Barton - hurray, what a lovely place.
Don't let the extremely short runways put you off, and the bumps and mud aren't too much to worry about.
They have a wider range of aircraft than most flying schools (when I was there they had an assortment of Grob115s, C150/152s, Warriors, an Archer and a Citabria). The airfield is a busy little place right beneath the Manchester TMA and the only way south is through the notorious low level route. Manchester ATC (a friendly bunch) are very happy to let you get your RT practice in provided they aren't too busy. The instructors are a mix of career instructors who have 1000's of hours of instructional time, and airline wannabes who will happily discuss with you the best way to proceed with your ambition. (By the way, there are none of the wannabes there now that were there when I did my PPL - they all work for the airlines now, so they muist have done something right). The runways are a little bit short but what great practice for getting down on the numbers.
Sorry, Manchesterlad for hijacking your thread, but I spent many happy hours flying out of Barton before I joined BA, and contrary to popular belief, flying out of a grass strip club environment will not hinder you at all in your search for an airline career. Just think of all the money not spent sitting at the hold waiting for the commercial traffic to land before you can take off.
Any other ex-Bartonites out there?
[This message has been edited by Pandora (edited 14 April 2001).]