First Forays...
Super-Friendly Aviator
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First Forays...
Hello PPLers!
I have my class II medical on the 14th of next month and will be starting the PPL as soon as possible after that.
I just wanted to hear any general advice before it all kicks off - nothing heavy, just a few points or pitfalls I should watch out for?
I've just graduated with a physics degree so, apart from the amount to be learned, I don't foresee any big hurdles in understanding the theory/effectively revising the material. I was more after general practical things?
I realise this is a very broad question...!
Cheers for any input,
A fairly excited V1R
I have my class II medical on the 14th of next month and will be starting the PPL as soon as possible after that.
I just wanted to hear any general advice before it all kicks off - nothing heavy, just a few points or pitfalls I should watch out for?
I've just graduated with a physics degree so, apart from the amount to be learned, I don't foresee any big hurdles in understanding the theory/effectively revising the material. I was more after general practical things?
I realise this is a very broad question...!
Cheers for any input,
A fairly excited V1R
Join Date: Mar 2003
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Stay excited, You're paying for it so just enjoy it and soak up the experience for yourself - all us old farts out here who have done it will just bore you with our own experiences ! 
The pitfalls in flying will find you - a bit like quantum mechanics and multi quantum well theory I would suggest ?
Have a great time and don't forget, it's only for fun !
The pitfalls in flying will find you - a bit like quantum mechanics and multi quantum well theory I would suggest ?
Have a great time and don't forget, it's only for fun !
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General advice:
Take the opportunity to fly whenever you can. The more you can fly the quicker, and more cheaply, you will complete the PPL.
Don't worry about your progress. Everybody has a problem with one bit of the syllabus or other.
Prepare mentally for each lesson, review what you did in the last lesson, and learn the checks that relate to the stage of flight being covered in the lesson.
Enjoy it!
Best Wishes
t
Take the opportunity to fly whenever you can. The more you can fly the quicker, and more cheaply, you will complete the PPL.
Don't worry about your progress. Everybody has a problem with one bit of the syllabus or other.
Prepare mentally for each lesson, review what you did in the last lesson, and learn the checks that relate to the stage of flight being covered in the lesson.
Enjoy it!
Best Wishes
t
Join Date: Jan 2002
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1. Don't pay too much up front.
2. Don't bore the wife too much about what happens during the lessons.
3. Dont post a thread about landings, GPS, flying clothing or headsets...........
4. Do search before you post.
5. Don't be afraid to ask what different things are inside the a/c.
6. Do learn how to use the radio early on.
7. Don't believe a word anyone says about "getting their licence within 45 hours".
8. If you stop enjoying it at any point (and I guarantee you will) keep going as it is rewarding at the end.
9. Make sure you know about landing on grass strips by the time you have completed/qualified.
10. Do make sure you are shown at the very first proper lesson how to check oil and fuel levels etc.
Above all......enjoy it
2. Don't bore the wife too much about what happens during the lessons.
3. Dont post a thread about landings, GPS, flying clothing or headsets...........
4. Do search before you post.
5. Don't be afraid to ask what different things are inside the a/c.
6. Do learn how to use the radio early on.
7. Don't believe a word anyone says about "getting their licence within 45 hours".
8. If you stop enjoying it at any point (and I guarantee you will) keep going as it is rewarding at the end.
9. Make sure you know about landing on grass strips by the time you have completed/qualified.
10. Do make sure you are shown at the very first proper lesson how to check oil and fuel levels etc.
Above all......enjoy it
Join Date: Jun 2002
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Hi V1 Vr,
There is one thing that I strongly believe in and would recommend during your course.
That would be to learn how to spin an aircraft and more importantly how to control the aircraft to bring it back to straight and level flight once you are in a spin.
Due to the current syllabus not requiring PPL students to even experience a fully developed spin, all too many pilots are now obtaining their PPL's without even ever had a spin demonstrated to them, thus many go on to fly for years and years with a spin phobia.
Although the only time you should end up in a spin is when you do one intentionally, many have ended up in a spin without knowing what to do to get out of one... thus prematurely shortening their active life.
Most people whilst learning how to land an aeroplane during the touch and go's will have a doubt as to whether they can do it... just stick with it and believe your instructor when they say you're doing okay. After a few landings on a lesson it will just start to click and your landings thereafter will start to become more predictable.
Edit: Just read on another current thread about mixture controls... this reminded me that this is an area of aircraft operation that is seriously under taught in the UK at least. Use the mixture control... then you won't have the engineers on your back everytime an aeroplane goes in for its 50 hour check moaning about why doesn't anyone use the mixture control...
Anyway you'll enjoy your PPL course!!!
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
There is one thing that I strongly believe in and would recommend during your course.
That would be to learn how to spin an aircraft and more importantly how to control the aircraft to bring it back to straight and level flight once you are in a spin.
Due to the current syllabus not requiring PPL students to even experience a fully developed spin, all too many pilots are now obtaining their PPL's without even ever had a spin demonstrated to them, thus many go on to fly for years and years with a spin phobia.
Although the only time you should end up in a spin is when you do one intentionally, many have ended up in a spin without knowing what to do to get out of one... thus prematurely shortening their active life.
Most people whilst learning how to land an aeroplane during the touch and go's will have a doubt as to whether they can do it... just stick with it and believe your instructor when they say you're doing okay. After a few landings on a lesson it will just start to click and your landings thereafter will start to become more predictable.
Edit: Just read on another current thread about mixture controls... this reminded me that this is an area of aircraft operation that is seriously under taught in the UK at least. Use the mixture control... then you won't have the engineers on your back everytime an aeroplane goes in for its 50 hour check moaning about why doesn't anyone use the mixture control...
Anyway you'll enjoy your PPL course!!!
Best wishes,
Charlie Zulu.
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And;
Make friends with other (experienced) pilots and jump into any aircraft going anywhere if you get the chance. (pay the landing and buy the coffee).
You may even find someone here local to you.
Good luck
Tony
Make friends with other (experienced) pilots and jump into any aircraft going anywhere if you get the chance. (pay the landing and buy the coffee).
You may even find someone here local to you.
Good luck
Tony
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Most definatley agree with Tony's suggesting in jumping into any aeroplane you can with already qualified pilots...
When I was learning to fly I had the pleasure in flying in the right hand seat of many types from the defacto Warrior and Cessna's through my current type (a Beagle Pup) to a good few unlogged hours in the ultimate of piston twins... a Cessna 340 (a pressurized twin, felt like a mini-airliner).
Within no time at all you'll notice that us bunch are a sociable lot and will always be glad of having someone along for the ride... my thinking is that there is no point in having a spare seat when someone on the ground would like to fly...
All the best.
When I was learning to fly I had the pleasure in flying in the right hand seat of many types from the defacto Warrior and Cessna's through my current type (a Beagle Pup) to a good few unlogged hours in the ultimate of piston twins... a Cessna 340 (a pressurized twin, felt like a mini-airliner).
Within no time at all you'll notice that us bunch are a sociable lot and will always be glad of having someone along for the ride... my thinking is that there is no point in having a spare seat when someone on the ground would like to fly...
All the best.
Just adding to the good advice above:-
- Buy cheap things you need (chart, protractor, etc.) as soon as possible.
- Don't buy expensive things you are told you need (headset, posh flight bag), until it's inavoidable.
- Don't expect air-law to make sense, it doesn't - just learn it.
- Don't expect the science behind the technical subjects to make sense, the more you analyse it the less it does. Just learn the mickey-mouse science, pass the exams, then learn how it really works later when you've more time.
- Keep personal note of everything you are learning, mentally review each lesson afterwards.
- If you can't learn from a particular instructor, talk to the CFI about it as soon as possible, don't let it linger.
- Keep having fun, if you aren't, there's no point.
G
- Buy cheap things you need (chart, protractor, etc.) as soon as possible.
- Don't buy expensive things you are told you need (headset, posh flight bag), until it's inavoidable.
- Don't expect air-law to make sense, it doesn't - just learn it.
- Don't expect the science behind the technical subjects to make sense, the more you analyse it the less it does. Just learn the mickey-mouse science, pass the exams, then learn how it really works later when you've more time.
- Keep personal note of everything you are learning, mentally review each lesson afterwards.
- If you can't learn from a particular instructor, talk to the CFI about it as soon as possible, don't let it linger.
- Keep having fun, if you aren't, there's no point.
G
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Following on from Genghis's post, don't expect Meteorology to make sense - it doesn't! 
Oh, and don't believe everything you hear about not believing everything you hear about passing in 45 hours...
TPK
Oh, and don't believe everything you hear about not believing everything you hear about passing in 45 hours...
TPK
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I am only a few hours ahead of you.
Do not under any circumstances book a lesson and then, particularly for the first 10 hours, try and chivvy your instructor to take you up when he/she says the weather is wrong, even if it looks ok from the ground.
The most valuable things about the first few lessons is learning to look out of the windows, and in particular at the horizon, rather than at the instruments. If there is no decent horizon, there is no point going up and that is the end of it. Work on your exams instead.
Most people (me included) who have always wished to do this have at least some experience of flightsims. Flightsims have almost nothing to contribute to learning how to fly a real light aircraft (save perhaps for becoming familiar with the instruments) and one particular reason for this is that with a flight sim you tend to spend all your time looking at instruments.
Do not under any circumstances book a lesson and then, particularly for the first 10 hours, try and chivvy your instructor to take you up when he/she says the weather is wrong, even if it looks ok from the ground.
The most valuable things about the first few lessons is learning to look out of the windows, and in particular at the horizon, rather than at the instruments. If there is no decent horizon, there is no point going up and that is the end of it. Work on your exams instead.
Most people (me included) who have always wished to do this have at least some experience of flightsims. Flightsims have almost nothing to contribute to learning how to fly a real light aircraft (save perhaps for becoming familiar with the instruments) and one particular reason for this is that with a flight sim you tend to spend all your time looking at instruments.
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Hi V1-R,
Welcome to the wonderful world of avation. You don't have to be mad to post here, but it helps!
So this time next year, you'll be about £6000 poorer but the proud possessor of a PPL.
Any idea what you intend to do with it?
Getting the PPL is easy, it may not seem like it at the time, but it is. Keeping it is the difficult part.
Enjoy your flying, we look forward to hearing how its going and meeting you at Pprune Fly-ins.
Welcome to the wonderful world of avation. You don't have to be mad to post here, but it helps!
So this time next year, you'll be about £6000 poorer but the proud possessor of a PPL.
Any idea what you intend to do with it?
Getting the PPL is easy, it may not seem like it at the time, but it is. Keeping it is the difficult part.
Enjoy your flying, we look forward to hearing how its going and meeting you at Pprune Fly-ins.
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Keendog,
I'm not sure I agree with you about flight sims. I found FS2000 extremely useful for some things, and not so useful for others.
For example, practicing circuits at your home airfield and calling out all the checks, etc. is very useful. The actual flying of the circuit is fairly useful as it gets you used to speeds, etc., although judging the turns is tricky. On the other hand, I would suggest that landing a real airplane is easier than landing flight sim - because you have peripheral vision and much better feedback through the controls in real life.
One thing where flight sim was particularly useful was navigation. Set up some winds, plan a DR sortie, and go fly it. You have to be a bit careful because a lot of the visual aids are missing, but this can be fixed with an expansion pack. Another very useful aspect was practicing radio nav - intercepting VOR radials, etc. General handling is very good - keeping level in a steep turn, etc.
So, anything which requires a good look around you (circuits for judging when to turn, landing for using peripheral vision to judge the flare, etc.) is limited. But for anything else (IMC practice, radio nav, general handling, power/attitude on the approach) it is very good.
All IMHO, of course!
TPK
I'm not sure I agree with you about flight sims. I found FS2000 extremely useful for some things, and not so useful for others.
For example, practicing circuits at your home airfield and calling out all the checks, etc. is very useful. The actual flying of the circuit is fairly useful as it gets you used to speeds, etc., although judging the turns is tricky. On the other hand, I would suggest that landing a real airplane is easier than landing flight sim - because you have peripheral vision and much better feedback through the controls in real life.
One thing where flight sim was particularly useful was navigation. Set up some winds, plan a DR sortie, and go fly it. You have to be a bit careful because a lot of the visual aids are missing, but this can be fixed with an expansion pack. Another very useful aspect was practicing radio nav - intercepting VOR radials, etc. General handling is very good - keeping level in a steep turn, etc.
So, anything which requires a good look around you (circuits for judging when to turn, landing for using peripheral vision to judge the flare, etc.) is limited. But for anything else (IMC practice, radio nav, general handling, power/attitude on the approach) it is very good.
All IMHO, of course!
TPK
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2 additional thoughts come to mind:
Don't worry about landings. Keep plugging away. It's exactly like learning to ride a bike. You try and try and get a bit bruised (ego wise that is), then it suddenly all falls into place, and you wonder what all the fuss was about!
If you don't already, learn to love aeroplanes. I mean reallly love them (I think C172s are beautiful, so it's got me bad
). Over the course, buy a GA recognition handbook, read your training aeroplane POH, understand the capabilities and limits, understand every gauge and instrument. If there is something in the cockpit you don't understand - find out about it. It's rewarding, and adds an extra dimension to flying. Works for me.
Best of luck.
Don't worry about landings. Keep plugging away. It's exactly like learning to ride a bike. You try and try and get a bit bruised (ego wise that is), then it suddenly all falls into place, and you wonder what all the fuss was about!
If you don't already, learn to love aeroplanes. I mean reallly love them (I think C172s are beautiful, so it's got me bad
). Over the course, buy a GA recognition handbook, read your training aeroplane POH, understand the capabilities and limits, understand every gauge and instrument. If there is something in the cockpit you don't understand - find out about it. It's rewarding, and adds an extra dimension to flying. Works for me.Best of luck.
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Following on from the "Don't believe the 45hrs", and the "Don't not believe the 45hrs", how long does it normally take?
How long did it take the various PPLs reading this thread?
I've currently got 37hrs, and I'm having to kill time until I can do my skills test
4J.
How long did it take the various PPLs reading this thread?
I've currently got 37hrs, and I'm having to kill time until I can do my skills test
4J.
Super-Friendly Aviator
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Thanks for all the replies - crikey, my mailbox is going to reach its limit with the reply notifications pouring in...
Working for the rest of the day (before enjoying The Match later) so can't make a proper post now but will do later.
Much obliged,
V1R
Working for the rest of the day (before enjoying The Match later) so can't make a proper post now but will do later.
Much obliged,
V1R
Not so N, but still FG
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My suggestions:-
(1) Do go upside down, early and often.
(2) Don't worry about how long it takes to solo or to complete the course.
(3) Do read "Stick and Rudder"
(4) Don't say silly airline things like "Rotate" or "Vref"
(5) Do have fun.
(1) Do go upside down, early and often.
(2) Don't worry about how long it takes to solo or to complete the course.
(3) Do read "Stick and Rudder"
(4) Don't say silly airline things like "Rotate" or "Vref"
(5) Do have fun.
Last edited by FNG; 24th Jun 2004 at 14:00.