Familiarisation for UK flying for a US-trained JAR PPL

[Blackshirt]

Hi guys/gals!

I'm a JAR PPL with 150hrs/IMC/Night.

Having only flown in the Land of Slack RT (i.e. the US), I'd appreciate any tips / points et al with regard flying back in the UK.

Ta.

[CAP509castaway]

If you give some idea where you are living then I am sure you will get some response many other PPLs are often glad of some company and share expenses. Also have a chat with CFI at your local flying club to find out the main differences!

[Sensible]

There are four main problems which you will encounter. The first is the R/T differences, buy yourself a cheap airband radio (about 18-20 quid) then sit on the end of the local controlled airfield and listen to how the local folks do it. This will save you money since learning UK R/T will cost you loads if you learn whilst flying. The second difference is the peculiarities of the UK overhead join into the traffic pattern, (I am amazed that this is considered to be a safe manoeuver!) again it's cheaper to learn this on the ground with a pencil and piece of paper in your hands rather than a yoke. Then there is the language differences, patern = circuit and then there's this QFE thing! The third problem is the prejudices which UK instructors have about people who have trained in the USA and the fourth is coming to terms with the amazing high cost of flying in the UK!

If you have trained at a non towered airfield then I would definitely recommend spending several hours at least with an airband radio at a towered airfield familiarising yourself with the R/T.

And CAP 509's suggestion will save you money too.

[JB007]

Blackshirt,

If your anywhere near Sussex and fancy a ride in an Archer ex Shoreham, drop me an e-mail, your more than welcome to come along for a ride...

[Superpilot]

Blackshirt, I would highly recommend you get yourself a radio scanner and Sensible is right about the prejudice issue, you will get a lot of smartasses criticising your every decision. The scanner has helped me to overcome my greatest fear - RT. Apparantly Stapleford (Essex) "specialise" in preparing US trained PPL's for "British standards" but Stapleford's prices are quite scary so I dunno if I want to be trained to British standards quite yet. <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

[ 29 December 2001: Message edited by: Superpilot ]</p>

[TraineePilot01]

My experience of coming back to the UK from the USA was absolute hell. It really was not a pleasant experience and I took another 15-20 hours back here until my instructor let me go up for my skills test. Ok, I admit, I didn't quite finish it in the US due to weather, but I was very close to finishing.

Navigation, I found, was the biggest change. Then there's the RT, but as Sensible said, buy an a/c scanner and also get the CAA's Cap 143 book from a decent pilot shop or your flying school and read it a few times (it will only take an hour or two).

I think most of my hours were spent on being sent on navigation exercises - I did 3 different ones, each one dual and then solo. My biggest one was 3 and a half hours (my qualifier) so you can see how I built up my hours. It did give me a lot more confidence though.

Instructors back here really are very sceptical about PPL's from America, and I got the feeling that because I was young, they thought I was naive enough to believe I need loads and loads of extra training. I let the manager of the airfield know that I didn't feel it was necessary and he swiftly agreed - I saved about another 5 hours flying time by doing this. By then end of it, is it really cheaper to learn in the US rather than here? I reckon I spent about £7000 in the end, and I know others on my course in the US who have come back and are still training, I would only do it again if I found a course with accomodation and food costs included.

Good luck anyhow, let us know when you get past your final hurdle - leaving your UK instructor behind!

[ 29 December 2001: Message edited by: PrivatePilot01 ]</p>

[TAF Oscar]

Blackshirt,

I also trained in the US, even though I didn't go back to the UK but back to NL I think the differences will be similar (if you see what I mean).

Things I had to learn or get used to before being checked out in NL:
- deciphering NOTAM reports; in the US I just used 1-800-WXBRIEF like everyone else, and there wasn't much NOTAM stuff in the exams unlike TAFs and METARs
- use of departure/approach routes into busy CTRs, especially Visual Reporting Points; in the US I just flew direct A-B
- didn't have too much difficulty with RT, having done the exam for the PPL. The terminology is slightly different than the US (eg Runway zero-four instead of Runway four) and the format and use of words is stricter, but the basics are the same: who you are, where you are, what you want cq what your intentions are
- specific club rules! Like hangar key protocol... all the a/c in Florida were parked outside
- use of pitot heat and primer, not needed in Florida
- filing formal flight plans via PC application (instead of calling the trusty 1-800-WXBRIEF)

and finally, a bit of an unexpected one:
- landing on narrow runways; most of the airports I used in Florida had runways 100-150 foot wide. Although we practised short field stuff it didn't prepare me for narrow runways, I kept making heavy landings at a particular airfield here (thinking I was higher than I actually was), until I got used to the different perception

Hope this helps...TAFO

PS - who you calling a fat Dutchman then?

[foghorn]

It took me nearly 5 hours to convert from the UK to the Netherlands! Every field a non-standard join, having to file flight plans for VFR flights!

If you want an overseas environment that is cheap and flies like we do in the UK try South Africa. There are few differences except for the price, the weather, the scenery and bloody QFE!

cheers!
foggy.

[ 31 December 2001: Message edited by: foghorn ]</p>

[TAF Oscar]

You mean it isn't normal to file flight plans for VFR?!

And you have such a thing as a "standard" join? Is this the infamous UK "overhead join"? I thought it was normal (in Europe) to have a different join for every field, but this was something that indeed was easier in Florida, overfly the field and then do a 45 degree entry into downwind at the majority of places. Perhaps it has to do with the number of obstacles and noise regulations here, but is that really so different in the UK?

I have only flown once in the UK, from EGNH. Perhaps I should do it more often, if it is so much easier. <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[CAT3C AUTOLAND]

PrivatePilot01, don't mean to be picky, looks like just a typo, but is it not CAP413?