Passed my PPL - now what?

[LeeP-PA28]

So having wanted to be a pilot from being a young lad at the airshows and having my dreams of being an RAF pilot shattered by a history of asthma, I decided to start my PPL in November last year.

It was short lived: the impending splitting up of me and my partner (along with the expense of that) and constant bad weather at Multiflight at Leeds meant I got about 6 hours done in 3 months. I managed to get into the circuit in the Robin 200 but stopped at this point.

I then moved to Sherburn Aero Club :D:ok:

I started again the first week in Feb once I'd saved up some money and got my mind focused on the job in hand and this week I passed my full PPL. It took me 45hrs 15 mins in total - to say I am exstatic is an understatement! I took airlaw in Feb and that got me working on the study side of things.

I did my exams in this order:

Air Law
Nav
Comms
Human Factors
Met
Flight Performance
Gen Tech

I took my final exam as part of my 45 and was delighted that I passed.

I thoroughly enjoyed the learning process and putting it all into play with my Sim setup (I honestly believe this has aided my learning and redcued the hours in the air - and the cost!).

I've got plans to fly down to Jersey and Newquay this summer, with little trips when funds allow to other fields across the country.

All of this will be in a PA28 Warrior with some of the day trips in a Robin 2160.

So I guess the question is : what next?

My plan is the following (in this order):

multiple nav trips to Jersey, South of France, around the UK for weekends etc, build up 50 hours this year if possible as P1.

Working in the background on my twin rating and then in the winter months my Night Rating.
I cannot afford IR just yet (maybe in a few years) so once I'd done the min P1 hours, I was considering IMC.

Is this a typical plan? A good plan?

Your input and thoughts would be greatly received :)

Happy Flying!

[BackPacker]

Wait a minute. You CAN afford a twin rating (and, presumably, twin hire/share/buying afterwards) but you can NOT afford an IR?

I know what I would do. Forget the twin rating for now and get the IR first. The IR is usable in a single engine aircraft, but a twin rating and the serious touring capability that comes with a twin, is not going to be very useful without an IR.

Furthermore, what's going to improve safety more: The extra engine or the extra knowledge and experience to fly in IMC, perform approaches to minima and so forth? Plus the ability to fly airways, under positive ATC control?

[Piltdown Man]

Why not fly for fun? Ditch the rubbish IFR stuff and do some real flying. How about a Super Cub or a Tiger Moth? How about an autogyro? Do some aeros in a Pitts or an Extra? Bashing long holes in clouds is best done when sipping G & T's.

PM

[loaded as a dice]

Well done on passing, next step, come and join us at Sherburn Aero club and enjoy some away day trips.Pm me if you wish :ok:

[LeeP-PA28]

The way I see it: IFR is about a £20k investment in what is essentially "hobby flying" for me.

I saw TWIN and NR as about £6k with £3k for IMC.
Would do twin at the back end of my training. It would allow me to fly with a member of the family who has a Seneca as P1 when conditions allowed. I agree, IFR makes damn good sense and gets you into airways / full coverage but at present, I want to better myself as a pilot and dead reckoning under VFR in VMC using IMC in case I encountered bad weather enroute (and let's face it, IMC does save lives!).

Just trying to get a focus on what to do next :)

Piltdown man, have already done a few aero lessons as part of my PPL in a 2160 as I had hours to waste (so to speak) and do fully expect to take that avenue a little more seriously too ;)

[IO540]

If you want to go places around Europe, an IR transforms your capability to do so, and that is before you actually fly in any bad weather.

My VFR long-distance despatch rate of about 50% improved to about 75% with the IR and IFR flight plans, and that is based on avoiding most frontal weather because with a 20k ceiling I cannot outclimb most fronts. If you don't mind pushing things into frontal conditions then your despatch rate goes over 90%, especially if you have de-ice and "robust" passengers :)

I should add that the 50% VFR figure was itself based on the pilot being instrument capable and willing to fly VFR in IMC if necessary... if you fly pure 100% legit VFR then you are down to some 25% (picking random dates over the year).

Multi engine is nothing to do with any of this, and merely burns 80% more fuel for the same distance, to carry the spare motor. I suppose the only advantage of ME is that you can buy a beaten up twin with de-ice kit for less than an SE with the same kit - because their prices are ultra depressed by the avgas price.

This is why private pilots sacrifice chunks of their life to do the IR, with the 95%-irrelevant and utterly tedious JAA theory, etc. They don't do it for a laugh. Pilots with enough money to buy their own tend to go N-reg and do the FAA IR route which is substantially more achievable. But it's all doable if you put in enough time.

How about an autogyro?You are kidding? That's a flying death wish :) The death rate in those probably beats the original 1972 Kawasaki 750 triple, and the Kwacker was a lot faster.

[Vizsla]

Take up ballooning
Should This Morning have interviewed woman with 'world's largest breasts'? - AOL Lifestyle UK (http://lifestyle.aol.co.uk/2011/05/13/should-this-morning-have-interviewed-woman-with-worlds-largest/?icid=main|uk-ws-bb|dl5|link3|http%3A%2F%2Flifestyle.aol.co.uk%2F2011%2F05%2F 13%2Fshould-this-morning-have-interviewed-woman-with-worlds-largest%2F)

[Genghis the Engineer]

Just fly!

Go interesting places for lunch, do a couple of hours down the coast, practice stalls and PFLs and circuits on your own, take your significant other for a night in the Glenforsa hotel.

Get to know flying without supervision for a while, then re-address your interests and objectives once you've really flown, say 50+ hours, out of the school environment.

G

[FleetFlyer]

Get some aerobatic training. It was the best thing I did since going solo.
Getting to really know an aeroplane upside down with the throttle firewalled whilst hanging in your straps is pretty stimulating.
You'll find your general handling improves massively and you'll start to develop a much more sensitive 'feel' for the aeroplane.

Also, don't forget to keep your costs under control. Once you know what side of flying you like best (aeros/farm strips/long distance touring/etc) then buy into a group. I'm a member of a group and my flying is limited by how much time I can throw at it rather than how much money.

[LeeP-PA28]

Great advice - Glenforsa looks stunning!

[LeeP-PA28]

Been thinking about doing an Ultimate High AOPA Aero Course (basic and standard) in the Bulldog as I would love to do Aeros properly (apparently I'd be more qualified than the instructors where I'm based if I did those on Aeros..!).

But this week I've managed to get 3.5 as P1 in the bag and with each flight, I am learning more and more.

Today I flew from Sherburn to Stokesley, Redcar, Hartlepool, Peterlee, A1/A66 interchange, Harrogate and back. The weather was crap - vis about 7k to start with and I planned at flying 3500ft over the moors but I was forced down to about 1700ft and had to alter my route due to an obstruction that I was due to be over - all confidently and no doubts... My normal flying area had been to the south so I wanted to push my boundaries, work on matz penetration and operating within Class D airspace and it all worked very well. Over the 132nm route I was overall 3mins out on my landing with 25kt winds on landing (on the nose almost). And this was a route I'd never done without an instructor first - it was a great feeling :D

I am starting to appreciate the limitations on wishing to fly VFR whenever I want. I thoroughly loved today, loved the challenge and that it all worked out as I expected it and walked away learning a lot too (each flight my RT gets stronger, accuracy of flying and swiftness of checks/manoeuvres, confidence in the aircraft and the instruments etc).

I honestly think I'll be starting my IMC in a few weeks time. I've decided to read the book, start to run through it on the sim and then put it into practise.

Best thing about flying = the smile on your face when you're up there :)

[loaded as a dice]

Hi Lee, sent you a pm