Which Flying Club?

[Spoonbill]

http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gifA friend of mine wants to learn to fly, not having any previous aviation knowledge whatsoever.
I have advised him on the financial considerations, (ie only pay as you go, dont pay anything in advance), however, we are having problems actually selecting an establishment which will give top quality instruction combined with good value for money. We have a lot of choice in the area, which offers anything from one man bands on grass strips to airports with several flying establishments, and it's becoming a bit of a nightmare.
I know that the shiniest isn't always the best, but he would value any advice that you would care to pass on. http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif

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It wasn't me.

[bcfc]

Where? http://www.pprune.org/ubb/NonCGI/confused.gif

Get him the Learn to Fly guide from Flyer Mag. It'll answer all his questions.

[DB6]

Where are you? People will have been to these clubs but they need to know where you are to give recommendations.

[Spoonbill]

Sorry - East Anglia.
Constructive opinion welcome, thanks :)

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It wasn't me.

[BA CEP WANNABE]

I went through the same a few months back, living in Essex and having the choice of a number of clubs. Having visited a few clubs at both Southend airport and smaller clubs locally, I settled on Stapleford Flight Centre due to the friendly, relaxed nature of the instructors. If you are unsure try one or two trial flights at various clubs. They all count towards your PPL !

[FNG]

East Anglia is pretty big. There are no licensed airfields in Suffolk, so that's out. Norfolk has Old Buckenham and Norwich. I cannot comment on the instruction at either but can say that Old Buck is small, friendly, welcoming and has a decent (hard) runway. Norwich is a busy regional airport with all that entails,notably very long taxiways. I don't think that Little Snoring or Swanton Morley are licensed. In Essex, Andrewsfield is worth a look. Like Old Buck, it's a former base of the Mighty 8th and is now a friendly club with a decent grass strip (although prone to waterlogging). The circuit is a bit huge because of noise abatement.

Lastly, at Cambridge you can learn on Tiger Moths or on Spamcans. Hard and grass strips, full ATC. As everyone says, shop around, and visit before signing up.