I think my way of getting my PPL was different from most. I decided I was going to "go for it" so took a month off and went into residence at Scone, joining the Scottish Aero Club which operated under the auspices of AST. I lived only just over an hour away but reckoned that immersing myself in the process would make me fly much more often, work harder on the ground studies and generally stand a better chance of getting through everything first time. Another advantage of somewhere like Scone was that my tight schedule would never be upset by unserviceability because they had around 30 C150s.
I was very lucky to get an instructor who suited me down to the ground. Gordon Lockhart (Gee to the many who will remember him) must have been in his early fifties but knew he was really only about eighteen so was great company in the evenings while I was sharing the accommodation with lots of East African Airlines trainees and not a few unfortunate Ugandan asian trainee ATCOs. Idi Amin was brutalising their families back home at the time.
I did about 80% of my dual flying with Gee and the rest with perhaps another three instructors. I found that they served more to confirm that Gee was doing a good job rather than to expose any weaknesses. I went solo in just under 10 hours and passed the GFT on the 30th. day. Gee was stamping up my log when he found I'd only done about 34 hours so a phantom flight was conjured up to get to 35! Quick thinking saved the day!
Gee has, sadly, since died so my exposé will cause him neither embarrassment nor problems now. I'd love to hear how his wife and son (little Gee!) are getting on.
My reason for relating this is that there may be some advantages to taking the time off to do what amounts to a crash (!) course because it can be fitted into an extended annual holiday. If I could do it in Scottish weather then think how much more possible it should be in Kent. OK, perhaps not this year!!
