Staines-OATS, commutable?

[Desk-pilot]

I'm considering the August Integrated course at Oxford and currently have a house near Staines and a wife who works at Heathrow.

We're evaluating options on where to live and are considering moving nearer Oxford thereby giving me a shorter commute and her a longer one. She doesn't like driving as much as I do and I feel I am already asking a lot of her to support me changing career at 33 and going flying.

It's occured to me that we might be able to carry on living where we are and I could commute to Oxford - what do those of you on the course think? It occured to me that with lectures between 08.45 and 4.15pm I could leave home at 6.30 and hopefully have a clear run to Kidlington at that time in the morning arriving say 7.30-7.45, then spend an hour studying/having a coffee etc. Finish at 4.15 and get home by 6pm and then hit the books for another hour or so. One final advantage is I presume I will be going against the flow of traffic ie I'm leaving London area in the morning and heading in at night.

We like our house, we can borrow against it and domestically it is spacious with plenty of room to study etc. In addition it's an ideal location to commute to LHR/LGW and even Stanstead is do-able for when I land that jet job! - what do you think?

Our other options are:

1 - Rent our house out and rent nearer Oxford (Could be risky because the agents tell us that 4 bed detached houses are slow to let)

2 - Sell up and buy somewhere nearer Oxford but commutable for my wife. This may be problematic if I am made redundant before we find another house because we won't get a big enough mortgage on just my wife's salary to buy anything even remotedly as good as what we have. Having expressed interest in redundancy the it may happen sooner than I think!

3 - Sell up and rent. Don't like this idea with house prices rising like they are in SE England

4 - My wife stays put and I rent a bedsit near Oxford - this may not be financially viable and in any case I think bedsit life would depress me more than any commute!

I suppose I also feel that although I am not good at getting out of bed early in the morning to go into the office now I'd better get to like it if I want a career as a pilot. I know a lot of pilots commute from Oxfordshire to LHR before and after a 4 sector day so this might be good practice!

Really appreciate views - especially from those on the course.

Desk-pilot

[Grandad Flyer]

I would have thought your best option would be to stay put and commute. As you say, you'll be going against the traffic and it won't take that long. What you should do is do a "trial run" at the appropriate times of day to see how long it'll take.
Moving house always costs loads of money and you probably have some equity in your house already. Depending where you go, Oxfordshire is not going to be cheap to buy in.
And I am sure your wife will be happier, which will help - its a big consideration - after all, once you have completed your licence you are still going to have a long wait with no money whilst you look for that first job.
Good luck!

[jasonjdr]

I had a flat in Windsor while doing an integrated course with OATS. Eeven though I decided to rent out for the income, I was still returning to WIndsor every weekend to visit my girlfriend. It took me about 45 mins door to door when the traffic was good (the 404 and M4 can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes, as you most probably know!), I also biked back and forth which brought the time down to about 30 mins, but was bloody freezing in the winter:( :(

Don't know if you are doing an integrated. but Either way I would be aware that when on solid flying, you won't be close enough to be able to run down if the weather changes for the better quickly. Also, if you have an early start instructor you may have to be in for 6am. Now if the weather is crap or your aircraft went tech you could end up waiting around all day long for a clearing or another a/c. When you are coming up for CPL or IR this becomes a major issue as OATS is very busy and if you miss your slot its very difficult to get another unless you are close by, and these are the times when you really want some consistancy. (when I was doing my CPL I had to wait for 2 weeks for a a/c, examiner, and weather to be ok! a one off, maybe?! But worth bearing in mind)

In short, if you do decide to commute make sure your ready for long days in the crew room and you buy your instructor a mobile! :D :D :D

Hope this helps.

[j31fo]

I commuted form St Albans to Cranfield to do a CAP509 course and found I was pretty knackered at the end of the day and not in great shape to do the 3 odd hrs work I found was required in the evenings. The journey time was only about 35mins. Also, if you get up in time to leave at 6.30am you'll start to feel grim after lunch, and your concentration levels will fall like a brick.

The other course members who lived in halls of residence went back at 5.30, had something to eat, worked and then went to the bar for a quick beer. They also seemed to be at an advantage as there were others to discuss work with. If I did it again, I would probably live in during the week and return to the missus at the weekend.

[Rotorbike]

Desk-Pilot

I feel you answered your own question in the second paragraph. You prefer driving!! The AA think Staines to Oxford is 50 miles and will take you 56 minutes.

Many people commute this or more daily and to miss out on the 'pint' in the evening to head back to the wife is the price you will have to take.

What is the point of moving for a year when you will ultimately want to move back to this very same area for work. Or be asking your wife to move somewhere else in the country. Stability is what you want for the next few years and if you have it at the moment why change.

As little change as possible towards your goal.

;)

[F3]

If I were in your situation I would commute whilst the course is pure groundschool and rent for a few nights a week when the flying begins. I definately wouldn't sell the house. The last thing you need after a two hour training sortie is a long drive home.
All the best.

[Stan Evil]

As an integrated student at Oxford you'll be doing the first hundred hours of flying in the USA. So, as F3 suggested, commute for the groundschool and rent during the UK flying phase. I'd say that it's essential to be close at hand for the flying so that you can react to the programme changes which are a fact of life at any school. You also need to be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the early starts and a long drive before won't help. As well as that, going down the pub with your fellows gives you a much needed shoulder to cry on when a trip goes badly - you'll then find that everyone else has a similar horror story!