US JAR PPL Holder - Average instructor hours on return??
 

Hello All

I have just received my PPL licence in the post from the CAA.

Ahem, although I wanted to train in the UK, I trained in the US because none of the UK schools I contacted could guarantee 3 weeks of good weather (obviously). Annual leave is a big problem for me and I couldn't afford to have days off wasted with postponed lessons.

I feel that during the 3 weeks I was mostly operating on the edge of my experience/knowledge. I know that I'm better than some students that I saw, but that I still have alot to learn, especially regarding RT etc.

Now that I am home I want to fly here. In your experience what is the average length of time required to get US trained PPL holders up to speed for UK flying.

Are there any common problems US trained people have??

I appreciate that it is difficult to comment without seeing me fly, I'm just looking for a few pointers to mull over whilst waiting for my first flight.

best regards

It really does depend on the individual and where they trained ... you don't say but since you're mentioning a 3 week JAR PPL, I'm assuming that you went to one of a handful of large Florida based schools, the ones that run the biggest adverts in the back of Flyer every month? :rolleyes:

If that's the case, then depending on the individual you could get away with a general handling flight and a couple of quick dual nav's, or virtually end up redoing your entire PPL. I have flown with people that basically had the skills and just needed a bit of practice with British R/T and our somewhat more sporty weather, and on one memorable occasion I also had one Florida PPL that I could swear had never been inside an aircraft before in his life if he hadn't had the licence in his hands. That was a case of another 8 or 9 hours just in the circuit trying to undo the damage that had been done to him, before I'd even let him go solo, let alone try and sit an LPC ...

I'm not implying that you particularly suffer from any of these things, but in general some other common symptoms of '3 week Florida PPL syndrome' include sloppy and lightning fast checklists, poor lookout, rough balance, taxiing everywhere at a million miles an hour and the legendary American R/T :rolleyes:

Things you might be able to do to save a bit of time and money - get hold of the UK CAA R/T manual and have a read. If you are mates with any British trained PPLs then get them to sit down with you at the coffee table and be an imaginary controller while you do an imaginary nav ex with them. If you're not totally comfortable with the checklists and if your local flying club will let you, then go sit in a parked aircraft and make sure you can do the checks verbally, 'exactly as they're written in the checklist', without cutting any corners. Get hot on the principles of basic stopwatch-and-heading navigation, and don't freak out the first time you have to go on a nav to a place that doesn't actually have CAVOK, a 2 mile long concrete runway, and six different approach aids on field :D

That's probably more advice than you wanted to hear, good luck with it anyway mate.

The biggest problem that you may find is with instructors in the UK who are prejudiced against US trained flyers. Phone around and find an instructor who trained in the USA otherwise the UK trained instructor may want to prove to you that you didn't learn a thing in the USA. In the UK, it seems that you really need to imagine that you are broadcasting a documentary and include things in your RT like reading back the QNH, QFE, number of people on board, mothers maiden name and anything else which may be of interest to the controller as apposed to the short and to the point US RT which you have learned. Also, UK pilots seem to be reluctant to land and prefer to check out that the vis is within VFR limits by making the pattern about 5 miles radius of the airport. Maybe they are just leaving room for 747's to join them!

If you trained at a non towered airport then you are likely to have serious difficulties switching to flying from a towered airfield anyway.

Be prepared for the shock at the end when you get presented with bills for around 150 quid for an hours jolly around with an instructor in the UK!

One last point, a PPL is only evidence that you have achieved a basic standard of airmanship. A club that doesn't know you will want to ensure that you are going to return their airplane safely so more hours flying is going to be a pre-requisit to being set lose with their aircraft.

Ref the above post, or rather drivvle.
I havent laughed so hard in ages. U should phone around and find an instructor who was trained in the US.HELLO FRED BLOGGS FLYING SCHOOL
Yes im looking for an instructor who was trained in the US.
WHERE DID U TRAIN SID?ENGLANDHOW ABOUT U FRED? ENGLANDnull
HOW ABOUT U MIKE?England.
Do u really think that employers have a fact sheet to hand stating where there instructors trained?jeeze/
That operation would cost u a fortune and no end of time,and as far as the RT in the states goes,its of no great importance to me where Fred and Jimmy are going for a few beers tonight,but i certainly would be interested in the correct pressure setting so i didnt slam myself into the runway.Put your brain in gear before you start offering drivvle as advice.

You see blindside, there are so many people with prejudices against US trained flyers. How many instances are documented of US trained pilots slamming into runways because they didn't have a five minute chat with ATC about the QNH and QFE? are UK pilots incapable of landing without QFE information? Surely US airports would be littered with the debris of aircraft if QFE was crucial information. :D

Do people in the 21st century really believe that the Americans can't fly as well as people in the UK? The Americans actually build most of the airplanes that we fly and I understand that their accident rate per flying hour is less that in the UK.

Changing the subject from flying to fishing, it appears that it is still possible to go fishing in the UK and land a prize specimen in spite of rumours that stocks are depleted. :D

[ 28 July 2001: Message edited by: Sensible ]

The kiddies forum is JETBLAST,get yourself off there like a good boy. ;)

The problem is not where people are trained, but how they are trained. To complete a PPL in 3 weeks is pushing it even for the most able student. Inevitably, you will have been on the edge of your ability most of the time, some people learn well under pressure, some do not.

Now that you have your licence you need to consolodate what you have already learned. If your are SAFE, you will be able to solo quite quickly after a check out, maybe a couple of hours. If you need additional training it may take longer, I have seen some new PPL holders take up to 15 hours to be sent solo. Remember some schools are anti US training , after all their livelyhood is at stake. Even if you change schools or clubs in the UK the new club will not know you, and require a thorough check-out before they let you hire their aircraft.

Training in the US is different, some schools may want to retrain you in the UK way, that can increase the time it will take. However long it takes, it is still flying, and you will learn from the experience hopefully, to make you a safer pilot.

Blindside, just remember that like all of us you will always be on a learning curve, and for ALL new PPL's it a steep one. Just stick with the basic;

AVIATE. On average you will be no worse or better than a UK PPL at controlling the a/c so a normal 1-2hr club check out will be required.

NAVIGATE. Since all the UK roads are not laid out in a nice grid it will take a couple of nav flights to get up to speed on the "picture" you need to see to navigate successfully.

COMMUNICATE. The R/T is different but at least the language is the same!! Having said that, fly near a controlled airfield and you will soon realise that most UK PPL's speak a foreign language (based on lots of ums and er's) so you can't make more of a fist of it than them.

I have flown on both sides of the puddle and each has its good and bad points and I've found neither is better or worse than the other, just different.

backdraftuk

Well done for your sensible reply. Although it is some years since I instructed the biggest problem I had was with US/US trained PPLs was navigation and the tendency with some to want to use roads for PFLs!

As you said just different but also some schools in Florida do leave a little to be desired.

Blindside

Whether you had trained in the US or UK in three weeks you would probably feel a little overwhelmed.

Choose your club carefully and although you might have to spend an hour or two adapting to the different practises and UK navigation you will soon adapt. I well remember going on my first flight post qualifying and feeling almost as nervous as my first solo! Finally as has been said you never stop learning in flying.

M.Mouse

Your post takes me back a few years; I did a high performance rating at Brackett Field, La Verne, La in the mid 90s.

Standard EFATO procedure on the westerley runways was (a) if altitude permits, land on freeway ahead (b) if not enough altitude ditch in resevoir. Some choice!!!!!

Thank you for your time.

Great stuff.

Very best regards