considering a CPL / I.R provider

[A330 Dreamer]

When considering a CPL school, are you better to do the full 25 hours in a complex aircraft?
I've noticed schools advertising 15 hours in a warrior and 10 hours in an arrow - but other than reducing cost, what benefit would you get? I planned to find a school with 25 hours in the complex aircraft.

also....

the I.R - I see the likes of Bristol do the majority in the FNPTII. I also thought it would be more beneficial to do maybe approx. 15 hours max. in the sim and the rest in the M.E aircraft?

Any feedback? or what schools in england people may recommend?

[swervin'mervin]

You should be able to do as much as you like in which ever aircraft are available (subject to the CAA minimums). Bristol I know for sure will let you split it any which way you choose - if youre flush and want to do the whole thing in a seneca then go for it but the majority of initial IR training is best done in a sim. If a school cannot meet your requirements then look elsewhere! Thumbs up to Bristol they got me through both first time:ok:

[Unusual Attitude]

When I did my CPL I did 15hrs on the Warrior and 10hrs on the Arrow. The first 15hrs are basically brushing up on handling, nav, PFL's, emergencies, instrument flying etc anyway so it doesnt really make a difference what aircraft your flying...
Once you start to get that nailed you will be introduced to doing them in a complex type which I found worked very well for me. I got through the course in min time/min hours and was happy with the way things went.

Best of luck!

Regards

UA

[horsebox]

A few things I would consider,

- Will you be training full or part time, some schools are more geared up for one or the other. look for good student: instructor ratio 1:2 or 1:3 say.

- CPL or IR first - pro's and con's to both, have a search and you will see the different views

- Do you want to include the ME rating as part of the CPL (if you choose to do that first), or do it as a stand alone as part of hour building, or do it via another route..

- Does the sim bear a close resmblence to the aircraft for the IR. Alot of fnptII types are perhaps based on a king air and reconfigured to act like a Duchess or similar, whereas some schools sim's, although maybe not as flash are based in layout and setup on the actual ir training aircraft they have. Whats sim availability like, if it is also used for MCC type courses, you may find it unavailable at key times.

- Personally i would try and find some where with good balance of sim to aircraft time and as much time on the twin you will use for the ir test as possible. 25hr/25hr is good, 30hrsim 20hr a/c not bad, 35 sim 15 a/c - maybe not so great. Depends on your background and experience what you are comfortable with.

- CPL/IR involves larger sums of money. Be careful how you pay. Don't pay big sums up front.

[sam34]

- Does the sim bear a close resmblence to the aircraft for the IR.

Hi HORSEBOX!
Why doing an IR with a sim/aircraft the same ? just because it is easier not to change any type of "aircraft" during the course ? I wonder that because I am going to do my CPL/IR soon... so I have to choose my school.. :}
well, in this case, i suppose it is not too bad to do the IR on DA42 because sim/aircraft are the same... ok, some people do no like those aircraft but it is not the debate, but at least we can do the IR on the same aircraft.

[Funkie]

A330 Dreamer,

I can’t see any other benefit. In fact, I’d think it’s a hindrance. Whilst I agree the first part of the course is revision, hence shouldn’t be that difficult, operating a complex will bring a further step in your learning process which at CPL level you should be able to deal with. I’d go with the full course on the complex type – you’ll be better prepared at test time and it’ll show.

The IR – totally agree with swervin'mervin, in that Bristol will tailor the course to suit your needs. An excellent school, with equally excellent instructors. The sim is there to teach you the principles of Instrument flying and get you up to speed with a/c performance, and that’s the best place for it in my opinion.

I did the IR before the CPL, hence a 55hr course – 30 in the sim and 25 in the Seneca. Seemed to work well for me, apart from Cardiff playing silly buggers – oops, not bitter…! After that, did the CPL in the Seneca as I already knew how to fly it, i.e. speeds, power settings, handling characteristics etc.. and didn’t see the point taking a step back to the Arrow. No regrets.

If you’ve any questions, just ask/PM….

sam34,

A likeness between sim and a/c will reduce the transition between the two, ie switches, controls, radios etc are all in the same place and look/feel the same. Not a deal breaker by any means, but does help.

[horsebox]

The hourly costs at cpl/ir level are pretty high. You don't want training to over run if you can help it. Anything that helps you learn quickly and get that first time pass is best, more time on the complex aircraft, more time on the twin, a sim that closely matches the aircraft etc..

Have a chat on the phone, pay them a visit, hang around, chat to a couple of current students, get a feel for the place. Look for a school that specialises in cpl/ir rather than a school that has the approvals, but doesn't actually do much cpl/ir training.

My first stop for an IR school was one based at a caa test centre airfield . Positioning a twin for ir test and if unlucky a partial or retest all adds to the bill...

[A330 Dreamer]

I would like to do the CPL full 25 hours in the complex a/c.

However, I find the feedback for bristol flying centre is the place to go for the I.R. - I have watched the DVD they send and I am impressed.