AFE OR POOLEYS?

[BackPacker]

I agree: Neither.

The student starter kits contain a lot of stuff you don't need at all, or don't need immediately. It's better to buy kit as and when you need it.

Talk it over with your instructor. Initially you'll need nothing more than:

- A kneeboard, clipboard or something along those lines. A5 size is OK in most aircraft. You can get these at Tescos as well. Stuff some blank sheets of paper in them for your notes, and download a plog template from the internet to print a few times. (I've got one if you want mine.)
- A pen or pencil, and if you buy a laminated chart, a pen that will hold on that laminated chart.
- Something to erase your marks from the chart.
- A current map of the local area. The default is the laminated, CAA issued one, but the Jeppesen paper one will do just fine too. Although the Jeppesen VFR+GPS ones have a slightly different presentation of the same data, and your instructor might not like that. Furthermore, the CAA nav exams are based on the CAA way of presenting the data.
- A ruler marked in 1:500000 and 1:250000 nautical miles, and a protractor or something else to measure angles.
- The airfield map of your local airfield, and maybe those of the few airfields that you'll be visiting in the near future. You can print these from the UK AIP, and the AIP is accessible for free via multiple sources (UK CAA, Eurocontrol, Skydemon, ...)
- A headset. This is probably the most costly investment, but well worth the money in the long run. Yes, you can borrow these from the school but IME these are clapped out, dirty and non-functioning at times.
- A good pair of sunglasses. Non-polarized preferably.
- Depending on the airfield: A high-viz vest of some sort.
- Something to keep track of time. A wristwatch is good enough for PPL flying - there's no need for a stopwatch or anything fancy right now.
- If you have glasses or lenses, your medical will require that you carry a spare set at all times, once you go solo.
- The checklist for the aircraft you're going to fly. Most clubs/schools will create their own, based on the aircraft POH and local peculiarities, and will provide you with one. (Read: Will sell you one.) Alternatively you can use the one in the POH itself - which should be on board anyway. But there's no need to buy them from AFE or Pooleys.
- A logbook.
- A bag to hold all that stuff. Any bag will do, although if you do get a headset of your own, it's best if the bag has a separate compartment for that headset. (Or keep the headset in a separate headset bag - in most cases this bag is included with the headset.)

Once you start studying the theory, you'll need the full set of theory books. AFE or Trevor Thom are the most common choices, but I believe Oxford now does a PPL set as well. Also get some sort of PPL Confuser, Questions and Answers Simplifier or something to practice the exams. And you'll need an analog "flight computer". Again, talk to your instructor about which one is best. And see if you can get a 2nd hand one - lots of people find they don't need them anymore once they've got the licence, so they might sell them off cheap.

Remember that a lot of organizations, including AFE, Pooleys and your school/club, view flight students as nothing more than walking wallets. It's their goal to extract as much money from you as they can, and it's your job to resist that.