Hey, kid, you are 16 and want to fly your family around in a PA28?
Check out the gliding clubs. British Gliding Association has details of the ones nearest you. That's where the real fun starts, and it doesn't cost so much, most clubs do special deals for juniors, and the big party scene when you get good enough is the highly subsidised JUNIOR NATIONALS - if you are good enough! And you will learn weather, learn not to be worried about field landings, spins, aerobatics, this is real flying. We do rock polishing in the Black Mountains, climb to 30,000 in wave over Scotland, clubs everywhere if you pitch in and help out, you will become part of a special family who all look out for each other.
Or you can pay lots of money to fly a spam can, which makes a noise, and you can talk to a controller which is nice, but when the chips are down, you are on your own, no matter what kind of aeroplane you are flying.
A lot of airline pilots began in gliding, and now that they fly the Boeings and airbuses around, for real fun, you will find them flying gliders.....
You mention you don't qualify for a class I or class II, but for a NPL medical, which should not be a problem in a glider.
Last edited by mary meagher; 10th Dec 2009 at 21:51.
Reason: adding another thought