From Zero to Forty Five - my PPL Diary

[Miraz]

Another update...

First NavEx over the weekend in a reasonably windy conditions - flew a simple box Camden->Mittagong->Goulburn->Crookwell->Camden without many problems. Mainly just enjoyed flying outside the local training area for a change - the final leg back over the mountains was all downwind which meant that the PA28 was making >150kt GS @ 7500'

My wife decided to hitch a lift in the back with a camera, it's a good feeling to have someone volunteer to ride in a plane that you are flying...going to try to squeeze in another couple of flights before heading over to Europe for a month.

[kookabat]

Ahh Miraz!! First nav always fun. That wasn't Sunday was it? We were supposed to go from Camden up to a place near Newcastle (one of three fixed wing and two helis) but forecast 35kt gusty crosswinds put paid to that... no fun in a taildragger. We stayed on the ground!!

[Miraz]

Yup - was a little windy wasn't it? I'd originally booked a Citabria, but changed it for the PA28 when I saw the forecast.

Landed on the rough grass strip at Goulburn - headwind was so strong that we stopped within a couple of plane lengths, and needed 1800rpm to taxi the rest of the way up the runway.

There were a few hardy souls doing x-wind circuits in the Citabrias at Camden though....

[i.dingbat]

Another pilot let loose in the YSCN training area

Hey Kookabat and Miraz, I passed my GFPT today


(in MIU, though the photo above was taken last Thursday, and isn't me)

Now I have to work out how I can afford the navs

[Miraz]

Congrats - keep telling yourself that you need to get the navs out of the way before summer comes along....

[kookabat]

Awesome news Iain!

Who'll be your first pax??

The only problem with the navs... they cost more because you're now doing 2-3 hrs in one hit. So nice to go for a fly out of the training area though.


(What's Miffy like to fly?? That's what we were intending to take to Newcastle... apparently she has shall we say 'character'... )

[i.dingbat]

Kookabat

I hadn't flown in Miffy at all till yesterday, but it was fine. It felt very different from RRW (for which I have a soft spot), and even from WKM. I liked the retro feel of the single channel radio.

It behaved fine in the stall with no apparent tendency to drop a wing. We didn't do a spin recovery as it has wooden wings.

Any difficulty I had keeping it straight on the runway I will put down to a combination of exam nerves and a developing crosswind whose strength I didn't fully recognise till the last couple of circuits...

My 9 year old son is very keen to come with me on my next flight, but I suspect his mother may be slightly less keen. However, I believe he can legally occupy a Warrior back seat during a navex, which should be OK all round.

[Jools66]

At last, a thread for people like me with limited experience!! Woo hoo!!

I had my first lesson at Fly-in-Spain in Jerez last week, and it was everything Iīd hoped it would be and more. At the moment I can only afford one lesson a month, but my instructor assured me that these hours are all logged towards my 45 min hours for the PPL, regardless of how long it takes. I just canīt wait to get back in the skies again! My instructor was great, really laid back, and I was surprised at how often (and how soon after taking off) he gave me control. I have to admit it was scary the first few seconds but once I realised that the plane would do what I told it to do I relaxed and really enjoyed myself. I also had a problem with the foot brake, Iīll make sure my seatīs further forward next time as even for the rudder controls I was really using a lot of pressure, maybe this will help.

Anyway, back to reading the rest of this thread. Ié read the first 10 pages and then skipped to the last 10 so now itīs time to join them up and read the middle! Iīll be a regular reader of this one now Iīve found it, Iīve always felt a bit intimiated when reading some of the others, like Iīm not entitled to comment, but this oneīs great!

Happy flying everyone!!

[Lister Noble]

Welcome aboard Jools,
We were all where you are at some time, many of us including me not that long ago.
This forum is great because you can ask what may seem a silly or trivial question to you, but you will not get too many sarcastic or bulls**t replies.
Good luck.
Lister

[Jools66]

Thanks Lister. I do have one question - what exactly are the exams involved and at what stages will I have to do them? I know air law is one of them, but what are the others and what are the best books to buy to study for them? Sorry, but none of my friends over here are interested in flying and Jerez is a 3 hour drive away so I canīt exactly pop in and ask!

[Miraz]

Managed to get out for my second nav flight today....in a rash moment of extravagance I decided to combine the CSU endorsement with the nav training.

So today's aircraft was a shiny new C182T complete with a G1000 and all the associated toys. I spent the first half of the flight trying to get my head around the differences, but it started to make sense for the return flight.

I learnt that autopilots and all the other gubbins makes life much easier, but ultimately felt that I was cheating and that I would have learnt more by flying something a little less automated.

The nav work itself has been simpler than I anticipated thus far - not sure how long this will last though...

Pics from today can be found here

[mazzy1026]

Iain - well done mate, top man!

Jools - welcome aboard, always glad to see new diary'ites!

Off the top of my head (it does seem a while ago now!) the exams are as follows (I'll put them in the order at which I think you should take them - this is just in my opinion tho, others may advise otherwise):

• Air Law
• Meteorology
• Human Performance
• Aircraft Tech / Principles of Flight
• Navigation
• Radio Telephony

I took my RT exam too soon and came out with a rather large headache - I passed it, but would have done it easier had I gained more experience first. Air Law is one that you may find a little dull, but it is important, regardless of what anyone tells you. As you do more flying, you'll be able to relate to the theory a lot more. The above list may also depend on club requirements, so have a good chat with your instructor.

All the best
Maz

[BOLYBUILDER]

Hi,

I'm new to this thread, but have followed your progress Mazzy.

I am curently training for an NPPL with an organisation in the north west, with a branch in the Isle of man, I have a question regarding solo or dual flying. I am now into the solo stages of my training and have been informed that even when I fly solo I will be charged dual hire for the a/c, "As I am still being Supervised". Is this the norm? Has anyone elso come across this situation? I would welcome your feedback

[Bahn-Jeaux]

You are charged the dual rate because you are flying on your instructors licence.
If you were due to fly a solo nav ex for example but no instructor was available, you would not be able to do it for the above reason, hence the dual rate.

[Miraz]

This varies from school to school - I paid the solo rate whenever the instructor was not in the aircraft - even for the first few solo circuits

[JP1]

BB,

The other way to look at it is that a (very low paid) instructor who only gets paid for actual flying time (in general), and has given may hours in unpaid briefings, before and after each flight, is recouping some remuneration for his/her "total" efforts in enabling you to reach your goal.

Looked at it from that perspective, and realising how much "advice" has been given when you near the end of the course, I think you will not begrude paying a dual rate (not that I am implying that is the case).

And no I am not an instructor.

[BOLYBUILDER]

Hi,

JPi, the instructors are employed by the company and get paid regardless of there instructing time. I believe they also have other flying duties.

I don't begrudge paying (thats not the point of this debate), particularly if it was going to the instuctors, which its not directly.

Bahn-Jeaux,

I understand what you are saying, but not all flying schools adopt this practice, as apart from Miraz, I am aware of others who have been charged solo rate for EX14.

I guess this could be another point to check with your flying school before you sign up as there seems to be no consistency.

[Lister Noble]

Until you pass all your tests and get the licence I think you will pay for dual as you are flying under the instructors supervision.
This applied to me and even when I had my licence I paid dual for taildragger conversion until signed off.
Seems fair enough to me as the instructor is responsible for you until you are fully qualified.
Lister

[Jools66]

Thanks Mazzy for the advice. Better get studying! I must admit navigation concerns me and also radion telephony, for example when to switch frequencies and talk to other ATCs, I watched my instructor doing this all the time on my lesson but was so caught up in the excitement of it all that I didnīt think to question him. It seemed almost as soon as we had levelled out after take off he switched from Jerez to Seville; as they are quite close I suppose you would have to but itīs knowing when that worries me. Having said that, Iīve only had one lesson so I suppose Iīll be taught all that in time.

Anyway, counting down to my next lesson, two weeks to go, going to start writing down all my questions so I donīt forget them this time!

[JP1]

BB,

I think generally (in the UK) you will find that solo time is always at a dual rate. I am sure there are exceptions, but in these cases I'm pretty sure that the school has just added the cost elsewhere, either on the cost of the dual trips or shorter briefing time on the ground. I know some clubs book 1 hour flying slots as a 1.5 hr slot. My club is 2 hours, so technically for every 1 hour flight there is also a 1 hour briefing.

I would forget about whether the solo time is charged at the dual rate, and look at the total cost that your club is going to charge for the PPL course. One cost that you need to consider is landing fee. Are you going to be charged one?

Cabair at Blackbushe charge for landing at Ģ10 a go and Ģ3.30 (when I looked) for a touch and go.

I am just at the end of my PPL, hoping to do the skills test in a week or two. But looking at my log book, I have done 60 full stop landings and 166 touch and go's (in 50 hours of training). At Blackbushe that would have been an additional cost of Ģ1148.

Good luck
JP1