Ben's PPL Diary

[bencoulthard]

Hello,
I am Ben Coulthard, this is a PPL diary, I'm not sure if this forum needs another PPL diary but its as much for me to get my thoughts down and if its any use to anyone then you are very welcome.

I wanted to learn to fly helicopters about 5 years ago, however ££££ was limited and the idea never got off the ground. Pardon the pun.

Here I am 18 months after starting my own business and things are going well. I started looking into the idea again, however helicopters just are not affordable to buy after your PPLH. After treating my brother to a 21st birthday present 1 hour trial lesson the decision was made to do the good old regular PPL for myself and fullfil an ambition.

My 1st lesson was last Saturday, April 29th 2006, booked a 2 hour slot for midday.

On the morning of the lesson I called the school for a weather check. All was well and I headed off to the school early giving myself good time to get there, dropped the Mrs at the shopping mall en route and arrived at the school with 30 mins to spare.

After a coffee and a PFP(pre flight pee) I met my instructor. He took me into the flight briefing room and we had a little chat. Told him I'd flown radio controlled planes and helis and he realised I knew what all the controls did. His next words were "well you know all that bollocks so lets go fly". I'm not sure that's what I wanted to hear but away we went.

I then did the pre-flight checks outside and in, which everything seemed fine to a newb.

Next I found myself sat in the pilots seat, amazingly calm to my suprise, but sat on the left(thought we drove right hand drive in UK) half a steering wheel and all the clocks were wrong!! After being assured this left hand drive stuff is normal we continued. With all systems go. We fired up a few more checks and started to taxi, TAXIING good god these things don't handle on the ground.

After a few strange cornering manouvers we got to the end of the runway in 1 piece. The next hour or so went quickly, time flies whan your having fun and when you fly too!!

The controls seemed fairly natural to me, apart from the crazy taxiing there were no suprises. We flew a few basic moves and all went as well as could be hoped for a 1st lesson, untill, my instructor got on the radio requesting to land, he's pointing ahead to me and saying line yourself up with the runway. WHAT RUNWAY? I can't see it, I felt stupid, he's pointing and I can't see, after about a minute I realise he's not pointing so far into the distance and the runway has some great big lights and its right under my nose IDIOT!!

Lesson 2
Wednesday 3rd May, Went to the airfield midday to talk about the possibility of hiring a plane i buy back to the school (before the flood starts i've decided against this) and realised it was such a nice day that i should stay for a lesson. None were available until 1830 so I got comfy with a few magazines and a coffee.

1815 I went out to check the plane over with my new gotten cessna 150/152 checklist feeling all pilot like. Nothing found untoward except low fuel. Waited for fuel 10 mins and away we go.

I was suprised how much i remembered from the 1st lesson, take off and climb with no assistance and spent the next hour climbing and descending. For some reason I can't seem to get it in my stupid head that when exiting a climb its Attitude, Power, Trim, I keep doing P.A.T. like you do at all other times. Little things confuse little minds.

All went well except for the landing. 70kts he tells me 3 stages af flaps. But I wasn't paying attention to the ASI and at 65kts we were descending too fast. DROPPED LIKE A BRICK!!!! glad it wasn't my plane. Nothing damaged on further inspection. PHEW!!

So now my hours total 2.9. I found a great 50% share for sale at another airfield so I decided to shoot over this morning and check out the flying school. Luckily they had a slot at 1200 and I booked it.

As usual I arrived with 30 mins to spare, the guy who is selling the 50% was there with the other 50% owner, they were planning to fly somewhere scenic. Had a quick chat and went to tell the school I was available. They gave me the 1st bad news of the day, unknowingly the instructor had booked another pupil in and my lesson was delayed until 1330 . Never mind happens.

I had a good chat with the guy selling the plane and watched them plot a route, which at my level of training just confused me, but was interesting to watch.

1330 came and so did the instructor, we had a 10 min chat about what i'd done already and we set off towards the plane. Half way there he says "nothing personal but what do you weigh" I reply "16 and a half stone".

OH DEAR 2nd bad news of the day 16 and half stone pupil and 15 and a half stone instructor = 2 fatties that are not flying today.

Apologies were offered and accepted all round. Still at 2.9 hours then!

If I've learned anything from my 1st few hours its;
1: There is lots of planning and preparation in flying and if you are not the sort of person who likes doing this then flying is not for you.

2: Gravity gets you down or in my case not even up. If you are a fatty you need a thin instructor, think about it in advance.

3: Buy some good shades, my regular sunglasses are dark enough but the lenses are just 2 small so when i'm flying I look like a nodding dog looking down to the guages all the time.

4: Be prepared for delays and cancellations for whatever unforseen reason.

That's about it for now, I'm going to go tuck into my slim fast (fly quick) shake. Now I have to consider if I should learn in a bigger aircraft and stand the expense or get a slimmer instructor .

good luck people and enjoy flying

Ben

[modelman]

Fatty

Hi Mate
Started my PPL late Feb and now 15 hours in with Air law and Met in the bag.I started at 16st 2lb but I was determined to reduce that (less me=more fuel).
In spite of my weight,I do not eat a great deal so exercise is the only way.
Started walking for about 30mins every night (nearly every night anyway) and now now I am at 14st 12lb and feel better for it.(my motorbike appreciates it as well!).

Good luck
Modelman

[Pilotdom]

Hi BEN I notice that you are from Halifax,is that westYorkshire? If so where are you learning?

[bencoulthard]

I'm sure my bulk comes from over-eating good food too much too often and all that. Talk about inspiration and motivation boost though.

Halifax W.Yorks yes, tried Sheffield and Barton airfields.

[Leezyjet]

Originally Posted by modelman

In spite of my weight,I do not eat a great deal so exercise is the only way

Thats also part of the problem. You need to eat MORE. If you don't each much, your body goes into starvation mode and stores what you eat as it doesn't know how long until it gets its next fuel source.

If you eat more (little and often is the best) then you will actually loose weight.

Eating one meal a day was my main reason for never being able to loose weight. Now I've started eating alot more often, it's slowly beginning to come off.

[MyData]

Ben

Have you read through the "From Zero to 45" thread on here? Some excellent stuff on there for anyone at any stage of their training. Give yourself a few days to get through it though

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138022

4: Be prepared for delays and cancellations for whatever unforseen reason.

Oh yes indeed. This will become a very real part of your training in your part of the world. I had my first lesson 2 years ago last weekend and finally attained the PPL last November i.e. 18 months later. I can only fly on weekends and was available every single weekend for 18 months but the number of delays and cancellations can be very frustrating - but it is worth it in the end.

I'm just across the road (M62), from you near sunny Holmfirth and did half my training at Leeds and the other half at Sheffield with lots of time out at Sandtoft (first solo) and Gamston (first landing). Never been to Barton though, but I know of a couple of friends who learned there and had a great time.

And as for the weight thing - are you currently on Cessnas? That could be an issue on the smaller machines. I went for a PA-28 from the start as I wanted the extra seats to take friends flying later on. I'm around 95kg (don't know what that is in the old money) and have had a couple of instructors who must weigh the same and this isn't a problem at all with full fuel on a PA-28. You will get to know just how sensitive aircraft are to weight when you do your first solo with no one in the right seat. The climb from take off is incredible! ;-) And as you progress in your training, and after qualifying, you can convert to Cessnas etc. as you please.

[bencoulthard]

I'm 106 Kg and now I have some motivation, I won't be for long, I'll post the weight loss here too to shame myself into less pork pies.

I think I'll buy this 50% share of a 150 I found so I'll be learning in that.

[Whirlybird]

Good write-up, Ben. Judging by the length and popularity of mazzy's thread, I think this forum can probably cope with another one.

A couple of things come to mind. You talk about a 50% share being for sale. Perhaps you shouldn't buy anything just yet. There are all sorts of things to take into account - what sort of flying do you want to do, do you want to tour and go fast, do you want something which is good for short fields, do you want to do aerobatics, etc etc? You may find all that changes as you learn more about flying. So why not wait a bit? There are always shares for sale.

On a similar note, you mentioned you'd wanted to fly helicopters for a long time. Now, I know I'm biased but if that's what you really want, it won't just go away. I know quite a few people who got a PPL(A), then realised that it wouldn't quite do, what they really, really wanted was still to fly helicopters. Well, nothing wrong with flying both, which is why I still do that, but it's hard on the bank balance, and quite difficult to keep current on both too.

Anyway, your choice, but maybe a few things to think about.

[BRL]

Hi all. I have decided to allow this one and have just one at a time with this 'diary' kind of thread.

Mazzy's one at the moment is coming to a natural end as the guys there are almost done now. His thread was a huge success and clearly helped many people out who were in the same position at the same time.

For someone coming into it now and starting training I think it would be too much for them to go back and read through it all, hence the admission of this new one.

For those of you who are thinking, (and I know there are) "Not another one", simply don't click on it!! Easy really.

Good luck Ben, I hope it all goes well for you and this diary is as good as the last one we had here.

[Pilotdom]

Ben

Have you tried Sherburn? Im learning there at the moment. 4 runways 1 tarmac which reduces number of flying days with wet runways and crosswinds above limits. Also mix of aircraft from C150's PA28 Cadets which Im learning in and also PA28 Warriors which you move onto when doing Nav. There is also a Robin for Aerobatics. There are 700 members,not all students,so there are quite a few aircraft based at the field and usually shares available. I currently pay £110.00 per hour including aircraft Hire,fuel and instructors fee.

Also the clubhouse has just been upgraded.

I know it may be a trek from Halifax,but I recommend you try Sherburn.

If you want a good look round I would be quite happy to meet you for a Beer and show you round.

Also Ben have you thought about asking on here if anyone would like to start a share sindicate? I would be interested if you want to go that way?

[Whirlybird]

I think I'll buy this 50% share of a 150 I found so I'll be learning in that.

Ben,

I'm not sure that that's a good idea.

I have a share in a C150, so I know about them. With full fuel, enough for three and a half hours flying, we can carry the equivalent of two twelve stone people. OK, individual aircraft vary a little, but that's a good ballpark figure. But that means if you weigh sixteen and half stone, your instructor would need to be seven and a half stone or less! OK, you may say, why not carry less fuel? Well, you can. But most C150 fuel gauges aren't very accurate, and neither is dipping the tanks. So most people tend to fill the tanks; it's easier and safer. Also, the numbers still won't really work out. A gallon of fuel weighs approximately 6lbs. For you to carry yourself and an average size instructor - say, 12 stone - you'd need about ten gallons less than the maximum...if my mental arithmatic is wrong due to fatigue, let me know, but I think that's right. That leaves you with around 10 gallons, or one and a half hours of flying time (assuming half an hour of fuel for emergencies). Now, that'll be OK in the early days, and in the circuit, but what about when you need to go on longer cross countries? And when you've got your PPL, and want to take a friend and fly to another airfield....maybe two hours away? And I haven't allowed for headsets, flight bags, winter jackets, spare oil, tie down kit, etc. And while you can fly slightly overweight without dire consequences - and many schools do - it invalidates your insurance, and is positively dangerous on hot days or short runways.

Here endeth your first lesson on weight and balance. And it also proves my point about not buying anything yet. You may be going to lose weight, but even so, this doesn't seem like a good idea. Don't do it Ben!

[bencoulthard]

I've spent most of today reading book 1 of the Trevor Thom, about half way through now. Seems straight forward stuff.

Pilotdom
Thanks for the invite, only thing is its just over an hour for me to get there in the trusty old land rover. Whereas Barton is under 30mins as I live near junction 23. And Crossland moor is 20 mins.

Whirlybird
You have a good point and my decision is not made yet, there is a 10 stone instructor at Barton which suits for now (just can't go up in the aerobat).

Girlfriend weighs 9 stone. This losing weight idea is a good plan, I'll get her on a diet right away!!!!!!!

[Pilotdom]

Hi Ben

No problem,it is a bit far from you,my ivitation will remain to stand though and if you would ever like to visit Sherburn let me know. Good Look with the training and I will watch with interest your progress,I have 9 hours at the moment and am 2 lessons into circuits,net time up its Engine failure after Take-Off (EFATO).

Good Luck and look forward to the diary

[bencoulthard]

the sky is blue, the sun is shining and one of my guys is off work so i have to work all week

i've booked a lesson for saturday in a p28, two reasons for this, firstly i found one for sale and secondly the weight issue of the 150 has put me off a little

unfortunately they only had 1 hour available but i'd rather have one than none

anyone got any opinions on the pa28 180?

Ben
(fingers crossed for good weather saturday)

[Morgo]

No chance. Trust me, you spend all week at your desk looking out of the window at the beautifully clear skies but come the weekend it will be raining, windy and seriously low overcast.

[Whirlybird]

Not good for short fields, and personally I don't like having only one door. Apart from that, a good aircraft to learn on, and good for touring etc. But I still think you should wait till you know more about flying and different sorts of aircraft before buying.

[Lister Noble]

I've done all my training in a PA28-180 and it suited me down to the ground.
It has good power to weight ratio compared with some of the other trainers.
Good luck ,but I wouldn't even think about buying anything until you have finished your training ,got your licence and flew a few more hours.
But what do I know, I'm just a lowly student,just!
Lister

[drauk]

Don't worry about what you learn in. It makes no PRACTICAL difference (tailwheel aircraft excluded, though even learning in one of those isn't half as big a deal as some people would have you believe). Once you've got your PPL transitioning to something else is very straightforward.

[bencoulthard]

Friday Sunrise 05:15 (BST)Sunset 20:54 (BST)23°C11°C6 good 1017 37

SaturdaySunrise 05:13 (BST)Sunset 20:56 (BST)13°C 5°C6 moderate 1014 78


you are right about the weather, i rebooked for friday morning, bugger work until afternoon

[bencoulthard]

Today I had my 3rd lesson, 1:10 bringing me up to 4 hours total.

I tried a different school today, the instructor was very professional and I felt I learnt a lot more and got some great advive.

If you are starting to learn to fly I suggest you try at least 2 instructors before you decide which to go with, otherwise you may have the worst instructor in the world and you don't know it as you have noone to guage them against.

It was very hazy today during the lesson and I found it hard to fly VFR properly as I couldn't see the real horizon.

I've decided I'm sticking with this instructor even if it is a little more expensive I think I'll save in the long run.

Ben