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Old 17th Feb 2002, 00:47
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Post PPL Equipment

I am commencing training for my PPL soon and am planning on forking out a fair amount of cash for the following equipment:. .I am buying

PPL Study Package. .PPL Confuser. .Shirt. .Tie. .Epaulettes. .Headset

Are these all necessary or do you think i have gone overboard because i dont want to turn up at the flying school like some hot shot airline pilot. i just want to blend in with everyone else.

lol

Cheers all

[ 17 February 2002: Message edited by: Flyer Boy ]</p>
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 01:06
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Official PPRuNe Chaplain
 
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Hey, calm down! I can't keep up with all these postings...

Shirt, tie and epaulettes - leave at home. . .The rest, you'll need, sooner or later.

. .PPL Medical: cost varies depending where you live and which Doctor you visit. Anything between £50 (no ECG required) and £180 (London area and with ECG).

The CAA website has a list of AMEs (Flying Doctors) - pick the ones near you, and ask them how much.

Medical content - pretty thorough, to confirm that you aren't likely to pass our or worse while flying, and can see and hear adequately. There are illnesses that will prevent you flying as pilot in command - things like diabetes, epilepsy, anything that affects your consciousness, heart problems...
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 02:28
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When you go for your first lesson just wear jeans and a shirt with jumpers as necessary, take your headset if you wish but leave the rest at home the flying school may not think much of you if you turn up apearing to know it all. As for the uniform you wont ever need it unless you take professional training at somwhere like Oxford, your instructors however may have to wear a uniform that depends on the school. I dont think you are entitled to wear eppelets until you are a qualified pilot anyway.
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 12:41
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FNG
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Doh! Must have missed the bit in the ANO that deals with "entitlement" to wear epaulettes.

Ah, here it is: says that, outside military and commercial flying, the only people entitled to wear shirts with epaulettes, ties etc are security guards at Tescos.

I loved the bit in "Band of Brothers" when the PFC says to Lt Winters, just after landing in Normandy "Sir, you have no weapon", and Winters replies "only my brain". So, to add to the kit list: brain, one, general purpose.

Meanwhile, Skylark4 has given some firm but fair advice on the medical thread.

[ 17 February 2002: Message edited by: FNG ]</p>
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 13:19
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Flyer Boy,

Definitely take it one step at a time. . .I'm not quite halfway through my training at the moment and the only stuff I take with me to my lessons are logbook, diary (so I can work out when I can take my next lesson), kneeboard with checklist, couple of pens, sunglasses, credit card, map and whichever one of Trev Thom's training manuals I happen to be reading through at the time.

shirt, tie & epaulets you'll have no need for.. .I still turn up for my lessons in sweatshirt & jeans & trainers. or in the summer t-shirt, jeans or black combats & trainers.

As for the headset, not sure why you'd want to buy one so early on in the course. I just "treat" myself to things like that when I get to a certain stage in my training (ie once I've done my first solo, I'll treat myself to a decent pair of sunglasses) and when I qualify, I'll treat myself to a headset. etc etc

Class 2 medical for me was £125 which was just outside London in West Wickham complete with ECG, I think it's about £50 for a renewal.

Unless you've got tons of cash already, I would set yourself a monthly budget, sensible figure maybe £250-£300 per month therefore if you get any cancelled lessons, just carry the amount left over onto the next month's budget, you'll be surprised at how much it builds up especially if you've had as many cancelled lessons as I've had due to sh*te weather.

[ 17 February 2002: Message edited by: djk ]

[ 17 February 2002: Message edited by: djk ]</p>
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 13:30
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Talking

FNG

I thought that wearing epaulettes showed that you were qualified to use the Transair catalogue <img src="wink.gif" border="0">
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 14:08
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you need to be able to adopt the ability to pose with a map too <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 14:47
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Correct as always, Evo. Also, forgot to mention the need to equip yourself with a watch big enough to be seen from space. Handy to fiddle with on days like today when it was supposed to be lunch in Deauville but turned out to be a foggy day in London Town.
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 15:18
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Having just picked myself up after reading the first post and stopped laughing.

Not wishing to P*** on your parade but come on - get a life:

PPL Study Package : What if you don't like it and decide flying's not for you?

PPL Confuser : See above - what if you don't get to the exam stage

Shirt : Everyday Polo shirt and jeans does me - with a fleece for cold days

Tie : Looks smart - F***ing uncomfortable when the instructor is working you hard - see mode of dress above.

Epaulettes : I stopped wearing these when I left the air force as I no longer had to. Any pseudo Commercial PPL I ever see wearing them looks bloody stupid. Again - see mode of dress above.. . . .Headset : Use the clubs until you are sure you know what you want out of a headset and then buy based on experience - not the sales blurb that you have obviously fallen for in some glossy catalogue.

Life is a balancing act - weigh up the money spent on crap verses the cost of an hours flying <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

CM
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 16:01
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A tie will wrap itself around the yoke at least once during your flying career, too, providing a handy control restriction on short final... <img src="smile.gif" border="0">

To be honest, if I wasn't broke then I'd go out and buy all sorts of crap as well, although i'd draw the line at a tie & epaulettes

[ 17 February 2002: Message edited by: Evo7 ]</p>
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Old 17th Feb 2002, 16:23
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last time I wore a tie & epauletes was when I worked as a security guard. NEVER EVER AGAIN! <img src="smile.gif" border="0">
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Old 18th Feb 2002, 01:45
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just to throw my tuppence worth in here, I purchased a wonderful starter pack from Transair, has all I need was only about £160 as for headsets, I would see how you get on with the school issue one, if its ok and cheap enough buy one, half these new ones are just crap with fancy abbreviations, dont need ANR in a PA28
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Old 18th Feb 2002, 12:48
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Save your money for the lessons. Don't forget why you have a birthday and Xmas - for flying pressies!

If you are flying a 150, a wooly-pully is essential as they are notoriously drafty.

But all the rest, you will acquire over the next year or so.

What I want to know is - why is my flightbag so heavy?
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Old 18th Feb 2002, 13:33
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Some extremely negative replies to flyer boy's initial question. How about if you had a response to a posting like that when you were just beginning to fly, it would make me think that pilot's are a bunch of arrogant tw*ts especially chilli monsters less than helpful remarks.

It is obvious that flyer boy has the one great quality needed when learning to fly - enthusiasm. . .Good luck to you.
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Old 18th Feb 2002, 19:21
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FB - It strikes me that if (reading one of your other posts) you're gonna do your PPL at Newcastle, then why not pop in and speak to them? All of the eminently qualified opinions and answers to your questions, do admirably demonstrate the wealth of knowledge on this site, but really, if you're gonna pop £5-6K in Newcastles coffers, I'm sure they'd be only too happy to answer your questions and alleviate any concerns that you may have themselves. That is after all what they're there for.

Enjoy it, don't sweat it too much! <img src="cool.gif" border="0">
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Old 18th Feb 2002, 19:59
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All this talk about jeans! I personally find jeans very uncomfortable to fly in, they dont exactly allow much movement do they!?

I'd always say fly in a pair of trakky bottoms like Addidas or something. They are lighter and allow much more feedom of movement. Also, a hell of a lot cooler in the summer.

Jeans! You guys are too old... <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0">

FJW.

By the way, you've got to losse the shirt and tie jobby, and don't even mention the epaulettes!
 
Old 18th Feb 2002, 20:23
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Trakky bottoms (1) make you look like a scouser who has come to steal the aircraft's hubcaps, and (2) may well be made of nylon or some acrylic substance which burns vigorously and melts into skin. Bear in mind that in a light aircraft you are strapped to a big bucket of petrol. This is one reason for wearing natural fibre jeans or chinos, and leather shoes or boots, not placcy trainers, as well as an excuse for posing around in a leather jacket (assuming that it is not a trendy Gucci number full of flammable dye).
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Old 21st Feb 2002, 15:30
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My sentiments exactly FNG.

Fast Jet, I think I'd much rather be old and wear jeans, rather than be young and suddenly realize when I get a fire in the cockpit and the tracksuit bottoms start melting to my legs, that maybe I should have worn jeans after all.

If making a fashion statement is all you're worried about, then....*shakes head in disblief*
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Old 21st Feb 2002, 15:47
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Jeans really aren't comfortable though (and I'm OLD! ). Rohan make all these clothes for travelling that are comfortable, have loads of zip pockets so odds and ends don't fall out, are lightweight, windproof etc etc etc. They don't advertise that they're good for flying, but they are. Bit pricy, but less than anything which calls itself flying gear. I'm about to go buy a pair of their convertibles (zip off legs to turn them into shorts) for flying in LA in April. Hmmm... after this post maybe I should ask them for commission.
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Old 21st Feb 2002, 18:26
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Whirly,

I find jeans are nice and comfy for the winter and combat trousers are nice during the summer.. .Obviously if you've dug out your old jeans from the 70's then perhaps not. Not so easy to fly in a pair of drainpipes LOL

As for the convertible trousers, I've seen them and yes they're a good idea although once I turned up to a lesson wearing shorts and got told off. It's a bit like the days when I used to work as a chef, if you wear a pair of thick cotton trousers, they're light, warm in winter, fairly cool in summer. But if there's a fire they offer some protection, won't melt onto your skin and if fuel or anything spills onto them and catches alight, they should be fairly easily removable. What happens when you're wearing shorts and any flamable liquid spills over you? do you just peel your flesh off? hmmm

[ 21 February 2002: Message edited by: djk ]</p>
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