Thanks again for the responses.
007Helicopter, this is what I'm doing at the moment, I'm making appointments to turn up and have a look at various aircraft/clubs etc and hope to try and get a feel for the place when I go. At the moment looking at Blackpool and Liverpool (the latter being much more convenient due to distance). At Blackpool I'm looking at AGL, Westair, and Flybpl. At Liverpool I'm looking at LFS, Lomac, and the Azure flying club.
The only other local fields I know of are Warton, Barton, Hawarden and Woodvale.
There doesn't seem to be any clubs open to the public at Warton, nor at Hawarden or Woodvale. As I understand it, Woodvale is an RAF base with Warton and Hawarden belonging to BAE and EADS respectively. Unless I'm missing something?
I am currently based at Barton having done almost all of my PPL training there. It's not somewhere I'd really want to stay for my PPL, at least not for a long term thing like a non equity contract. The main reason for this is its poor suitability during the bad weather over the winter (airfield closing due to flooding etc).
A and C, I understand your point but I think you're being hugely pessimistic. Your estimate for the actual hourly rate assumes I'd fly less than once a month. My schedule at the moment is quite flexible so I'd be looking to fly closer to about 1-2 hours a week. So a conservative estimate is more likely to be around £120 per hour (assuming 6 hours a month, £90/hr, £150/month, landing fees etc). That's not too different from estimates for the 150s/PA28s etc I've found. Especially when you consider that equity shares are not an option at this stage.
Baldwinm, thanks for the insight into the group. When I visited AGL at Blackpool the person showing me around let me have a look at the booking system to see what typical availability was like. It didn't seem bad at all and I don't forsee issues with being able to fit in a couple of hours a week.
Kestrel, just to clarify these plans are all for after I gain my PPL.
Pace, I appreciate this point, but what I'm saying is that just because the equipment is there, it is not the case that I will rely on it. There is nothing to stop me from purely hand flying something like the Cirrus and only relying on DR navigation. If anything, trying to keep up with landmarks and calculating track error angles at 140KIAS whilst handling a slippery airplane has to be more difficult than the challenge posed by a typical (stable) PA28.
Taxistaxing, I am not yet certain I want to fly commercially. However, I am planning my flying on the basis that I will do the CPL to be on the safe side.
I am not sure what you are saying in your post - are you saying that I should learn in an aircraft that is similar to what I will fly for the CPL so that I am used to it and therefore find it easier to fly, or that I should find an aircraft that is more difficult to fly therefore preparing me better for the more demanding challenges during CPL training? If it is the latter I still maintain flying something like a Cirrus over a PA28 or similar is ideal, considering it is more difficult to fly and demands a higher level of accuracy?
Unless your point is that I'd simply be tempted to just use autopilot and GPS.
I agree with your comments, but there's nothing to stop me from flying even something like the Cirrus with just the basic instruments, a map, and a good view outside.
Thanks again,
Odai.