Tatenhill or Halfpenny?

[Ian_coop0154]

Hi guys, I apologise now if this is in the wrong forum. I want to start flying and get my PPL. I live in Stafford and not sure who to try.(halfpenny or Tatenhill?)

When I look at prices, again I'm not sure. Can any one tell me how much a flying lesson is And if I was to have a lesson once a month would that be ok?

I used to fly Gliders at Sighford gliding club when I was 16, now I'm 33 and fancy flying something with an engine. Can some one please advice??

[an2ony]

Hello,

I fly into Halfpenny and rent from Tatenhill. I also rent from Coventry.

For me I would highly recommend Coventry, the aircraft are much newer and you will be flying within an ATC environment. It will be the most expensive out of the three but well worth it.

Tatenhill is cheaper with an air to ground radio service and Halfpenny has a FISO offering a flight information service.

You will need to budget for £150.00 per hour, 1 hour a month would take you 4-5 years to obtain your PPL.

My best advice is book a trial flight with all three and choose what you feel is right for you.

[ZeBedie]

Also consider Derby airfield.

"you will be flying within an ATC environment" a minor benefit. The quality of instruction matters more.

Flying only once a month is not going to be conducive to good progress. If learning is to be a pleasure in its own way, then OK, but expect it to take much, much more than 40 hours.

[Red Chilli]

Hi, it would be much more productive if you could firstly save up and ringfence a decent amount of cash to enable you to at least get the initial motor skills under your belt, leading to your first solo (a real milestone!), in a fairly short space of time - perhaps realistically allow 15-20 hours for this and try to do this in a few weekends, or even take a week off work.

One lesson a month will simply mean spending half of the new lesson re-learning what you did last time.

Also, really do not get hung up on the amount of hours it takes to achieve a particular goal. As long as you're safe, confident (relatively) and enjoying yourself it does not matter.

Enjoy!

[BroomstickPilot]

Hi Ian,

First of all, the PPL course is not a 45 hour course as sometimes advertised. 45 hours is just the legal minimum. It actually takes as many hours as it takes - depending on aptitude and frequency of flying. The average is something nearer to 70 hours. However, with only one lesson a month it will take several years and a great many more hours than even the 70.

I would strongly recommend that you consider micro-light flying instead. Weight-shift flying is very much cheaper and is, I believe, extremely good fun. However, if you really want to fly something that looks like a 'proper aeroplane' then try flying the 'three-axis' micro-lights. These are indistinguishable in appearance from Group A aircraft and are if anything more capable than Goup A, (although within weight limitations). You would then take a micro-light licence rather than the PPL. Much cheaper all round.

If you really must go for a PPL then I would say save up the entire cost before you start and do it abroad where flying is cheaper and weather is much more dependable.

Regards,

BP.

[taybird]

First thing - the "one lesson a month" napkin calculations are wrong. If you do one lesson a month, there's no stipulation that the one lesson has to be an hour. Earlier on it may well be, but once you're into Nav it can be longer.

Second thing - I absolutely agree, the 45 hours is a minimum requirement, and yes some people take a lot more than 45. Most are in the 55-60 bracket, but the time it takes is not of any consequence except to your wallet. I would hope you would be planning on continuing flying after you get your licence anyway, so the difference in cost isn't so great.

Third thing - given what I've just said, it is still possible to get your licence in close to minimum hours even if you take longer to train. I took 4 years and ~46 hours.

Now to choice of airfield.
Look at the websites for each school where you will find details of prices. Then visit, take a trial lesson and see how you feel about the school, the facilities and the instructor. Ask other students how they're doing and what they like and dislike. Ask about ground school and how that's run. That way you'll be making an informed choice. Also bear in mind where you think you'd like to carry on flying once you have your licence, and how long it takes to drive there. If you have to drive a long way, that can be a real turn off in the long run.

From my perspective, Tatenhill will most likely be cheaper than Halfpenny Green. The school is run by the airfield management, so is unlikely to go bust unlike some at Halfpenny Green. Whenever I've been to HG, it has been like a ghost town.

Both airfields have hard runways which puts them at an immediate advantage over airfields like Derby, where flying is often curtailed by waterlogged runways. Halfpenny Green has more runways than Tatenhill, which can be useful at times.

The type of "control" is different at Halfpenny Green - its sort of halfway house between a proper tower like Birmingham International would have, and no formal control at all. The guys in the tower there providing FISO, that I've met, are very professional and I have a lot of time for them. At Tatenhill, the service type is called Air Ground, which effectively means its a bit less restrictive, but there's not a whole lot of difference.

The rest you 'll work out for yourself by visiting and taking a look for yourself.

Good luck and enjoy your flying.

[krankyd]

Derby is to wet. Flew out of there this weekend and it was wellies and aircraft skidding all over the shop. Would not recommend as a great place to learn.

[Jude098]

I've nothing to do with the company but there seem to be quite a few flying schools using this scheme.

http://ukga.com/classified/view?contentId=32081 (http://ukga.com/classified/view?contentId=32081)

[Shoestring Flyer]

If you learn to fly at Derby you will never have any future fears about short grass strips later in your flying.
The instruction at Derby is first class and the ownership of the school and the airfield are one and the same.

krankyd

All grass strips are wet in the winter, because grass is usually wet at this time of the year (!!)but it all adds to the experience and grass will always flatter your landings.

[fireflybob]

My advice is go to each place and do a trial lesson (if money allows) and go with your gut feeling. It's quality of instruction that counts wherever you are - do they do a proper pre flight and post flight brief or is it just a dash to get airborne?

[krankyd]

There's grass strips, and there is boggy. Derby is to muddy, I would not consider learning to fly in that, but each to their own.

[tiger26isfinals]

I have no attachment other than I did my training there a few years back but can thoroughly recommend Bob Kirk at Wolverhampton Flight Training based at Halfpenny Green. As others have said, go and visit places for yourself and see what you think. It's a lot of hard earned cash to part with!

[JDCP]

Have you looked at Sleap? The club there has good instructors. You can get your PPL, IMC, Night rating, aerobatics & fly tail draggers. Good cafe too. It's a bit further than the Green & Tatenhill. Just a thought.

Regards and good luck.

[RS2]

If you do choose Halfpenny Green, you still have to choose between four fixed wing and one microlight school. Learn to Fly - Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green Airport (http://www.wolverhamptonairport.co.uk/learn-to-fly/)

[Dan Winterland]

A an ex-professional instructor and now a pilot who rents aircraft for recreation from Tatenhill, I would recommend them. When choosing a flying school, there's quite a bit more to what the airfield, aircraft or ATC are like. Tatenhill has a very relaxed and professional teaching environment with some very dedicated full time instructors. Plus, they have a Decathalon - a few hours in that will improve your flying skills no end!

[1.3VStall]

Ian,

I echo JDCP's thoughts; Sleap is worth a look.

1.3V

[Pilot Wife]

My husband learned to fly at Derby, had a fantastic time and loved his instructor (Paul, I think). It wasn't waterlogged very often at all, and the upside to Derby is that with short, grass runways, you get a lot of experience that is later useful for flying into small farm strips. That's what we do on weekends now, and my husband's always saying that he's glad he learned on short runways. So don't write it off just because it's wet sometimes.

[magpienja]

I'm with Broomstick...if you just want to fly with an engine don't rule out micros...you will save a packet and there are 2 very good airfields with schools not far from you,

Arcild near Sandbach and Otherton near Cannock...along side the M6,

Microlighting also is very sociable.

Nick.