Summer Work and PPL Training

[AspiringAviator]

hi i'm currently in my last year of school and will be going to study Aeronautical Engineering at Glasgow Uni in october. The problem that i have is that i have about 3 months between the end of my exams and the start of uni and during this time i'd like to get a job which is likely to be of some use to my future career aspirations (to get an ATPL somehow). I'm currently in Edinburgh and would like to try to find some form of aviation related job for the summer, either in scotland or otherwise, so that i can gain experience in this fiels and gain financial support to learn to fly. I am also intending to try to get my PPL sometime this summer aswell. I have had the problem of trying to decide whether or not to go for one in the US or the UK and would appreciate it if anybody could tell me if they have done any intensive PPl courses and how they have found the workload. Also if anybody has any ideas as to where would be good places to enquire as to summer work placements i would really appreciate it. Thanks,
AA

------------------
Just because you have
your head in the clouds
it's no reason not to
have your feet on the
gro

[expedite_climb]

DON'T go to the US.

(Take cover!)

[This message has been edited by expedite_climb (edited 16 March 2001).]

[Fast Jet Wannabe]

I agree with expedite_climb, although if he'd have given a reason it would have made more sense.

Many people (myself included) don't respect a US PPL course as much as an UK one. Yes, there are very good reasons, the main one being that American weather is so very different to ours. (Especially yours in Scotland!) Ditto for the terrain. Ditto for the radio procedures (i.e. Over here we have procedures :)) The list goes on...

Anyway, I pray we haven't started yet another thread where the US lovers fight the UK lovers... If you feel like that, then do a search, it's been done too many times before!

AA, I'm in the same situation as you. (Well I'm in the same year at school anyway) This may sound really obvious, but have you tried contacting BAA about a job at EDI? Some kind of ground job, although not exactly taxing, will stand you in good stead for the future (an understanding of events from a ground workers point of view etc - refer to the thread on R&N about this weeks "Airline" episode).

I am doing an intensive PPL course - albeit in two blocks instead of one. The 1st was an RAF Flying scholarship, the second at a flying school based at an important airport a lot nearer to you than it is to me! The course was excellent, the aircraft was a pristine PA-28, and the staff were friendly and high-quality. If you are interested, I strongly suggest you drop me an e-mail and I will give you the details. (N.B. They only cater for intensive courses, they are not a coffee club!)

Drop me a line for a chat,

FJW.

[sd]

FJW

Dont start that old line until you have some experience of flying in the US.

When was the last time you flew into an international Airport???

US trained pilots dont fall out of the sky all the time you know!!!

[Dublin Despatcher]

Well AA, I have to agree with SD.

Theres no problem with getting your PPL in the US, the terrain may be different to scotland, but if you go to Florida for the summer, you can get a JAR-PPL in 3 weeks and your guaranteed 30000ft CB's every day.

As for a summer job, apply to the airlines in your local area first, what-ever you do, stay away from office jobs.

[Fast Jet Wannabe]

sd,

ohhh, let me check my log book!

Oh yes, thats right, the last time I flew solo into an international airport was Feb 28th.

Thanks for your interest in my progress!

FJW.

[AMS]

Hi Guys,

The US option well, let me say one thing many of you may have gathered from my previous posts, about US training is cheaper, and a PPL in the US is not a bad thing infact talking about terrain..well where i am currently at the terrain is very different to the UK..In the UK do you have to Climb to 8500ft or more to clear a mountain..do you have to deal with desert weather??. I find the US more populated with Planes. There is so much traffic.

An intensive PPL I find is a personal thing one can do one in a short space of time and may enjoy it and one may not. There is a lot of ground work to be covered so do the exams back at home.

The planes in the US are well very very "used", I have flown planes with out HI working sometimes in the patterns the DI fails. It makes you wonder, whether its the money that is important or your safety. I find that UK schools may not use their planes as much as the US schools, but they follow stricter guidelines. (personal Opinion)

Flying in the US I find is very cool, you are allowed into international airports, you do not have different pressure settings, R/T is very laid back.

Overall, if you do all you exams back in the UK you'll be fine. Weather wise, well I have lost about 12 days due to maint. and weather..thus the definate posibility of not completing my course..So I shall have to finish it off back in the UK.

If I were to do it all again I would have done it in the UK.

Thanks

Hope this helps..this post is a mere personal opinion

AMS

[sd]

AMS makes some good points, and I would add the following:
If you wan't a PPL as part of a modular route to CPL/IR then US has (in my opinion) got to figure somewhere.
I would add that whilst I have flown nearly 200 hrs in the US I never did an intensive PPL there. I have been to two schools which did them, and the pressure was on!! 3 weeks is not a long time. Without doubt you should get your exams out of the way before you go.
The problem here, and Scotland in particular is the weather. If you have a plan to get things done in a reasonable length of time then the quick solution is the US. I was nearly 2 months trying to get my PPL GFT here thanks to weather., I gave up, bought a £99 ticket and did it in Florida in order to get on with commercial training.

Now, WHAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF is ill informed crap about flying over there from those who have never been there, and potter about thinking that aviation revolves around a 60 mile radius of where they are doing their PPL!!!. :mad:
The facts are:

They DO have weather and boy does it change!

There is the odd hill in the good old US of A! Hire is cheap and you can fly large distances over very different geography.

General aviation is welcomed over there. You can fly into a different International airports every day, (Real ones!), alonside 747s' etc and be welcome. ...1st class experience by they way!

RT in many areas is more intense than most ppl training areas over here! With real pilots in real planes talking to real controllers then landing safely in real airports!!!

I'm now doing my CPL here at the moment and the weather is a REAL problem. However, sadly I don't think that the US is an option for this if you want to find an instructors job in the UK.

Time is a major consideration. Your ATPL's will take you long enough (believe me!), so use Florida etc if you want to speed things up...and, save a shed load of cash.