cheapest PPL school?

[adamchivers]

Hey,

Apologies if this has already been posted, i did look but couldnt find anything similar. I am a uni student, and i want to begin flying in order to achieve my PPL and maybe in the future take a modular course for a commercial aircraft if i still feel the same way. I am definitely not exactly the wealthiest person out there, and neither are my parents so they wont be sponsoring me. Every lesson i take will be paid for by myself from my part time jobs wages. Yes that may take a while but its something i have to do. I know already about the UAS and will be looking at joining come september.

Anyway, i was wondering if anybody knew the cheapest flight school available which will allow me to get my PPL for a little bit less? Or are there ways to achieve it cheaply some other way?


Sorry if i sound tight!
Cheers!

[A and C]

If you have any ideas about becoming a professional pilot you need to go to the best Flying club you can find, not the cheapest because you will only end up having to re- learn to do things properly later in your flying career.

As the Proverb says "buy cheap, buy twice!"

[Pilot DAR]

Yup, I gotta agree with A and C on this. I don't want to sound demeaning, but asking people who are in the business of providing an air service to do it "cheap", is going to get you a minimum service, which you will regret later.

When you have saved, and can afford a quality service, you'll be ready for flying lessons. Until then, save, ask, study, read and learn on the ground, but don't ask for cheap flying, it's hard for aviation professinals on the other side of the counter to take seriously...

Good luck....

[The Old Fat One]

You don't sound tight...you sound uninformed. That's OK, at 18 you don't know yet what you are getting into.

As the two posts above relate (and if they are genuine, any that come below also), in flying training "cheap" is seldom the same as "the most cost effective".

Spend some time in the wannabees forum; there are heaps of posts telling you what to look for in a flying school.

[Obi_Wan]

Adam,

You'got sound advice from the previous 3 posts.
My thoughts are as applicable to life in general, as they are aviation.

Cheapest per hour, may not be least expensive overall. If you find something really "cheap", but not as effective as a school that are more expensive per hour, your "cheap" route may well turn out to cost you far more money over the course of your training.

As a student with long summers I would suggest you save up to do it over one summer. Lots of flying on a very regular basis will avoid long periods due to weather etc. and will save you needing as much time re-capping. There are many threads on here about the frequency of lessons, how to approach the exams etc., so have a rummage, and good luck.

Obi Wan

[Genghis the Engineer]

I wouldn't do a PPL until you can see a point in the near future when you can afford to actually use it.

I'd suggest looking to the University gliding club. Cheap flying, good experience, and all valuable towards any future flying career. And at-least as much fun as anything involving an engine.

G

[Whopity]

I agree with all the other comments but there is one way you can get discounted flying and that is by working at a club/school who pay you in flight time rather than cash. You may need to do a lot of work for a little flying but if that's what you want, its worth investigating.

[Weirdfish]

Firstly, welcome :)

To be brutally honest, if you're having to ask the question of cheapest PPL then you can't afford it. I know that is a terribly sweeping statement when I don't know your full situation but you need to be prepared for the truth of the matter and I don't want you to full into the headline cost trap.

A little time on the net searching for schools and clubs regardless of location will show you the vast difference in cost and little information regarding extras.

A few simple things to be aware of. You have got to be some natural born pilot to get your PPL in the minimum 45hrs if you are only flying once a week.

Lessons are often quoted per hour, however, once past the early stages the lessons tend to be over that and once you get to Nav exercises the lesson start to get expensive. Not such a big deal if you have a flying fund, but may be difficult if saving up before each lesson.

Don't ignore the silent wallet killer that can be landing fees which more often than not are not included in the advertised cost to get your PPL.

Also, location is important. No point in saving 15 quid per hour if you have an extra hours drive to get there.

And I feel the following is good advice generally but more so if you do use cost as your prime consideration, do not pay up front. Really, don't do it.

Like I say, I'm not trying to put you off, but as someone who is 30hrs into PPL I'm just mentioning stuff that I feel is useful information to someone starting out currently.

Again, welcome. :)

[adamchivers]

Cheers for the sound advice guys, I really appreciate it! I think I'll get saving until I can afford the full course! Also thank you for the warm welcome!

Adam

[UAV689]

Anglia gliding club, £40 per hr!

[GeeWhizz]

Not going to repeat any of the above. I recommend sticking with the UAS until uni is finished. The sqn is likely to be near to your university, relatively inexpensive, and the instruction of reasonable quality.

Reading for your degree, learning to fly, and working to pay for it all will be very tough, and something has to give.

Good luck with whichever route you choose :ok:

GW

[BroomstickPilot]

Hi Adam,

You appear to be treating the UAS as a 'given'. It is many years since acquaintances of mine joined the UAS, but my recollection is that to fly with the UAS you needed first to pass the RAF Aircrew Pre-selection Tests, which took three days (half of this a very searching medical) and from which there was a heavy failure rate. (Anybody comment who has been in a UAS recently)?

The medical standards for CPL and ATPL are much lower. You can even pass if you wear spectacles.

Also, I would not discount UAV689's post. Gliding will give you useful basic flying skills (especially in relation to forced landings) and an appreciation of the behaviour of airmass movements that power pilots don't always have.

The best way to get PPL is to save up the entire cost, with some money to spare, and then go to the States and do it full time for a month or so.

Regards,

BP.

[Genghis the Engineer]

When I was in the UAS a few decades ago, the selection tests weren't quite that rigorous, but there were also interviews to determined whether you'd fit.

It absolutely is not a given.

And UAS now is not about flying so much as it's about the RAF and preparing potential officers for all branches. (Although yes, they do get flying, but far less than in my day when it was totally pilot driven.)

As organisations the UAS have never been about creating airline pilots, they've been about awareness of the RAF and creating future RAF Officers. Then again, who in their right mind would want to fly an A320 if there was a shot instead at flying a Typhoon !

G

[Pilot DAR]

go to the States.... or Canada (if you're going to travel anyway)!

[BroomstickPilot]

Hi Adam,

I think you ought to be aware also that of all the pilots who obtain their PPL for the first time about 70% decide not to renew their licences at the end of the five year validity period.

Obviously, some will pack in for work or financial reasons, (pressure of work or new job abroad,) others for family reasons, (growing family needs bigger house = bigger mortgage), others for medical reasons, (illness leading to loss of medical fitness).

but the others...?

BP.

[Pilot DAR]

but the others...?

I know one... He earned his PPL on a dare, and never flew ever again!

[Momoe]

I second BroomstickPilot,

I took up gliding after my PPL, I wish I'd done it first.

When you're searching for lift, you soon learn to keep the ball in the middle and fly cleanly. Landing gives you same skills you'll need for powered, just that you'll be adjusting height with brake rather than throttle and speed is still controlled by stick.
I've learned to cloud climb with turn and slip, speed and altimeter - if you can do
that with the above instruments a full or even partial panel should be no problem.

UAS is about the best value you'll get so make the most of it.

[RTN11]

Of course, there's always the discount for paying a large sum of money upfront...