Quality Hour Building

[Autofly]

I´m a PPL with about 100 hours TT plus night qual. and am looking to build my hours up so I can begin a CPL course. However, I am mindful that I can clock up hours in a way that will benefit me when I start a commercial course and ways that will not.

While I know that flying round and round my local airfield is about as useful as driving round it, what is a good way to build hours?:confused:

Having asked a fair few people, some advise an IMC rating for some instrument experience and others against. Other advise to get some twin experience becuase its cheaper than twin hours at a commercial school.

Getting the basic flying right (like maintaining cruise altitude +/- 100ft of your target) is a good start but does anyone have any other thoughts?

Cheers
Auto
:ok:

[pa28biggles]

Autofly,
I am in the hour building phase also. The best thing to do is to go on to the CAA's web-site and get some details on the CPL course, and then base your hour building on that. For example, aim for CPL handling tolerances as you have mentioned, practice PFLs, steep turns.... Obviously you wont be able to practice IMC flying by yourself. Also, have a look for a thread in this forum called 'CPL diary' by flyingForFun. The thread is very informative and interesting.
In your hour building phase, you will have to accumulate an amount of dual time, that depends on how much you currently have. If you have more dual time to build, than dual time that is required for the IMC course then go for it. You need to build the dual hours up anyway, so getting an IMC rating at the same time may me be a good idea.
In reality though, and this is what I have found since I have been building my hours slowly, is that the 'dual time building' accumulates through checkouts, since the British bad weather has meant that you have not been able to fly for a while.
As for getting a twin rating now, in my opinion, don't do it. With the amount of hours that you have got, the money is better spent gaining experience in a SE aircraft.
Hope this helps,
PA28.

[FlyingForFun]

To add to PA28's answer:

Yes, read my diary for an idea of what the CPL consists of. But remember that the course syllabus has changed since then - there is much less instrument work than there used to be, and the navigation diversion is now done visually.

The IMC is still very worthwhile, though. PA28 is not quite correct when he talks about having to "accumulate an amount of dual time", though. You need to have at least 100 hours of P1 time before you apply for the license - and the rest of your time may be either P1 or dual. So if you do not yet have 100 hours P1, then doing the IMC would be a bad idea, because your time would be better spent building up to this requirement. There is no minimum total dual time that you need to achieve during hour-building (as PA28 suggests), though.

Other suggestions would be a tail-wheel checkout, aerobatics, or complex checkout. Or if you need more solo time and don't want to do any of these, then maybe you could hire an aircraft for a copule of weeks and tour around Europe or the UK? Whatever you do, make sure you practice stalls, steep turns and PFLs regularly.

And the main thing - have fun!!! :)

FFF
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[mazzy1026]

Couple of questions guys.

I always thought you would need the IR before you could get a night rating as you are using instruments ? Am I being daft ?

What do you mean by dual ?

Sorry having one of my stupid days :}

Lee

[hasell]

Hey Auto,
Am almost in the same boat as you. I just acquired my Night Qualification/Rating a few weeks back. Regarding the hour building before commencing the CPL. I seem to recall that for your 100 hours P1 -you need to have completed a 300nm cross country trip via two airfields.

Mazzy -Unless I've read your question wrong. You dont need an IR before commencing your Night Qualification training. I found the instrument work was mostly drummed into me during the climb phase after takeoff. ie take off, call 'G-xxxx airborne' and then stay on instruments for the first 200ft. before looking outside ie flying 'visually'. Of course there is also VOR/DME tracking work as per daytime flying too.


Regards.

Has.

[FlyingForFun]

I always thought you would need the IR before you could get a night ratingNo - you still fly by looking out the window. You need to appreciate that there are times when you won't be able to see a horizon, or where visual illusions can make you fix on a false horizon, and therefore rely much more on your instruments.... but not to the point of relying on them in the way that the IR teaches you to fly.

There are many people who advocate requiring an IMC rating or IR before you're allowed to get a night qualification. But on the other hand, in many countries (e.g. the USA) the basic PPL includes night-flying privileges and you don't hear of PPLs crashing all over the place because they tried to fly at night in the US. You would certainly want to exercise some caution about where you fly if you don't have any instrument training, though - flight over unpopulated countryside or over the ocean at night, on a moonless night, for example, would be a bad idea.

FFF
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[mazzy1026]

Thanks guys - what you say makes sense. I just thought it would be a great idea to fly over blackpool in the winter to see the lights ratehr than sat in a huge traffic jam !

Regards

Lee

[Autofly]

Cheers for the advice guys and gals.

Auto

Has - check you PM (I think it got through) ;)

[hasell]

Hey Auto,
Buddy! ... no sign of that PM mate.


Regards

Has.