PPL attainment questionnaire

[skytops]

Hi there,

I would be much obliged if PPRuNers could help me out with a bit of informal research I'm doing.

If you wouldn't mind going back to your initial log book entries to find the following information:

1. Hours logged at successful completion of your PPL flight test.

2. The number of attempts made at your PPL flight test.

3. The length of time it took you to your gain your PPL.

4. Whether you were doing a full-time, integrated-type PPL course, or a part-time (e.g. weekends only) course. If possible state the approximate frequency of flying training ( e.g. once every two weeks).

5. The number of hours you had immediately prior to your first solo.

6. Which you found to be the bigger hurdle; the flying part or the written part of gaining a PPL?
............................................................ ............................................

I'll begin...

1. 96 hours.

2. 2 attempts.

3. 10 months.

4. Part time course. Flying 2 to 3 times a week.

5. 11.5 hours.

6. The flying.

............................................................ ............................................

Thanks in advance,

. . . skytops

[Evo]

OK then...

[list=1]
47 hours
1 (passed first time)
16 months - trial lesson 21/4/01, skills test 2/9/02
um... it varied. Minimum was once a month, most 12 hours in August 02
18 hours
Flying, definitely. Exams were very easy IMHO
[/list=1]

HTH :)

[AerBabe]

We've had most of these as individual polls before, but not all together I don't think. Took me a while to find my log book. Last logged P1 - 19.10.02 :{

1. 59 hours 15 minutes at completion of skills test.
2. Passed on first attempt.
3. PPL gained over 21 months. (Trial lesson on 11.03.99, but proper lessons between 08.04.00 and 06.12.01)
4. Very much part-time. One lesson per week for the first couple of months, then down to one every two weeks or more.
5. 9 h 20 min before first solo.
6. Neither was a big hurdle, but the flying was more challenging.

[big.al]

Ok, my turn;

1) 46 hrs
2) 1
3) 3 weeks and two days (flying training) + 6 months study for ground exams, doing a few hours a week (taking an exam every month) prior to flying training
4) JAR PPL in Florida - flying almost every day for three weeks
5) 12
6) flying, especially landings. Couldn't get the perspective right. Found the written exams fairly logical and straightforward.

[ModernDinosaur]

Another set of stats for you:
1) 50:45 hrs
2) 1
3) 30 months
4) Variable from 1 flight per week out to 1 flight in two months, typically 1/month.
5) 23 hours
6) Landing. By a LONG way (hence 23 hours to first solo yet only 51 to PPL(A) - navigation was easy)

MD

[Chilli Monster]

OK

1) 21:00

2) 1

3) 7 weeks

4) Part-time, 2 slots per day weekends only.

5) 2:45

6) Neither

[HelenD]

Well

1) 118 hours 40

2) 1

3) 18 months

4) Started 1 session a week but has 2 lots of block where I was flying for 2 weeks each block

5) 66 hours 30

6) Landing and convincing an instructor I was ready to solo

[OBK!]

My 2 pence worth:


1. 45.1

2. Pass first time

3. 12 months, but did about 30hrs in 1 on those months.

4. Mainly partime, weekends etc...

5. about 6/7

6. The poor weather forcecasts!:mad:

Chilli Monster

I don't know if you aware, and I don't mean to be cocky/cheeky but you need 45hrs for issue of a PPL...:confused:

[Kingy]

My turn..

1. 46
2. 1
3. 6 months
4. part time, but at least 2-3 hours per week - weather permitting.
5. 11
6. The bl**dy written nav!

Kingy

[Chilli Monster]

OBK

Not necessarily ;) (And I think the CAA know that too - otherwise they wouldn't have issued it would they).

I'll keep you guessing for a while, if you can't work out how I got it then PM me and I'll tell you :D

[AerBabe]

CM, was it the completely mad reason, or a slightly less so one? ;)

[knobbygb]

1. 47.1
2. 1
3. 17 months (2 months training, 9 month 'gap', 5 months training)
4. Ad-hoc weekdays (shift worker) - approx 2 hrs per week
5. 7.6
6. Exams. Always been more of a practical type than 'studious' - struggled with meteorology and air law, but not the 'practical' subjects (a/c tech etc). didn't actually fail any exams but never really felt ready to sit them.

[Whirlybird]

I think Chilli Monster flew gliders first, and that exempted him from a lot of hours, not sure. Am I right CM? ;)

[No. 2]

1. 48.4
2. 1
3. 1 month
4. Full time course
5. 18, club minimum I think?
6. Biggest hurdle: Getting my instructor and school organised! Rather frustrating sometimes:*

Oh, and last logged P1: 14.03.03......finally!

No. 2

[Bootlegger]

1) 75
2) 1
3) 10 months
4) tried to get 3 per week
5) 18
6) main hurdle was the bad weather/ grass field (EGNF). The longest gap between lessons ( weather induced) was one month. Well worth all the effort !!....absolutely loving it !! :D

[foxmoth]

1. 35hrs (you USED to be able to do it in that)
2.1
3.5 weeks
4.Integrated (ATC flying scol)
5.10hrs (had to have a STUDENT licence in those days, and I had to wait till it came through!
6. Wx again - bad heat haze the summer I did it.

[Father Mulcahy]

1. 41 inc Skills test - (4 hours excemption (P1 gliders)

2. First time.

3. 8 months over a bloody awful winter.

4. After work/days off, attempting to fly 1-2 a week.

5. 2 hours. (x-glider pilot)

6. Neither, but the ATPLs exams do concentrate the mind....

FM

[Lowtimer]

1. 45 hrs
2. First time
3. 9 months mainly at weekends
4. Not a full time course, usually tried to get a double slot on the days I was able to fly and the weather was appropriate.
5. About 5 hrs - ex glider pilot with some power experience
6. Air Law by far the hardest paper subject, but passed it well enough first time, no real problem with the flying up to the point of the PPL issue.

Off topic but the hardest thing in flying I've so far tried is consistently landing a Pitts S2 well, holding-off at the correct (minimal) height. Cub, Tiger Moth, Yak, PA-28, no problem at all - Pitts I simply don't have the picture. But I will catch me that chicken, Mr Harry...

[incubus]

1. 81:30
2. One
3. 16 years 1 week *
4. Intensive to 30 hrs then part time (monthly, wx dependant)
5. 8:35
6. The exams (Well, the met exam mostly)


* Though I spent 16 years doing it, training covered 3 years of trying and 13 years of wanting to try.


Main factor was money (first 30 hrs was a RAF flying scholarship.) When I actually got around to trying to complete it, weather and commitments tended to get in the way.

[Chilli Monster]

Whirly wins the prize:

150 hours Gliding, Silver 'C' and an Asst Rated instructor. Hence the reduced hours dispensation.

(Used to be called a Silver 'C' conversion).

[Whipping Boy's SATCO]

1. 39hrs
2. 1 (first time)
3. 34 days
4. Full time
5. 7.45 prior to solo
6. Don't know. I think it was taking my driving test 2 months later.

[Mobieus1]

Oh dear....another poll

1/ 55Hrs (Had different instructors towards the end of my training which did not help :( )

2/ 1

3/ 8 months

4/ Part time (Once- Twice a week)

5/ 5Hrs 40 mins

6/ Flying (had to wait a month for a good day to do skills test and on third booking did it :D )

[ajsh]

1. 74.3 TT

2. One (First Time)

3. 5 Months

4. Part-time mostly at weekends but towards the end was skiving off work to fly during the week.

5. 29 (Couldn’t get the hang of landing and almost gave up completely)

6. Neither really – apart from landing!!!!

[28thJuly2001]

1. 74 hrs.
2. Twice (b0ll0xed up the glide approach BIG TIME)
3. 11 months.
4. Part Time, usually twice a week.
5. 21 hrs
6. Hardest part was the weather and keeping motivated when grounded. Also had an ear infection which kept me on the floor for a few weeks. grrrrrr.

28th,

[Barney_Gumble]

1. 74.4hrs

2. 1

3. 23 months

4. part-time (e.g. weekends only) 3 lessons per month in summer 1-2 in winter wx dependant

5. 25.6

6. The Flying

[skytops]

Thanks for your responses PPRuNers.

I probably should have mentioned why I initiated the poll...

As a recently-qualified flight instructor the deal I have is that I get to teach any students that I can attract to the school. So I'm spending a fair bit of time going out into the marketplace to try and interest people in gaining their PPL (going to Market days, Rotary clubs etc, anywhere there might be people with enough spare cash to afford to learn to fly).

So, I want PPL stats from a wide range of pilots, to be able to give prospective PPL students realistic figures of what it may take to learn to fly.

Please keep your stats coming in. (If I remember correctly from high school statistics, statistical validity begins with a sample size of greater than 35!)

... skytops

[AerBabe]

A valid sample size depends on the total population...

[Jolly Tall]

1. Hours logged => 49.3

2. No. of attempts => 1

3. Time to your gain PPL =>11 months.

4. Frequency => whenever aircraft/instructor available & weather co-operated (average 1/wk)

5. Pre-1st solo => 18 (ready after 13, but weather disagreed)

6. Bigger hurdle => by far the flying part. Agree with previous posters - exams were relatively easy

[Keef]

1 43 hours (the old 45 hour course) - I had to do another couple of hours after the GFT to qualify.

2 One attempt.

3 18 months (Oct 80 to April 82).

4 Very weather-dependent. Local club, about once a fortnight, weather permitting.

5 17.

6 The flying, definitely. Writtens were not a problem (apart from having to learn all that boring air law that I've never needed again, such as average passenger weights for W&B in aircraft with more than some number of seats).

[Hen Ddraig]

1. 52 hours 40
2. One
3. 41 years
4. Part time
5. 17 hours 20
6. The weather

[masseygrad]

1) 69 hours
2) 1
3) 3 sorties a week, weather permitting
4) 8 months
5) 13.5 hours
6) The flying and the weather

[tmmorris]

1. 47.0
2. 1
3. three and a half weeks (not counting a trial lesson earlier in the year)
4. Full-time, 2-3 sorties per day except when weather intervened
5. 16, if I remember correctly.
6. Flying - the exams were easy (lowest mark was 85% or so)

Tim

[G SXTY]

1) 49 hours 30 minutes
2) 1
3) 26 months
4) weekends only, every other week, with a 6 month break due unemployment. :(
5) 10 hours 15 minutes
6) The flying & exams were the easy bit. The real challenges were dealing with 'orrible wx, changes of instructor, paying for it, etc etc.

[Kolibear]

1. 52hrs
2. 1 attempt
3. About 18 months in total, but that includes a 4 month period when I didn't fly at all.
4. 3 out of 4 weekends at the start, but reducing to every other nearer the end of the course.
5. 16 hrs
6. The flying was more challenging, even though the course work took a lot of time to assimilate

[wet wet wet]

more stats
1. 54 hours
2. 1 attempt
3. 12 months
4. mainly every weekend (weather permitting)
5. 13 hours
6. the flying

[sunday driver]

A somewhat chequered learning process.

Gliding solo at 16, first PPL thrash at age 27, second thrash at 42.
First thrash - 11:55 hours to Ex12, Ex13 with afato - there's no doubt that the next session would have been solo, but I had absolutely run out of dosh, then met Mrs Driver, then mortgage, kids, etc.

So at age 42,
1. 49:10
2. 1
3. Just under 12 months
4. About once per week, occasionally twice
5. 7:30
6. Unlike your other feedback, I've always found the flying very straightforward. Technical and Nav exams were easy for me, Met. more difficult but interesting. (Air Law a complete bore - completely irrational and hopelessly put together. All words and no ergonomics. No surprise that it took me 2 goes).

[Northern Highflyer]

1. 60 hours

2. one

3. 15 months

4. saturdays only (3 month gap for weather just before 1st solo)

5. 27 hours

6. consistent landings

[KCDW]

1) 51 hours
2) 1
3) 9 months
4) twice a week
5) 12 hours
6) PFLs - bloody lottery!

[rustle]

sunday driver

"First thrash - 11:55 hours to Ex12, Ex13 with afato..."

Is an afato "afterburner failure after take off" :confused: :p :eek: