Don't do it!!!!!
I trained at soloflight a few years back. Don’t be intimidated by Mel, stand up to her and don’t forget…..YOU are the customer!
I have flown at a few airfields since and if you can get to Sherburn-in-Elmet I would highly recommend it. They have loads of aeroplanes so you never have a problem with availability. Also the instructors have been there a long time. One thing to check when choosing a school is the quality of the instructors. The good ones are instructors as a career. The bad ones are just out of flight school and are instructing until a job with an airline comes along. Sherburn has career instructors.
Also I would question whether doing your PPL really helps with your career as an airline pilot. I started flying at 13 years old in gliders, did my powered flying at 16, PPL at 17, driving test at 18 and no money to enjoy being a young person at 19. I have been for loads of interviews for airline training schemes and it is down to your personal aptitude and mental agility, not how many flying hours you’ve got. Many of the people at the interview who had just had a trial lesson got taken on. Most of the people, like myself who had been flying for 5 years with 150 hours did not. Most airlines like to train their pilots to fly how they want them to fly and not retrain sloppy pilots with bad habits. When I was at University I applied for the University Air Squadron. Having passed the RAF pilot aptitude test and medical I spent the next 3 years flying 50 hours on the RAF Grob Tutor for FREE. The aircraft are operated by VT aerospace and fly on the civilian aircraft register……..therefore, you can convert it into a civilian PPL with a bit more flying for about £500 and the RAF instructors are a million miles better, the aircraft are newer and better maintained, and you will learn aerobatics, formation flying and low level through the Lake District is a lot of fun.
I don’t want to kill your dream because I loved flying at a young age. All I want to achieve is to stop people blowing their money unnecessarily and help young people make it into the left hand seat of an airliner.
Of course, soloflight would say differently while looking at your dad’s wallet!