Originally Posted by
glaidman
So I've been digging into CAA's list of flying schools available in the Manchester area, and immediately ran into my first question: What's the difference between approved training organization and registered training facility?
From your point of view embarking on a PPL, there's no real difference. As part of the change from the old JAA to the new EASA world came a mandate for existing RTFs to become ATOs, along with assorted new regulatory requirements that I don't pretend to know or understand. The original deadline to convert was 12 months ago, but inevitably, the wheels of bureaucracy grind slowly and, along with ongoing arguments over the how the whole framework will work, the deadline for schools to convert to being ATOs has been put back to at least April 2018.
Originally Posted by
glaidman
My second and, perhaps the important, question is finding a reputable school that offers PPL. One that I shortlisted so far is
Manchester Flight Training, which offers a PPL course on a Cessna 150 for an up front fee of £7,795. Is this reasonable? Any other costs that I should also prepare for?
The MFT package includes 45 hours, which covers the miminum requirement for a PPL. While some people will reach test standard within 45 hours, I think the average is probably nearer 60 to 65 hours, so you'd be wise to budget for some extra flying hours & landing fees in addition to that package. You'll also need to get your medical fairly early on and some basic equipment such as charts, books etc. Depending upon how confident you are at doing the exams, you may want to pay for some additional ground school. All in all, I'd budget for nearer £11k.
Personally, I did my PPL at MFT and was very happy with them, but what's good for one may not be right for another. So, to echo the previous poster, before you even think about buying into any package, go and visit and have a chat with the staff. Have a trial lesson or two, make sure you're happy with the instructors and the organisation and, rather fundamentally, make sure you actually do like flying and that you are able to pass the medical.