Flying Habits.

[Julian]

OK, so a lot of people here hold at least a PPL but what are the flying habits of the PPL holder?

If you hire an aircraft what do you generally? Please pick the one that mostly applies to you and not the one you have done once!!!

** UPDATE **
To clarify from reading some of the posts below.

Its a poll about where you go, not what you do in the air - you can barrel roll all the way there for all I care :D

Option c) is Leave airfield to Visit/Stay Overnight - not just stay overnight. I think maybe I should have used OR to make it clearer looking back but hey! Do PPLs actually leave the airfield they have flown rather than just turn around.


**

[Genghis the Engineer]

I've voted and it's a question worth asking, but I suspect you'll get a biased result. Anybody reading or posting on Pprune probably takes their PPLing rather more seriously than the average.

G

[FlyingForFun]

Erm - help.

Mostly option 2, unless the weather's crap in which case option 1. Occassionally option 3. Never option 4 - yet. Which button am I supposed to click on???

Gonna go for 2, because it's the one I try to do most often.

FFF
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[foxmoth]

The way the first option is worded sounds as though you are not doing much, but you can just float around locally doing nothing OR you could be practising skills, aeros, formation or a number of other activities that are more involved in flying than just bumbling around. Those that pick option 1 (me) can either be doing a lot more to develop their skills or a lot less than those that pick the other options.:ok:

[MLS-12D]

I agree with foxmoth. Even circuits can be more valuable than droning through the sky with feet on the floor and finger inserted. See generally http://www.southern-aviator.com/editorial/articledetail.lasso?-token.key=5375&-token.src=column&-nothing

[englishal]

Prefer to go somewhere, or else might as well go to the pub !

Cheers
EA

:D

[foxmoth]

I prefer to DO something like aeros - and THEN go down the pub:ok:

[englishal]

That sounds good...must try it some day!:D

[stiknruda]

Foxmoth - you could become my new "bestest" friend!

I'm having a a problem or 2 with rolling circles, let's get together and discuss over a jar or two!

Stik

[skydriller]

A quick look at the last couple of pages of my logbook shows that roughly half my flight take-off & land at my local aerodrome and the other half actually go to another aerodrome....

But a closer look at the remarks Ive made reveals that these 'local flights' were actually to practice something specific, be it steep turns/ decents, PFLs, crosswind circuits or whatever, so I dont think any of the above poll questions are valid.

Regards, SD

[foxmoth]

Stik,
Only trouble is, to get to Norfolk I would have to fly somewhere!
n.b. rolling circles come AFTER the pub:cool:

[2Donkeys]

Its interesting how comparatively few people (who've responded to the survey at least), use their hobby to fly somewhere for an overnight.

This could be a poll in its own right, but are the reasons for this:

a) Its too inconvenient if I can't get back should the weather go bad
b) I hire a plane from a club and they won't let it go overnight unless I put an unreasonable number of hours on it
c) Its too expensive once you add plane hire to hotel bills
d) I only fly slow aircraft so you can't get anywhere very exotic for an overnight
e) None of the above

Just curious, since pretty much all of my private flying falls into the overnighter camp.

[FlyingForFun]

Good question, 2Donks.

Personally, it used to be b). That's not an issue now I have a share in my own aircraft, but I still feel a little guilty about taking it away for both days of the weekend, rather than letting the rest of the group have access to it.

A) is very valid in the UK, but it's not just the return trip - if I need to be somewhere, I'll drive. Even if it's just a weekend away, if the hotel's booked then I need to be there, and it's much easier to plan to drive there.

I'm not sure on c) - although many pilots are poor, there are plenty of us with enough money that this shouldn't be a problem. And d) covers a very small proportion of the total pilots.

I've only ever done 2 overnighters - both in the US, where the weather was far more reliable, where I considered myself to be on holiday so I didn't mind splashing out for hotels, and where there were places that I genuinely wanted to visit. I have used an aeroplane to get to places for a day-trip several times - but again, mostly in the US, I tend to drive to places in the UK.

So my mid-March resolution will be to use my 'plane to get somewhere that I would normally drive to, at least once, by the end of the year!

FFF
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[AerBabe]

DoubleDonk, it's mainly money. I'm fortunate enough to hire from a group with no limits on how long you can take aircraft for. I could fly from Coventry to Wellesbourne and not take it back again for a fortnight if I really wanted to. I wouldn't of course, because it's not fair on the others.
I did intend to fly out to Welshpool for a weekend's walking last summer, but the possibility of being stranded and having to pay for accommodation was outside my budget limit. Unfortunately time-wise this summer is perfect for risky trips as I have hardly any commitments. But, as is often the case, when one has the time one doesn't have the money.

[Chilli Monster]

2D's

I would guess that as the poll is aimed mainly at the hirer just about everything you say bears some relation to the reasons why not. In fact, you've probably hit every reason why people don't.

A while back when I was still hireing I wanted to spend a night away somewhere - "4 hours each day" was the requirement. Got round that by booking the aircraft from midday to cease flying (I was only staying in Rochester at the Post house as was) and then for the first slot on the following day. I was happy, they were happy :)

Now I own a share I'm lucky in that the syndicate divvies up the time on a week by week basis (2 weeks in summer). It doesn't preclude others using it providing the weeks 'owner' has no need for it but it does mean you can go away for the night or a week without feeling guilty. Not all groups work on this principal however, using a booking system akin to the local flying club, and I think that discourages nights away. If I were to ever buy another share it would have to be on the basis that I have now, not on a booking system as that doesn't always give the freedom to stay away.

[Tall_guy_in_a_152]

I have never done an over-nighter, mainly due to difficulty finding a passenger who will take the risk of an extended stopover.

The last couple of years it has been hard enough planning ahead for a single day of good weather, let alone two in a row!

If Mrs Tall Guy was prepared to fly in something smaller than a 737 things might be different .....

[Andrew M]

I think it depends on why someone has a PPL.

If they are just hours building then you may find they will take off and bore holes in the sky around their local area.

If they are using their PPL for recreational uses then they will fly to another airfield and have some lunch or something ON site of the destination.

- whilest occasionally having a little tour/sleep over when finances allow

[foxmoth]

Sorry Andrew,
I have an ATPL and more than enough hours, so hour building is my last priority! Personaly I find FLYING the aircraft (ie aeros or such), MUCH more interesting than sitting there flying in a straight line twiddling my thumbs and doing very little in the way of actually handling the aircraft. This also does a LOT more for your skill in handling the aircraft.

[MLS-12D]

A decent little article from the USA: http://avstop.com/Stories/mystic.html

[paulo]

AB - If I was going from Coventry to Wellesbourne, or Coventry to anywhere in fact, I'd try not to go back ever ;)

[Fujiflyer]

I try to combine my flying hours with other activities such as visiting family and going on holiday, weekend stopovers etc. This way I can share some of the benefits of my hobby and make it more financially justifiable. ;) :eek:

I consider myself to be quite lucky because (a) I am a member of a flying syndicate where the other members are very flexible about when the a/c is used and (b) living on the S coast of England makes France a very attractive proposition for a short trip with cheap hotel costs once there (not to mention the duty drawback and cheaper shopping). That said there will be a time when I get stuck there for longer than expected due to Wx (I have UK IMC rating but no IR) but that's something I just have to accept.

Of recent I have also taken up with me some of the people who have been asking to come up flying for the last few years. This makes it more rewarding socially for me as well as letting them see what private flying is all about.


FujiF

[GroundBound]

Well, if you're hiring, its pretty difficult to do anything more than a), unless you consider some specialities like aeros and such.

I need to go to East Anglia in May, and was toying with the idea of hiring and flying from Charleroi to Norwich. I figured it would be a challenge and an adventure, and a lot of fun. However, hiring the aircraft for 3 days, and being subject to the vagaries of the weather and the uncertainty of returning on the day, means that I'll end up flying, but with Ryanair, not the C172.

Also, the cost of doing it myself would be 10 times the cost of Ryanair. This little gem makes it harder to sell it to the home "treasurer" who can't see the justification in it. Besides, she doesn't think we'd be safe in a little tin box. :sad:

[S-Works]

I try to always land away whatever the flight, the thought of just flying around drilling holes in the sky is not much fun. My flights the dont end up in a land away or usually intrument approach practice.

In the winter we get away for weekends when we can. In the summer virtually every weekend is a fly out with a stopover. In the last month we have done Le Toquet twice with overnighters. This month is the Jersey Air Rallye followed the following week by an Alderney fly in. The week after that is a 3 day trip to Chateu-Le-Chassnge with a night on Guernsey on the way back. We also have Texel planned this summer as well.

This gives me the sheer pleasure of the flying and then the fun of being away at the end of it (which also wins big brownie points from the wife!)

For most trips I take my Cessna but for the real long distance stuff I take the twin.

[DOC.400]

Gotta be two for me.

I did four, once, to survey a property in the Isle of Wight -it was cheaper to fly than drive hour and a half and use the ferry, honest!! ;)

And I was back home by lunchtime........... :D

Rgds
DOC