should I do my PPL in the UK from Mid March to April?--hows the weather for VFR?

[FlyingHedgehog]

Hi,

Sounds like a stupid question. I wonder if I will end up losing a lot of days if I go to the UK to do my PPL in March-April? I know nobody can be absolutely certain about the weather......

I am looking to go to Wycombe Air Center by the way... Does anybody know how many days I might end up grounded? Just give me a ballpark figure.

I have one month off from my job to go for it full time in March

. NB. I have already done all the written exams and completed all the flying lessons in the States with one of those JAA schools--all these was done in Dec 2011 and then I had to go back to work. Luckily I was able to secure another vacation period in March and I really want to go back and get this done before I get all rusty...

.....However I still feel that my landings and PFL are not really satisfactory and the instructors there (in the US) seem to be unable to teach me given their level of experience (and of course perhaps my lack of aptitude...who knows whose fault that might be? me? them?) So although I have finished all the flying lessons, I have not been signed off for my first cross country yet. In essence all I have to do to complete my PPL is to pass the stage check and get released for my cross countries, then do a revision and then the check ride.



I am not happy with the school I was with in the States and I am thinking about switching over to the UK. The weather will be one of the factors among others that I need to consider....

In one sentence--good, old and young, lovely Ppruners....HELP ME!!! SAY SOMETHING!!!PLEASE!!!!!

[Whopity]

Mid March to April is normally the windy season. It is always advisable to say you will loose 50% due to weather on average. With what you say you have already done, it should be achievable but expect a completely different form of instruction in the UK.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Apart from being momentarily below VFR minima, weather could also stop you in another way: I have often been unable to fly because the (grass) runway was flooded.

[dan_vector]

I did my PPL from August 2010 - August 2011 (exactly 1 year!) and looking at my logbook it seems I had fewest flights between February and April and can recall most of the cancellations I had during that time were due to cross winds and low cloud base.

[riverrock83]

At Wycombe 24/06 is a hard runway so flooding shouldn't be an issue (although I've no experience there).

Where I am (Scotland) I had few if any weather based cancellations during the first part of my training, we were able to work around whatever the weather was, but now I've reached the cross country stage loads have been cancelled. My instructor has been using the weather as part of the training - getting me to make a call whether to go or not (which will be useful when I have a PPL!) and at least one time I've probably been a bit more conservative than required, but even still - its not been the best winter. 50% when you are doing it full time seems a bit pessimistic to be still, but I've no stats to disagree.

I'd have thought with runways 24/06 and 17/36 there should be few crosswind cancellations - it will be cloud base that is the main reason. I guess it depends though which aircraft you're learning in. Websites like Windfinder - Wind & weather statistic High Wycombe (http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_high_wycombe.htm) are normally good for wind stats but there appears to be a gap in the Wycombe data.

[stevelup]

I did mine September 2009 > August 2010 and these were my hours:-

2.00 September
8.50 October
3.25 November
4.67 December
5.67 January
2.92 February
3.67 March
3.67 April
6.00 May
7.67 June
5.50 July
4.33 August

[Whiskey Kilo Wanderer]

Looking back in the logbook over the last five years, I’ve averaged around 30 hours each year in the periods mid-March to mid-April. This is flying from a farm strip in the south east of England. Operating off a hard runway should help.

Good luck with completing your PPL.

[2high2fastagain]

My instructor told me that you can expect to fly 70% of the days in the summer and 50% in the winter, although he was a little vague about when it switches over. The UK weather is so changeable, I'd be tempted to just go for it and be damned. We have had terrible months in the summer - in the year I did my QXC, I was ready in June, but didn't get a rain-free, fog-free, low-cloud free day until October!

My advice would be to wait for the clocks to go forward (many flying schools extend their hours when this happens) and give it a whirl. If you miss it by a bit you can always finish off at weekends.

One other reason for going for it is that you'll have the chance to fly with an instructor in some iffy weather. Great for pushing your own envelope. My experience was making a landing in 48 knots of breeze. Not something I'd do myself unless there was no other option, but with a really experienced CFI it really was quite something - and I know what it looks like!

Oh, and one other thing. My advice is to treat it as a fun hobby rather a mission from god to get a licence. It all comes right in the end, but make sure you enjoy it - particularly the bad days. So what if it takes a few more hours. My insurers seem to like it the more hours I have.

[Angel_1_five]

Hi, when i learn't to fly i started in feb and finished june, feb i flew about 6 hours and march about 9 but i was able to fly any day that was flyable.

Good luck

[Genghis the Engineer]

I know Wycombe Air Centre and Wycombe Air Park quite well, you've chosen a good airfield and a good flying school.

If you've substantially done the flying, so it's a case of coming up to the required standards and getting to know the airfield and aeroplane - I don't think you'll struggle in a month.

British weather is very variable, and at that time of year it can be consistently excellent, consistenly unflyable, or somewhere in between. But it's highly unlikely if you are based there for a month that you will fail to get your PPL, and with any luck a bit more flying in besides (have a go if you get really lucky with time at adding a UK IMC rating whilst it's still available, or at-least a night qualification). Also possible on site if you've got everything done quickly - there are tailwheel training, microlight differences training, or gliding instruction all available on the field.

My guess is that on average, over that sort of time period, you have a good chance of flying twice in a day, every other day. So the odds are very much in your favour.

Two warnings about Booker (the local name for Wycombe Air Park); one is that the airfield cafe recently went out of business so you'll need to take sandwiches!, the second is that the local public transport is not brilliant - on the other hand High Wycombe (the nearest town) does have a bus service out the airfield, and the town itself, whilst scruffy, does have a fair bit to do when the weather's crap, as well as being only an hour by train from the centre of London and a reasonably inexpensive place to stay.

Do turn up having already studied for all of your ground exams and ready to take them as soon as you turn up. Also you could do worse than get hold of the local charts and study those before you arrive. The airport diagram you can get online from the UK AIP.

G

[Whopity]

NB. I have already done all the written exams and completed all the flying lessons in the States with one of those JAA schoolsIsn't communication is a wonderful thing?Do turn up having already studied for all of your ground exams and ready to take them as soon as you turn up.

[Genghis the Engineer]

It is, I missed that bit.

G

[patowalker]

If you miss it by a bit you can always finish off at weekends.

Just take the shuttle. :)