Gloucestershire Airport Staverton Training

[jpmb]

Hello ladies & gents, first post within this forum, so please go easy on me :)

I'm looking to undertake my ppl (h) at Gloucestershire Airport (Staverton) & was wondering if anyone had undertaken any training there?

Looking for a recommendation on a good flying school, as I know there's a few there.

Any advice?

Many thanks & safe flying

James

[M1900]

As an instructor, the one & only Ray Jones - reliable, experienced, patient.
There are plenty of others who will also recommend him.

[Redland]

There are four training schools at Gloucester, all very good, I would recommend going and visiting all the schools and talking to each, have a trial lesson with a couple, see which you like the best.

I would personally recommend James Kenwright, very experienced.

[Hughes500]

Really depends on what sort of machine you want to learn in. This will open a huge can of worms again. I would go with Ray Jones and a Hughes 300. Also an examiner so a pretty high standard !

[jpmb]

Thanks M1900, Redland & Hughes500 for your recommendations, really useful. I was hoping to learn in the R22. Despite being well informed that there's much easier helicopters to learn in, it just looks like so much fun to fly!

Never been one to shy away from a challenge ;)

James

[Hedski]

Heli Air come highly recommended at Glosser. There's another 2 schools there also so shop around, get a feel for each place yourself. Talk to students of each also. Some have been to multiple places.

[md 600 driver]

Ray's Jones is a good bet

[Jettiejock]

I have always had great service from Rise Helicopters.

[FLY 7]

Are you planning to learn in a 'school' helicopter, or buy your own and learn in that?

[VeeAny]

Ray Jones or Jon Lane at Heliflight, both good blokes.

Or go see Andrew at AH at Dunkeswell if you can travel that far.

I'd be happy for any of those 3 to teach my kids to fly.

Gary

[jpmb]

Thanks for your advice Hedski, md600, jettiejock & VeeAny. Ray Jones' name seems to be becoming a common occurrence throughout this thread. Could anyone please confirm which school he instructs at?

Fly7 I plan to learn in a school helicopter.

James

[Gustosomerset]

Ray Jones. Completed my PPL(H) with him last year at Gloucester on a Hughes 300. He is a fantastic teacher. Or, as VeeAny says, Andrew Harvey at Dunkeswell (also 300) if that is near you.

[HeliRotor]

Any specific reason for flying at Gloucester? Its a little crowded now in my opinion. Have you chosen the R22 for any reason?

[jpmb]

Thanks for your advice Gustosomerset. Ray Jones must be doing an excellent job at his respective school!

Helirotor - The reason I chose Gloucester originally, was simply because it was the closest airfield to my home with a good selection of helicopter schools to choose from, but since posting this thread it has also become apparent that there also seems to be some very good instructors teaching there.

The reason I chose the R22 was because:

1. it looks like a super fun and responsive aircraft to fly

2. I have also read Swan's technical manual and watched youtube videos on the aircraft prior to starting training, so I already feel quite familiar with it.

3. I was also told by an instructor, that if you can learn to get to grips with it you would qualify a technically skilled pilot, able to transition to any other light piston quite comfortably?

4. It's seems like a very good value helicopter to train in, in comparison to other training aircraft.

Ultimately, the quality of the instructor is more important to me than learning in the R22 though, so I would be prepared to ditch it for an excellent instructor.

Thanks again for all your help, really pleased that I decided to join PPRUNE and post in Rotorheads before starting my training. I have come across a goldmine of information.

[Hughes500]

jpmb

Be careful with an R22 there are a lot of instructors who will not do some parts of the course with one as it has very little margin for error. For all those who say it is wonderful, it was not designed as a machine to teach you to fly ( words from the inventor himself ). The Enstrom and Schweizer are much better teaching machines giving you a much bigger margin of safety

[Camp Freddie]

Be careful with an R22 there are a lot of instructors who will not do some parts of the course with one

Mr Hughes 500,

which parts of the course do you think they won't do?
as I am not sure I recognise what you are saying from my own experience

regards

[Gustosomerset]

As only a very recently qualified pilot I am not really in a position to comment on the Hughes300 v R22 debate (and it has been covered extensively in another thread on here). But I completely agree with you that the instructor is more important than the machine. As others have said, there are people at Gloucester who will train you on either. FWIW, my personal advice would be to buy Ray Jones a cup of tea at The Aviator and listen to his point of view...

[Hughes500]

CF

Go and ask at any school using R22's if the normal instructors, not the CFI will do EOL's to the ground in no wind.

[FLY 7]

If it's convenient, Gloucs is definitely a very good place to learn to fly helicopters - from ab initio to CPL/IR.

Suggest you speak to all the above recommended names, but yes, Ray is bit of a legend :ok:

[Camp Freddie]

Go and ask at any school using R22's if the normal instructors, not the CFI will do EOL's to the ground in no wind.

I don't think it's that big of a deal to wait for 10 knots of wind, it'll be along soon.

[Hughes500]

In fact CF find out how many will do it in 10 kts of wind think you will find most schools will not allow them to the ground at all Says something about the standard of instructors. In my day we were allowed to do them to the ground in an R22. Then I realised the 300 was a better training helicopter as you could do a load more with it and let the student get it seriously out of shape.
As is said the instructor is the most important part as you become a team

[bladegrabber]

too add my 2cents, I trained on an R22 and was fortunate enough to live in windy Scotland so did 1 or 2 EOL's to terra firma. Later did a TR on the H300 and echo H500's comments that you will find it much more forgiving and just as much fun as the R22.

BG

[Buzzy Bee]

I believe Gloucestershire Airport is a great Airport to learn to fly, It is very helicopter friendly and i believe is the busiest training airport in the country and as such provides a great environment for training.

There a a number of good helicopter training schools on the airfield approved by the CAA. Rise Helicopters has a good fleet of helicopters which is great once you get your licence as there is always availability for self fly hire. It also has maintenance on site so availability and serviceabilty levels are very high.

I agree with other threads that visiting all the training schools and Ray Jones is important as you would benefit from flying where you feel most comfortable. At the end of the day you are spending a lot of money!

[500e]

Possibly responsible for AHs greying hair & Rays twitch as he did my license flight, can say they both appeared to be calm & did not give me a moments worry! which is more than I could expect them to say about me, both very professional with a manner that put me at ease but imparted information in a friendly relaxed way, would recommend either.
Please post small remuneration ASAP :ok:

[nellycopter]

I was shafted by London Heli while doing my ec120 conversion with them, after the 5 hrs on type they decided there was no examiner available for 2+ weeks...but I could leave my Heli with them, ...... I posted on here and within the hour Ray Jones rang me, offered to drive down to Redhil to carry out my type conversion....
Great bloke ....

[autobarnacle]

James,

You might want to consider trying the Guimbal Cabri G2 at Cotswold Helicopter Centre at Kemble.
The Cabri is the most modern training helicopter out there and a very stable aircraft to learn on.
I have done some flight training with Andy Moorhouse who is the Chief Flying Instructor at Cotswold Helicopter Centre.
He insists that all students are able to demonstrate an autorotation to the ground before they go solo for the first time.
We started practicing this when I had 15 hours and I felt much safer in the helicopter once I knew how to do it.

[Hughes500]

auto,

Thank god for that nice to see another company doing EOL's. I also work out of Kemble teaching 2 brothers on a 300, wave next time you see a 300 ! Normally G-BXRP

[Heli2]

Hughes500,

Have you moved from Devon?

[[email protected]]

I believe Gloucestershire Airport is a great Airport to learn to fly, It is very helicopter friendly and i believe is the busiest training airport in the country and as such provides a great environment for training. I think that is the best argument for not training there - far too busy! Any place that can have VFR traffic crossing through its overhead above 2000' (without talking to Gloucester) whilst IFR (and often IMC) traffic is descending for an instrument approach is best left alone.

The training organisations that work there are all very good but the congestion is not.

[Redland]

I have flown with each of the schools at Gloucester and all have done EOL to the ground in R22s

[Hughes500]

Heli2

No I still live in deepest darkest Devon ! I have a 300 based just outside Kemble. I am teaching 2 brothers who own a 500 so I am up there about twice a week. Their father ( died 3 years ago ) wanted someone with a descent amount of experience to teach his kids before moving on to the 500.
An absolute pleasure teaching the 2 of them, ideal students, eager to learn, quick to learn and a pair or real decent chaps what more could you ask. Well I suppose female, Swedish blondes but Mrs H might have something to say about that !

[AnFI]

JK is excellent, Jon Lane is cool, AH is a dude but not at Gloucester

Stay away from HA they are total a***holes

[Hughes500]

Well never been called a Dude, is that god or bad ;)

[Ed Winchester]

It's most likely GOOD - God is maybe a bit too much to hope for.

[rattle]

I saw James Kenwright mentioned. I had my first trial lesson with him 20 years ago and have been flying ever since. If he is instructing at Gloucester, give him a go.

[DuckButter69]

Flown with them all - Heliflight without question the way to go.

[Dennis Kenyon]

Can I add a pennorth or two ... don't forget the mighty Enstrom Shark for a plug!. Easily the best piston trainer for full stop, 'skids on' EOLs to the ground. Have just completed a PPL(H) for a certain client having initials DT ... being a totally responsible 'family' guy, he asked to fly a post PPL dedicated day for EOL practices at Welshpool. We/He completed no less than 34 full stop variable technique EOLs. Getting my pilots to that standard of safety gives me that warm, satisfied feeling. PS ... RJ and/or AH at Staverton/Dunkeswell and TP/AW at Shoreham will offer all the above on request. Regards to all flyers. Dennis Kenyon.

[Dennis Kenyon]

Sorry lads/ladesses ... just forgot my dear, friend & mate JL at Staverton. please add to my list of EOL ers. DRK.

[Englebert]

I would personally recommend James Kenwright at JK Helicopters, I have experience of all four training schools at Staverton and I can't fault him.

[boffo]

James taught me to fly 20 years ago next month. A top man. Highly recommended.
Steve.