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Old 22nd Apr 2017, 23:35
  #128 (permalink)  
n1sK
 
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: Poland
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Alright, the guys have already done most of the explanation about the ATPL and I agree with most of it. I'm currently almost done with the ATPL exams and honestly so long as you have a working brain and some understanding of math and physics you will do fine providing you put effort into it.

Regarding HB in VFR... I have done quite a fair bit of it and still have some hours to go. Weather will not be much of an issue from Spring onward, there will, of course, be some convective activity for you to deal with and if you fly XC near the Alps and Tatras, Fohen and Halny are something you will hear a lot, but all that can be planned around. You will find plenty of people to share their experiences and help you with that around school. Wx cancellations during VFR season are rare, and can usually be avoided with a simple change of plans or departure delay.

50hrs in a month might be a little of a push if you go for the P200JF, there are however some tricks you can use to maximize the time you have the plane available for, Specially if you have NFVR and want to fly XC!
You can simply request the plane one day from mid afternoon onward (planes are usually less busy at night time) and request it again the next day in the morning. Then you simply fly somewhere you wish to go to, sleep and refuel there, and then return the next morning. You will be back for lunch and the plane wont be gone for long, also you can get around 8 hours plus you get to challenge yourself with new airspace/airports and visit some new city!
I did this with Prague early in my HB and it was awesome. Also if you do this in summer you don't even need to worry planning with AD's that have lights available, SS is late and most AD's are open SS+30' in summer months.
This will require some coordination and slot approval but that should not be an issue.

Another method is to coordinate with someone else who is also doing HB and get adjacent slots, so you can fly somewhere far away with the other guy flying back. You don't get as many hours, but you still get the challenge and don't have to worry about most of the slot management.

And finally you can also just fly another plane, this option is not very popular as it is a bit more pricey than the P200JF but I can tell you from my experience that if taken full advantage of, it can be a great experience gathering tool.
Bartolini has two other planes you can use for hour building, a C172* with analog instruments and a handheld Garmin, and a P2010 with full glass cockpit (G1000 + SAM as backup).
Both are generally available and can be requested for longer periods of time than the P2002JF's since these planes are not as often used for PPL/CPl training. Also you can go far away and bring some friends along as these are 4 seat planes.

Let me know if you have any more questions regarding HB, Ill be glad to answer

* - For the sake of clarity the C172 is not actually available at the time I'm making this post. Should be in the next couple days however and as such deserves to be mentioned.
n1sK is offline