Taking the next step !!

[150flyer]

I've recently gained my PPL and now looking forward to touring. I have to admit I'm a bit nervous about it. In the past I've always flown routes with an instructor first. Now I'm going to be flying from Yorkshire throughout the country, landing at new places and speaking to different ATC.

How have other people found this transition? Hopefully just a question of confidence. I always fully plan any trip but find it difficult knowing who to talk to and whether I can transit controlled airspace (obviously with permission) or to just avoid it.

[Whiskey Kilo Wanderer]

I suspect we all started cautiously, in the same area in which we’d learned to fly and navigate. Having done your qualifying cross country you are used to landing away, so the places you go to now are just extensions of that flying. I certainly gave a wide berth to any form of controlled airspace, from airfield ATZ’s upwards, for the first few months.

I don’t know if you would consider teaming up with another PPL, to split the workload and the costs? I found that initially I went somewhere on my own, had a cup of tea and came back. It’s more fun to go with someone else.

Now you have your PPL you can ‘cheat’ a bit. There are useful devices, like the Aware GPS, which may help to keep you out of controlled airspace. On some of them you can plan your route and do all the sweating about where to go on the ground, before you get airborne.

In the planning stages Google satellite view can give you a useful feel for what the area will look like. Sometimes this is more useful for the taxiway layout at the destination and helps to interpret the Pooley’s / VFR Guide airfield diagrams. This is particularly true of grass airfields, which tend to look like, er.., grass.

If you start talking to you local ATC they should pass you on to the next one along the route. If you are ever remotely uncertain of your location, talk to ATC, any ATC. Don’t worry about not sounding professional, they are much more interested in talking to you and keeping you out of the way of their airliners than they are about you not using the exact phraseology.

If you get a chance, go to one of the Visit ATC Days. It’s really useful to see things from their side of the radarscope.

Enjoy your flying, that’s what you spent all that time, money and effort to achieve.

[tomtytom]

I found doing my night rating and joining a group.very helpful. Flying with other experienced and inexperienced pilots im still learning something new every flight. I am starting my imc training this weekend and cant wait.

[CharlieDeltaUK]

+1 for the idea of flying with other club members. Half the cost, but more than half the experience. As well as being fun, I've found that the more experienced guys also seem to remember what it's like as a newly qualified pilot and I generally found the amount of feedback was just right.

[RTN11]

I remember being pretty nervous the first time I left the bubble I had been trained in, but after you've done it a few times you realise it's actually very straight forwards and no fuss at all.

I remember really struggling to choose where to go, since the options are almost endless, so I used to get the free landing vouchers out of the flying magazines just for inspiration to go somewhere I wouldn't of thought of. I ended up at Turweston and had a lovely day out.

The coastal routes are also a good way to "break your teeth" if you're near the south coast, either Lands End or Manston are well worth a visit, and very little chance of getting lost.

I would second everything above, finding a flying buddy or getting into a group makes the whole thing a lot more fun, and brings the costs down.

[150flyer]

Thanks for the suggestions. This site can be real valuable at times. I'm just in the process of buying into a group share so may not do much flying with others as the other group members probably won't be too bothered but some of the other advice was real useful. Thanks

[Pace]

I can well remember flying with a much more experienced pilot than me back in the early days of my PPL flying,

With him I was confident as if things got sticky he could sort it !

One day we were going to fly some friends to France!
I arrived brimming with confidence and anticipation for the day ahead!
The other two PAX turned up and I strutted around as super hero waiting for the other pilot to turn up!
I prepared everything then the call !!!

" Err sorry cannot come crashed car on way! Your perfectly capable of going on your own ".

I turned to jelly, the confidence vanished and I desperately thought of reasons to Cancel!

I approached the other two Pax who were raring to go plucked up courage shoved the fear away and went.

Best flight I had done and such a confidence builder!

That was 5000 hrs ago so it's perfectly normal
Yes do fly with a more experienced pilot to gain experience and then at some time you have to fly the nest.

Pace