Need your advice please.

[VNA Lotus]

Hello everybody,

I hesitate doing my training in UK (especially because of the hight cost) I am from France, the weather is great here and I do not have any accomodation (I live with my GF near a FTO).
If I go in UK i will have to pay extra things...

Well I hesitate because as you know english is The language and I thought I would improve it during flights.
As the same time I am a little be worried that it will slow down my course (I am not fluent... and I will have to be able to understand my instructor and all trafic control).

my questions :

1) The course for a CPL/IR last about 70 hours (IR then CPL). during around 15 weeks. If I calculate, I guess you fly maybe 2 or 3 hours every day, don't you?
So what are you doing the rest of your day ?? stay in your room ?
well i ask you that because, if it was my case, I wouldn't improve my english very well in fact. Ok we can go out, meet people etc... but it is not sure.

2) about the loan, I have a question for students who did their course in another country, i know few of you went in Spain (looking for the sun lol).
Did you loan In UK and spent in Spain ? do the bank charge you every time ? How id you pay (credit card ?)

by the way, if someone can explain me the difference in UK between "debit cardd" dans "credit card" please... In France, I have a Mastercard, we call it "credit card".

3) the weather in UK during october, november, december, is it very bad for a CPL ??? does it affect the cost very much ?

thank you very much!

[Whirlygig]

I'll try to answer some of your questions:-

1. When I did a full-time PPL, I spent the rest of the time talking to he Operations Dept, the engineers, other pilots, other students in order to learn more about the business. I'm sure you will have plenty of opportunity to improve your English. You may also have to study in the spare time which will improve your written use of the language, if not the spoken.

2. A debit card takes the money straight from your bank account; i.e. you have to have the money there first before you can spend it. A credit card is a short term loan.

3. The weather in winter in the UK is unpredictable. Flying on a cold, clear, crisp winter's morning is fabulous as the visibilty is the best. But you can be fog bound just as easily. However, we have so much weather, you'll learn a lot about it! The only way in which it can affect the cost is that you may have to pay for accommodation during non-flying days - this will increase your total cost by however much it is per night you are spending.; otherwise you should only be charged for the hours you fly.

Cheers

Whirls