Trial Lesson

[hazholmes]

Hello,

I'm interested in starting my PPL soon, but before I do I'd like to take a trial flight.

I'm in the south east London area, am I right in thinking Biggin Hill is my best and closest option?? I'm prepared to travel if better options are available.

Can anyone offer some impartial advice on which FTO they'd reccommend?? Which aircraft would be best for a trial flight??
Any other advice on the subject is greatfully received.

Thanks.
H

[Fright Level]

I'm not sure Biggin is the perfect choice for a PPL anymore. You have plenty of options from SE London and I'd suggest 2-3 trial lessons with several outfits before making your decision.

Particularly in the current economic situation, don't pay up front however tempting the deal.

See if you can track down an issue of Pilot/Flyer etc that has the annual review of flying clubs. By law they have to operate from licensed airfields and a map of these can be found here (http://www.nats-uk.ead-it.com/public/index.php%3Foption=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=6&Itemid=13.html) to help you work out the geography of getting there for your lessons.

[MerlinV8]

My advice would be find an instructor who you feel comfortable with and has a real passion for flying and not just building hours for the airlines...

I don't know what its like in the UK but in Aussie alot of flying schools are sausage factorys for overseas students and these should be avoided like the plague!

Also the smaller aeroclub type schools offer more of a social network which is great for things like trips away on weekends, while training for my PPL I went on every club trip and you have opportunity to experience and learn things you wouldn't normally get to do.

Good luck :ok:

[eugegall]

Hi,

I have a PA28-161 bassed at Fairoaks (EGTF) I Lease this out for private hire to ppl holders with a check out but i also have instructors teaching on it. so if your interested then let me know mate!

[hazholmes]

Thanks for the replys, am mulling it over as I write.

Regards.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I don't know what its like in the UK but in Aussie alot of flying schools are sausage factorys for overseas students
Er ... I think you might find that this is at least partly due to the weather.

I can certainly imagine going to Oz to learn to fly ... but in the UK it's mostly people going from the UK to other places with better weather (Florida is popular).

[Nibbler]

There are a number of FTO's in your area and you now have a map! You have the right idea with the trial lessons, as for what aircraft, I'd go in the type the FTO uses for training. This could be just about anything but I'd bet on a PA28.

You might want to look out for much cheaper training rates on diesel versions as they are becoming more popular and could amount to a £2k saving on an average 50 hour training requirement.

Some schools offer up to £400 worth of 'student pack' including all books, ground school and ground exams, headset etc for a 1/3 deposit. I do understand this makes some people nervous but if you pay by credit card you have protection. Some schools have escrow accounts which also offer buyer protection.

Everyone interacts differently so asking others what an instructor is like has limited use. Personality is everything, flying should be fun but learning can be a bit stressful so you need a nice instructor to fly with, but one who will push you when you need it. I'd go with your gut feeling at first and if you don't really get on then change instructor early. The best people to speak to would be the operations staff.

Hope this helps, every success with your PPL!

[prettygrumman]

Try the Lion Flying Group at Estree, theres one lady instructor, 2 planes and you are guaranteed continuity unlike the bigger outfits.Charges are less than the bigger outfits as well. Good luck.

[prettygrumman]

Sorry that should read Elstree.:(

[jollyrog]

From South East London, consider Headcorn. Easy to get to and loads of instructors there. You're bound to find one you like. Plenty to see too, it's a day out.

Biggin is OK, but you could end up paying for a lot of time on the ground, plus all the landing fees. Steep, when your lessons get to the circuits stage. :eek:

You'll get your money's worth at Headcorn and there are no landing fees in the club aircraft, which will make a BIG difference to your training costs.

PM me if you want more information.

[flyvirgin]

Haz,
I started off at Biggin hill doing my ppl at Cab air, what a shambles, they were to busy with commercial training , I couldnt book leson without two weeks waiting, plus £9500 i think was a bit expensive.
SO,
I got all my money back (which took some effort) and finished my ppl at Bournemouth with a chap called Derrick Davidson, I did all my exams with him and all the ppl syllabus.
If you want his number P.M me.
Im sure he will do a trail leson for you.
Cheers Adam

[flyvirgin]

Oh yea i forgot.
I was also doing my circuit training over a field because biggin was to busy with the jets, using a river as a runway etc.

[flyingman-of-kent]

Yes Biggin is busy, and the landing fees do mount up, but don't forget the journey times to and from the airport! This counts for a lot when you consider that you could be at the airfield anywhere from 4 to 6 times a week!!! Don't forget things like ground school, and just hanging around at the airport waiting for the weather to clear - if you have driven to Headcorn / Elstree you will be pretty frustrated if you cant fly!! And you may be able to fit in a flight after work if you learn locally whereas if you have an hour plus with the rush hour against you it is not going to happen!

An advantage of Biggin is that if you learn there, you are prepared to fly anywhere -it all prepares you for future flying. I learnt there, and was happy to go flying into airports like Schipol (V expensive but great fun), Rotterdam, Palma, and all sorts of others around UK and Europe. If you learn at a small field with only air/ground you will not get the same wide experience every time you train, especially the RT experience a busy approach/tower gives you.

The best thing I learnt (apart from the flying of course) was it is essential to learn at the nearest proper airport to you. End of!

In terms of trial lesson, well you can do a trial at as many places as you want, but you will find it well worth going and talk to each and every school / club at the airport - just walk in unannounced and see what you think of the treatment you get. Have a good look around, ask other people how it all works. Then have a chat with an instructor who would be the one to instruct you, they will be more than happy to show you the planes, expalin how things work and talk you through what you need. Do this on a rainy no fly day and you will have plenty of help!! Then once you have visited every school, weigh up how you feel and then book a trial lesson. Preferably a land away, so you then get 10 mins or so to chat to the instructor at the destination - see if you can get on with them, that is the biggest factor. Check they are not leaving imminently to join the airlines, in fact it is not a bad bet to find an instructor who has recently joined the school, as they should then be there for a couple of years and see you through to IMC if that is waht you want. Or find an old fashioned career instructor, rare these days, but not impossible.

School v Club? In general the school approach is more to teach courses, and should be effiecient at this, places like Cabair. Clubs may be more attractive for a more genial atmosphere, but can be a bit more lax on timing, availability etc. Both schools and clubs will arrange trips, it is in their interest to utilise the aircraft! I started at a club, then moved on to a school after 20 hours and found it better for me, though of course it is a personal choice. I had excellent instructors at both. It is never a bad thing to fly with other instructors - at about 12 hours I had a bad habit of over controlling the plane - a different instructor knocked this out of me very quickly and taught a valuable lesson!!!!

Choices of planes really come down to your budget - but four seaters can be more stable and forgiving than 2 seaters. The Piper PA38 (Tomahawk 2 seater) has a nickname Traumahawk, and the Cessna 150/152 2 seater is very tight on space if you are not skinny and/or short! Which leaves Cessna 172 and Piper PA28, both 4 seaters, good stable training platforms, strong and forgiving! The 172 is a high wing plane and slightly trickier to land, but downwards visibility is better than the PA28 which is low wing and so lands better with the aid of ground effect as you flare.

Also, if you learn on a 4 seater, you can take a friend (or preferably share the flying with another student at the same level as you) on club trips with instructor when learning of course!

I hope this helps, if you need any more info please ask or pm me