Which flying school for my PPL?
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Which flying school for my PPL?
First of all I want to say 'Hi!' to everyone, as I am new on this forum.
In quite near future I will be interested in doing my PPL. I have spent some time on internet trying to find information about flying schools in my area. I live just outside of Manchester and I was thinking of doing my PPL at Manchester City Airport (Barton). However, there seems to be a few flying schools there. If you have any knowledge about flying schools at Barton or somewhere else near Manchester (Liverpool for example), can you please tell me which one would you recommend and why?
Another thing that I am interested in is the cost of PPL. On some website I have read posts saying that PPL will cost you about £5000, but then when I go on different flying schools' websites I see that the prices are roughly about £7000. It's a big difference. So, another question I have is how much should my PPL cost me?
And I have one more question, which is a bit off-topic. Do you know of any flight schools or any airfields around Manchester, to which I could apply for my Year 11 work experience? I thought it'd be good to start my aviation career as soon as possible, so doing work experience in Year 11 somewhere where I could get a bit of experience seems to be a good idea.
Thanks in advance for all the answers.
Kind Regards
dodos9
In quite near future I will be interested in doing my PPL. I have spent some time on internet trying to find information about flying schools in my area. I live just outside of Manchester and I was thinking of doing my PPL at Manchester City Airport (Barton). However, there seems to be a few flying schools there. If you have any knowledge about flying schools at Barton or somewhere else near Manchester (Liverpool for example), can you please tell me which one would you recommend and why?
Another thing that I am interested in is the cost of PPL. On some website I have read posts saying that PPL will cost you about £5000, but then when I go on different flying schools' websites I see that the prices are roughly about £7000. It's a big difference. So, another question I have is how much should my PPL cost me?
And I have one more question, which is a bit off-topic. Do you know of any flight schools or any airfields around Manchester, to which I could apply for my Year 11 work experience? I thought it'd be good to start my aviation career as soon as possible, so doing work experience in Year 11 somewhere where I could get a bit of experience seems to be a good idea.
Thanks in advance for all the answers.
Kind Regards
dodos9
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Hi,
the price depends on how good you are at retaining & absorbing the information, I would certainly not budget for 5k for your training as if you do & that is all the money you have it could mean you don't finish the course.
I'm not familiar with which school is best in your area, but go and see them & have a good talk with the instructors before parting with any money. On the subject of money, don't pay for training in blocks, just in case the school goes bust.
I would have a trial flight first, to make sure it is what you are expecting, then get your medical sorted first & get your head in the ground exam books & get them out of the way ASAP.
Lastly, enjoy the training!
the price depends on how good you are at retaining & absorbing the information, I would certainly not budget for 5k for your training as if you do & that is all the money you have it could mean you don't finish the course.
I'm not familiar with which school is best in your area, but go and see them & have a good talk with the instructors before parting with any money. On the subject of money, don't pay for training in blocks, just in case the school goes bust.
I would have a trial flight first, to make sure it is what you are expecting, then get your medical sorted first & get your head in the ground exam books & get them out of the way ASAP.
Lastly, enjoy the training!
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Another bit of advice is, considering you are fairly young, make sure the school know you're serious about completing the PPL. When I started flying quite young I had a good 5 flights / instructors before anyone took me seriously and I had many sightseeing trips with a little straight and level/ climbing and descending thrown in. Try and stick with one instructor too.
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Hi Dodos. Perhaps the price discrepancy comes because there are two types of license, one takes a minimum of 32 hours and the other a minimum of 45. Good luck anyway and I might add it's always good to see youngsters such as yourself taking an interest in aviation.
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Hey I too like you started my PPL In year 11. I applied for Work experience at my local flying club but my school turned it down because of healh and safety?! 
I did however manage to secure a place at Cobham aviation, work that one out.
Anyway i would definitely budget for at-least 7k and the rest as you will probably require another 15 or so hours on top of the minimum 45 unless you are a natural!
Best of luck,
Greg
I did however manage to secure a place at Cobham aviation, work that one out. Anyway i would definitely budget for at-least 7k and the rest as you will probably require another 15 or so hours on top of the minimum 45 unless you are a natural!
Best of luck,
Greg
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Sorry, I'm not familiar with any flying schools in your area so can't recommend any.
With regard to cost, it really depends on your ability and the frequency of your lessons; you're likely to need more than the minimum 45 hours (and therefore more money) if you only fly once a month, say.
I'd reinforce what's already been said; go and chat to any potential schools & instructors, take a trial lesson and then decide which one you feel comfortable with. Hang around the airfield, offer to make the tea, polish some tyres and get to know the pilots, and I daresay you'll be rewarded with a few back seat trips.
And don't pay anything up-front, even if they offer you a discount!
Good luck
With regard to cost, it really depends on your ability and the frequency of your lessons; you're likely to need more than the minimum 45 hours (and therefore more money) if you only fly once a month, say.
I'd reinforce what's already been said; go and chat to any potential schools & instructors, take a trial lesson and then decide which one you feel comfortable with. Hang around the airfield, offer to make the tea, polish some tyres and get to know the pilots, and I daresay you'll be rewarded with a few back seat trips.
And don't pay anything up-front, even if they offer you a discount!
Good luck
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Thanks for the replies!
I actually do take flying and my PPL serously, so I will make sure that the instructor and flying school know it.
I will try to find out what they think in school about me going to flying school during my work experience, before actually trying to arrange something with flying school or going to see what it's like there.
What do you mean by saying 'don't pay in blocks'? Do you mean that I should have some money on me everytime when I go flying and that I should pay only for what I am doing right now?
And yes I know that I should have some more money than the actual training cost, just in case if something goes wrong or if I need some more time. So, if the training costs £7000, how much more money should I have just in case?
Thanks
I actually do take flying and my PPL serously, so I will make sure that the instructor and flying school know it.
I will try to find out what they think in school about me going to flying school during my work experience, before actually trying to arrange something with flying school or going to see what it's like there.
What do you mean by saying 'don't pay in blocks'? Do you mean that I should have some money on me everytime when I go flying and that I should pay only for what I am doing right now?
And yes I know that I should have some more money than the actual training cost, just in case if something goes wrong or if I need some more time. So, if the training costs £7000, how much more money should I have just in case?
Thanks
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On the question of work experience, there is certainly no harm in asking, either by telephone, formal letter or doing so in person. Bear in mind first impressions count so make sure you prepare to make a positive impact (know before hand what you want to get from it, ideas as to what you want to do while you're there and look presentable... etc).
As for payment, pay after every lesson rather than pay in chunks of money (eg. don't pay £xxx for X number of lessons). Pay as you fly.
On the money side, it won't hurt to get a job (if you don't have one already). At your age you can fairly easily work for at least one day a week in order to save up. If you fly once a month, and yet save more money than you spend, things are looking good.
As for payment, pay after every lesson rather than pay in chunks of money (eg. don't pay £xxx for X number of lessons). Pay as you fly.
On the money side, it won't hurt to get a job (if you don't have one already). At your age you can fairly easily work for at least one day a week in order to save up. If you fly once a month, and yet save more money than you spend, things are looking good.
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Work experience
Hi,
Like some of the other posters I cant recommend any schools near Manchester, but what I wanted to mention was that at my club we have had a number of students do the work experience over the last couple of years. So from a health and safety point of view shouldnt be a problem but I suppose it depends on the airfield.
If you go to a school at an International Airport then it may be more of an issue (security etc) but at a small local airfield it shouldnt be a problem.
I think it is definitely worth doing (I wish I had thought of it all those years ago!), but if you are going to benefit from it you will have to make sure you show willing, listen to what people tell you and be prepared to help out with whatever is needed. Airfields are not always the most glamorous places. However if you show willing and show you have some ability for learning you will probably find they allow you to re-fuel the aircraft etc and may even reward you with a free or discounted flight (dont expect it though).
On the PPL side of things, id say worry about your GCSEs first but start revising the 7 subjects as soon as possible and that should help you progress quicker.
If I were you I would budget for £7000, it probably wont be as much as this but the costs soon add up. Also, if you budget for this amount you can use any leftover money for hour building (if you plan to go commercial) or just having fun flying around (basically what im saying is you still need money to keep your license valid after you pass)
As far as paying up front, never pay for the whole course up front. However some schools will offer a discount if you pay for, say, 10 hours at a time.
This is what I did and it reduces the risk whilst still making it a bit cheaper. However before you do this it is worth assessing the club and doing a bit of research to see what there finances are like.
Like some of the other posters I cant recommend any schools near Manchester, but what I wanted to mention was that at my club we have had a number of students do the work experience over the last couple of years. So from a health and safety point of view shouldnt be a problem but I suppose it depends on the airfield.
If you go to a school at an International Airport then it may be more of an issue (security etc) but at a small local airfield it shouldnt be a problem.
I think it is definitely worth doing (I wish I had thought of it all those years ago!), but if you are going to benefit from it you will have to make sure you show willing, listen to what people tell you and be prepared to help out with whatever is needed. Airfields are not always the most glamorous places. However if you show willing and show you have some ability for learning you will probably find they allow you to re-fuel the aircraft etc and may even reward you with a free or discounted flight (dont expect it though).
On the PPL side of things, id say worry about your GCSEs first but start revising the 7 subjects as soon as possible and that should help you progress quicker.
If I were you I would budget for £7000, it probably wont be as much as this but the costs soon add up. Also, if you budget for this amount you can use any leftover money for hour building (if you plan to go commercial) or just having fun flying around (basically what im saying is you still need money to keep your license valid after you pass)
As far as paying up front, never pay for the whole course up front. However some schools will offer a discount if you pay for, say, 10 hours at a time.
This is what I did and it reduces the risk whilst still making it a bit cheaper. However before you do this it is worth assessing the club and doing a bit of research to see what there finances are like.
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I will contact one of the flying schools at Barton and see what they think about me doing my work experience there. I asked the teacher who is in charge of work experience in my school and he said that there shouldn't be any problems as long as it's safe.
Now, I get what you mean by not paying in blocks. The way you advise me to do it seems more safe to me. Is it a problem to arrange this 'safer' way of paying for my PPL with most flying schools?
To be honest my flying career is what I am worried about the most right now. Unfortunately, my parents are not very rich, so I will have to earn most of the money myself. Although they said they will pay for my PPL, I don't want them to cover the whole amount. I don't have a job yet, because I am not over 16 yet. After my 16th birthday (31st October 2011) I will start working straight away and hopefully by summer 2012 I will have some money saved up to cover part of the cost of my PPL course (hopefully my parents will be able to cover the rest of it at that time). Then I can start my PPL and hopefully by the end of October, after my 17th my PPL will be issued to me. Does that seem realistic? Do you think I could manage completing my PPL in 4 months(including 2 months off school: July and August, during which I will have more time and weather will be better allowing to fly more often)?
After completing my PPL, I will keep working and saving money towards my next ratings (Multi-Engine and Instrumental Rating; I will have to save a lot for the second one) and hours building, so I can carry on my aviation career and hopefully in about 10-15 years start working in an airline. Again, does this seem realistic to you or is it just me being childish and believing that it all seems so easy (By the way, I know it's not easy and it takes time and that it does require quite a lot of money)?
Once again, thanks for all replies so far. I really appreciate the effort and time you put in to help me
Regards
Now, I get what you mean by not paying in blocks. The way you advise me to do it seems more safe to me. Is it a problem to arrange this 'safer' way of paying for my PPL with most flying schools?
To be honest my flying career is what I am worried about the most right now. Unfortunately, my parents are not very rich, so I will have to earn most of the money myself. Although they said they will pay for my PPL, I don't want them to cover the whole amount. I don't have a job yet, because I am not over 16 yet. After my 16th birthday (31st October 2011) I will start working straight away and hopefully by summer 2012 I will have some money saved up to cover part of the cost of my PPL course (hopefully my parents will be able to cover the rest of it at that time). Then I can start my PPL and hopefully by the end of October, after my 17th my PPL will be issued to me. Does that seem realistic? Do you think I could manage completing my PPL in 4 months(including 2 months off school: July and August, during which I will have more time and weather will be better allowing to fly more often)?
After completing my PPL, I will keep working and saving money towards my next ratings (Multi-Engine and Instrumental Rating; I will have to save a lot for the second one) and hours building, so I can carry on my aviation career and hopefully in about 10-15 years start working in an airline. Again, does this seem realistic to you or is it just me being childish and believing that it all seems so easy (By the way, I know it's not easy and it takes time and that it does require quite a lot of money)?
Once again, thanks for all replies so far. I really appreciate the effort and time you put in to help me
Regards
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Hi dodos9,
I live in Wigan and I am currently learning with LAC at Barton. I was in your position around 4 months ago. I decided to go with LAC after countless recommendations and having been with them for a while now I can too recommend the school. Its a really friendly atmosphere in the cabin and every one of the employees has helped me at some stage. My instructor Tony Partakis is a great guy and makes the flying even more enjoyable. LAC have a few different aircraft and I have flown all types at some stage over the years. I am currently learning in the GROB G115 which is a great little plane. Its tough to manage but recently I tried the Warrior and it was much easier to fly so my skills learnt in the GROB have paid off so far. I am 23 now but when I was your age I also did my work experience at Barton. I had the option of doing it in the Tower or with the Maintenance guys. I took the Maintenance route and I am glad I did. I got loads of flying in and got to work on the aircraft too which was great fun. The Maintenance Dept is now owned by Ravenair but I would try them for some work exp. If not the airfield still offer work exp. I think they have details on their website.
Good luck with it anyway and if you want to ask me anything with regards to my decision to go with LAC drop me a message.
Dean
I live in Wigan and I am currently learning with LAC at Barton. I was in your position around 4 months ago. I decided to go with LAC after countless recommendations and having been with them for a while now I can too recommend the school. Its a really friendly atmosphere in the cabin and every one of the employees has helped me at some stage. My instructor Tony Partakis is a great guy and makes the flying even more enjoyable. LAC have a few different aircraft and I have flown all types at some stage over the years. I am currently learning in the GROB G115 which is a great little plane. Its tough to manage but recently I tried the Warrior and it was much easier to fly so my skills learnt in the GROB have paid off so far. I am 23 now but when I was your age I also did my work experience at Barton. I had the option of doing it in the Tower or with the Maintenance guys. I took the Maintenance route and I am glad I did. I got loads of flying in and got to work on the aircraft too which was great fun. The Maintenance Dept is now owned by Ravenair but I would try them for some work exp. If not the airfield still offer work exp. I think they have details on their website.
Good luck with it anyway and if you want to ask me anything with regards to my decision to go with LAC drop me a message.
Dean
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Hey dodos9,
I don't think you are being unrealistic with completing the PPL in 4 months. The aspect you may struggle with is the 7 exams. If you can get most of them out the way before you start then you only have to concentrate on the flying and gaining the hours. You are very lucky to have your parents help pay for you so make sure you stay in their good books . After your PPL get the night qualification which will be around £900 and then start the hour building. By that time, if all goes well you should be earning enough to fly a couple of times a week if full time or every few weeks being part time, you can't start the commercial route till 18, or it may be 21 I'm not sure! But you will have a year basically to build up the 100 hours! Then it's off to pass the ATPL theory! If you have the dedication there is no reason as to why you are being unrealistic. I don't know much but I do know there are alot of qualified pilots without jobs. But if you are willing to take the risk then Go for it you never know!
Best of luck!
Greg
I don't think you are being unrealistic with completing the PPL in 4 months. The aspect you may struggle with is the 7 exams. If you can get most of them out the way before you start then you only have to concentrate on the flying and gaining the hours. You are very lucky to have your parents help pay for you so make sure you stay in their good books
. After your PPL get the night qualification which will be around £900 and then start the hour building. By that time, if all goes well you should be earning enough to fly a couple of times a week if full time or every few weeks being part time, you can't start the commercial route till 18, or it may be 21 I'm not sure! But you will have a year basically to build up the 100 hours! Then it's off to pass the ATPL theory! If you have the dedication there is no reason as to why you are being unrealistic. I don't know much but I do know there are alot of qualified pilots without jobs. But if you are willing to take the risk then Go for it you never know! Best of luck!
Greg
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Have you looked at air cadets at all? It's a good way to get flying experience when you are young, and some squadrons have access to scholarships or reduced training fees. There's quite a few squadrons round your way.
Air Cadets - Find a squadron
Air Cadets - Find a squadron
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@deangwigan
Thanks for useful advice. I'll send you a Private Message if I have any more questions (which I probably will ;])
@Greg737
I have already started some learning of these 7 subjects. I have found an old, but good learning software on CD in my drawer. I used it already and I think it's quite good, so I will keep on learning from it.
@HLJHLJ
I am already an Air Cadet for more than a year. I will ask one of the staff if they know anything about sponsorship of PPL etc.
Thanks
Thanks for useful advice. I'll send you a Private Message if I have any more questions (which I probably will ;])
@Greg737
I have already started some learning of these 7 subjects. I have found an old, but good learning software on CD in my drawer. I used it already and I think it's quite good, so I will keep on learning from it.
@HLJHLJ
I am already an Air Cadet for more than a year. I will ask one of the staff if they know anything about sponsorship of PPL etc.
Thanks
