Hi,
I'm in the process of planning to start on my road to PPL, and I wonder if there is any good advice on what to do even before flying to speed up the process of learning.
I've been to several schools and talked to various people (students and instructors) and I've got several conflicting opinions:
a) some recommend reading the books (e.g. Thom) before flying, but some people are dead against it as it might lead to confusion - I've started reading nevertheless
b) most people are dead against using any PC simulators, as it can lead to bad habits forming - I'm tempted to agree on this point and staying away from them
c) is there any point in doing trial lessons in several schools? On one hand it might give a hands-on impression on how they teach, on the other I got some opinions that trial lessons are not really productive learning time and getting them included in your "logged flying time" is stretching it
d) my choice is between Redhill and Biggin Hill. I've been to both and both appear to have good schools, but what about the aerodrome itself, any opinions if it's better to learn at a busy-ish one (Biggin Hill), or a smaller, quieter one (Redhill) (or is my view of these completely reversed)
Thanks in advance for treating a newbie gently
Arut