starting PPL

[Pilot16]

Hi all, :)

I will hopefull be takin the PPL course this Aughust (very excited).

My college starts at te beginning of September
I was wondering if it is possible to complete the PPL course in one month? perheps if i do full-time..

and also, what equipments will i need for the course? will i need a headset?
and any info, advise, hints & tips are much appreciated.
Thanks ;)

[BRL]

Hi there. First of all, go through the first 5 pages of this forum and look for anything to do with starting your PPL. Also, if you want to know about something specific, just do a search. The search button is up at the top on the right. Its a very good, powerfull tool. Doing both of these first will answer a lot of questions that you may have now. If you have a specific question that you think may sound a bit silly, then please fire away. As silly as the question may sound, there will be an answer for it and we have all asked silly questions in the past havnt we. Good luck and safe flying. :)

[FlyingForFun]

Hi Pilot!

First of all, have you flown a light aircraft before? If not, I'd suggest you go for a trial lesson before you commit loads of money up-front. I'm sure you'll love it - but every now and then, someone discovers that actually the sensations of flying aren't all that pleasant, and I'd hate to see you lose a large sum of money if that happens to you.

As for finishing in one month - it's unlikely you'd be able to do that in the UK, because the weather is so unpredictable. Many people do acheive this by going to the USA for 4 weeks, but then they need a few hours training when they get back to Britain. And there is a general opinion that these "fast-track" PPL courses don't produce such good pilots - see this thread on the Instructors forum (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=57672) for a detailed discussion.

However, I wouldn't let that worry you. If you have the time and the money, I'd fly for 5 or 6 hours a week at most. Any more, and you'll become overloaded with information - especially because you'll have pre- and post-flight briefings for most, if not all, flights, as well as having to study for some exams. And once you start college, you can continue to fly 1 or 2 hours each weekend. Many people get their PPL by flying only at weekends, so this really isn't a problem.

Don't worry about any equipment at first - the school will provide everything you need. You will need to buy things as you go - a flight computer for figuring out how the wind will affect you, several books, charts and various other interesting bits and pieces - but your instructor will advise you on this as your flying progresses. You won't need to buy a headset at all, because every school will have headsets to lend you, but many people like to have their own one anyway. See how you feel after 20 or 30 hours.

Good luck, and have fun!

FFF
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[Pilot16]

Thanks very much for the helpful replies! it sure is good to know there are people out there willing to help...

I have taken a trial lesson last year, when i tuned 16 and I loved it.

Ive been readin books on PPL since fifteen like the Trevor Thom
(1) (think thts how u spell it) so I alrady have quite a bit of knowledge on whats cmmng up. not to forget the thousands of hours on my comp simulaor :p


Flyng for fun,
Actually, Im used being overloaded with information, I think Il learn muich better that way, I just finishd 10 GCSE exams ! so ill cope. If I begin, I aim to finsh the PPL within 17, and so i'll make sure finance is not an obstacle in finishing the course before college.

Would any of you recommend me to buy the complete PPL study pack? it seems to contain everything I will need for the course.

Having my own headset would be real cool! but it is kinda expensive so I dunno :rolleyes:
My final goal is to become a commercal pilot and ill be commencing on the advaced training after college, so buying a headset may be worth it. or would it ? :rolleyes:

[englishal]

but then they need a few hours training when they get back to Britain. And there is a general opinion that these "fast-track" PPL courses don't produce such good pilots

B@llocks and b@llocks :p

EA:D

[Evo7]

Early on I see nothing wrong with flying as much as you can, and it will be a definite benefit when you come to do circuits. However, once you reach the Nav trips then I reckon FFF's 5 hours is a realistic limit, even without considering the exams.

I did a simple navex yesterday - just out to a turning point 30nm from the airfield and back again. I always knew where I was, the waypoints appeared when and where I expected them and when I drifted off track I corrected OK - seems fine. However, I was so busy keeping track of position that other things suffered (RT, checks, keeping height and heading etc.), so there's a lot that I need to learn from that last trip before I do the next one - otherwise I'll just make the same mistakes again (I'll make some of them anyway, of course, and some new ones). If you're trying to fit in a couple of trips a day then I don't think there's enough time to do that after every flight. If you've got money to burn you could ignore your personal post-flight debrief and just keep flying Nav trips until you get it, but at £100+ per hour that's an expensive way to learn.

For what it's worth, I'm doing two trips a week (each an hour at the moment), which is about the limit of what I could usefully do when combined with work. If I took a week off I'd probably do four or five, so I reckon FFF is spot on.

[Evo7]

Oh, and as a rule of thumb i've heard it suggested that in the UK you should expect roughly half of your lessons to be lost due to weather (I wish it was only half of mine:( ). That would suggest that a USA style 3-week special would take 6 weeks here.

[FlyingForFun]

Thanks for that, englishal! :D

Agree it's controversial, and since I've never done it I don't have a strong view either way, which is why I refered to a "general opinion" - by which I mean my un-scientific opinion on the most common and well-argued point of view that I've seen on the forums here. And that's also why I've refered to another thread where it's been (and is being) discussed in far more detail! :D :p :D

FFF
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[iainpoll]

My intention was to get through PPL in a month, or at least ASAP. In the end it took over 2 months due to the bloody British weather. In fact, at one stage, I went for two weeks without a lesson, despite being available 24/7! You cant take anything for granted in this game.

I certainly agree with the comments regarding Navexes, you just can't 'take' more than one a day. One every two days is better to give yourself time to 'digest' and recover. The instructors tend to put you under a lot of pressure at this stage (pays off in the long run) and having several things to do at once takes its toll physically and intellectually, in short you will be f***ing knackered after a two hour navex!

Take it at your own pace, but dont rush it. You will be a better pilot that way, which it the most important thing at the end of the day!

Good luck, let us know how you get on.


Iain

[AerBabe]

What's the hurry? Why not stay and learn in the UK over a longer time? You'll have less time once you start college, but if you make yourself available evenings and weekends, you should be able to get the PPL completed fairly quickly :)

[Pilot16]

yeah I see,

I want to get my license validated on my 17th birthday which is in November...

Usually, my birthday falls on a saturday or a sunday, but this year it seems to be on a Friday !! :cool:

Well, what I can do is,
do most of the hour building during the holiday and than spread the remaining ones during college at weekends...

[iainpoll]

Just a word to the wise, as I found out today, the CAA are taking 4 WEEKS to issue a licence at the moment!!!!!!!!:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

I went to Gatwick, begged, pleaded, etc for them to issue it there and then, even offered some extra cash, but no luck! So I am still a student pilot until my licence actually hits the doormat!

Bummer.

[Flyswift]

Is this for real ?????? All looks a bit suss to me !:rolleyes: