on some gorgeous days recently and cancelled flights / altered destinations due to nasty grey stuff on others.

If you really want to get the PPL you'll keep plugging away and using the time on the ground when the weather's rubbish to chat to your instructors and fellow pilots, maybe even catch up on a bit of the studying and get the exams out of the way.

If lack of instructors is an issue, perhaps you need to take your custom elsewhere?

[Oldpilot55]

I learned to fly three times..once at a major international airport, once at microlight strips and finally in Florida upgrading to group A from the microlight licence. 2.5 years, 1.5 years and 20 days in that order. I enjoyed the Florida experience so much more, concentrated study and training. It was so much better than waiting on Uk weather. That's not to say Florida, in Spring, was without its problems. Strong winds, cold fronts and haze from fires gave an almost UK like experience. Magic!!

[jxc]

Put1992 Had all your variables throughout training for my PPL,
Haven't been grounded in the 15 hours since getting my PPL funnily though!

That's good as long as you are not over risking it if the weather is questionable
form get me home itis

[Slopey]

I went to the US on a 5 week course and loved every minute of it, however, being based in Aberdeen with 80% terrible weather, at near enough £200 per hour on a 152 and virtually no circuit training allowed, it was a no brainer.

Depends where you are, but if you think it's bad now, just try keeping current on a club aircraft after you've got the ticket!!! Especially if they have a 30 day currency rule!

(look for a share once you've passed!)

[aerofoil1]

i fly from derby its a great little airfield
i have 19 hours on the log book and have enjoyed all of them
ive been thinking about saving up the cash and going over to the US to finish the course having already completed all the exams except RT
i wonder if it really would be worth it as the money id save on fuel and aircraft training costs id probably lose out on the flights transfers and accomodation plus getting it converted!
id like to fly from a different airfield like east mids to experience fitting in with commercial traffic
any thoughts

[2high2fastagain]

aerofoil,
I'd suggest you stick with Derby unless you are planning on doing all your flying in the US. A very experienced pilot once told me that it makes sense to learn where you intend to fly most, so I went along with it and having flown in a number of places (including the US) I'm very glad I did. The UK is very challenging in comparison. You do hear stories of the three-weekers struggling when they return to Blighty. Besides, Derby has some nice short runways which keep your landing skills sharp. Flying into and out of big airports is more expensive than the small clubs, but I'm sure that if you booked a double lesson, then your instructor would be more than happy to take to you East Mids for that $100 burger.

[Slopey]

A very experienced pilot once told me that it makes sense to learn where you intend to fly most

In practice, it doesn't really matter provided you're a decent, competent pilot/student. There's no insurmountable differences.

However, if you're there for a short time then you likely won't save money due to flight costs/accomo depending how many hours you need to do.

Also, if you're only there for a week or short time, you become highly weather/aircraft/instructor availability dependant. High winds can ruin your plans even though it's CAVOK if it's blowing the wrong way. But there is likely a higher chance of getting it done if you want to get the ticket depending when and where you go that is - parts of the US can have just as variable weather as here.

If you go to a JAA approved school, you won't need to convert on your return. Many people will say you'll need 10 hours conversion to UK airspace - you won't - as an example, the club were happy with me after 2 hours checkout. It's not an issue. Beware of clubs who say it is to try and extract more cash from you (unless you know yourself your flying isn't up to par, but that's a different issue).

[IO540]

A very experienced pilot once told me that it makes sense to learn where you intend to fly most

Rather more accurately, it pays (massively) to learn to fly IN the type of plane which one (and one's passengers) will want to be flying in afterwards.

[englishal]

i wonder if it really would be worth it as the money id save on fuel and aircraft training costs id probably lose out on the flights transfers and accomodation plus getting it converted!
without a doubt. Assuming 30 hrs to complete your course.....

Flight £400
Accomodation 3 weeks x $43 per night = $903
30 hrs x C152 $78.23 (Wet) = $2346
20 hrs x FI $50 = $1000
Flight test $300

= £3159 all in for the remaining 30 hours.

In the UK @ Derby:

Membership = £70
Away Landing Fees = £100
10 hrx x C152 solo = £1150
20 hrs x C152 dual = £ 2660
Flight test = £200

= £4180

So you'd save a grand going to the USA and have your licence in 3 weeks.

For the record, I learned in the USA back in 2000, now have 2 aeroplanes in the UK which I fly regularly, but I also go to the USA a couple of times a year for flying out West. I really don't think it matters where one learns to fly as long as one knows the rules and system.

[IO540]

Is it possible to start a PPL in the UK and finish in the USA?

One would need to bring over the exam passes (how are these documented?). The change of the FTO should be OK - I did that myself.

I lived out there for 2wks when doing the IR. Unfortunately I picked a really bad motel, with the cooker making tons of carbon monoxide :) One doesn't want to go quite so far downmarket...

[Jofm5]

Is it possible to start a PPL in the UK and finish in the USA?


When I looked into it earlier this year (exams and few hours flying in uk and rest in florida) it's not a problem, you just have to arrange between the two schools for the flying certifications and training notes to be transferred between them - obviously you are not allowed to be part of the loop so you cant doctor things.

[aerofoil1]

i wouldnt want to doctor any flying training records
if i do complete the rest of the training here then ive set a goal on passing the course by next xmas
sometimes you seem like your getting know where especially regarding our fantasic weather!
then im in a busy circuit doing go arounds like no tomorow!!
ive learnt so much this year but i know im a long way from flying the big jets,which is my ultimate goal
as my work takes me past Man airport most days i cant help but look up in the sky and admire them lining up for a greaser!
i guess once your biten by the bug its in your vains!!

[englishal]

Is it possible to start a PPL in the UK and finish in the USA?
It is if one decides to do the FAA PPL....

I'd use an FTO which has a house/accommodation/accommodation deal.

One I know has a really nice house and condo in Long Beach where students can stay for about $40 per night (long term students get use of a car too)....So plenty of p*55ing it up ;)

They also have a deal with the local hotel (which is nice and has pool etc...). The usual rate is about $110 per night, but for students it is $43 per room (if you want to share)....bargain, and there is a pub next door and the hotel runs a free courtesy bus to take you anywhere within 5-6 miles....downtown LGB for example.

[jonkil]

The weather debate goes on every year about this time.
Yes indeed the weather can be a real pain...but...
The UK, especially the Northern part and here in Ireland the weather is part of life... get on with it !
The amount of people who sit it out in less than ideal conditions, wait for the wind to be on the runway or for the windsock to die, bit of cloud... or the classic line "That weathers changing" !! and then roll up and go back to their sittingroom.... bullocks... !
I am not advocating flying in dangerous conditions, not for a minute.. I am however saying that most pilots don't ever fly in "less than ideal" conditions, never learn with an instructor or a more experienced pilot that it is perfectly acceptable to do so. We have flown into numerous airfields/airports where very little traffic is flying on a day where it isn't ideal, but in our view it is acceptable.
If we insist on living this far from the equator then we better learn to accept the conditions we live in, move south or take up another hobby.
I appreciate that this largely does not apply to a student learning the game, but the majority of PPL's who whine on about the weather as an "excuse" for not flying........ come on lads !
This has been a bad year here, we are waterlogged today on my grass strip, but still have 120+ hours done this year, not all in blue skies and fair wind. Get out there and get on with it, with experience and hours you will find that the weather plays a lesser role in your flying.

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

[ShyTorque]

For cheapness in UK stay at Derby. But do get away from the small airfield "**** Radio" A/G mentality and learn the R/T you will need after gaining your PPL; make sure you do some flying from the adjacent airport too.

[Molesworth 1]

There's only one way to do it.

If half your lessons are cancelled then book twice as many.

It's a simple as that. If you book two lessons a week, for example you will fly twice on some weeks and none on others.

As long as you don't cancel yourself your school has no reason to complain.

Another tip - don't cancel the day before, or even 1 hour before because of the weather forecast. Weather forecasts are only 80% correct. Your instructor is not going to thank you if you cancelled and the weather was acceptable despite the forecast.

What they don't tell you is that some students have priority - especially if they are doing a cross-country or skills test.

[IO540]

If half your lessons are cancelled then book twice as many.

Not sure that will work if the problem is lousy weather or a mismanaged school/club.

In my PPL, I booked a lesson for almost every day (i.e. 90 lessons) over the Oct/Nov/Dec period, and got 3 (three) lessons done. It just rained solidly, or lots of gusty winds.

Doing the PPL in the UK is usually frustrating. Especially as very often one cannot fly for reasons not readily apparent to the student, like the common english summer haze which is actually great for flying except that one cannot do much map reading. When you get your PPL, everything changes because you go out and buy yourself a really good GPS and then you can fly without having to navigate like Columbus used to :) But, traditional Autumn weather is hard to do anything about unless one is half retired and living near the airfield.