How many VFR flying days in the UK year
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IO tells me 75% chance of flying, which is great, cos that means I only have 1 more lesson to be cancelled, and statistically, I'll never have another lesson missed. Somehow, I think thats statistics playing silly games with me :-)
I can and will fly low in pretty marginal weather - yes scud running - it is kind of fun and I have an IFR get out of jail card. However it is not the sort of thinking to undertake lightly because it can be a recipe for disaster.
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To answer your original post.
I started to learn August 2005 and obtained my PPL May 2006,learning at a club that only flew Friday,Saturday and Sunday,and it took me 53 hours.(not to show off,but to allow you to see how many days were cancelled due to weather)
But every year is different.
Most decent clubs will only let you do two one hour lessons a day.
Learning to fly in the UK does allow you to see and fly most weather conditions,doing it in a sunshine state/country,you can maybe bash it out in a month,but miss all the other experience.
Your choice and Good luck
Lister
I started to learn August 2005 and obtained my PPL May 2006,learning at a club that only flew Friday,Saturday and Sunday,and it took me 53 hours.(not to show off,but to allow you to see how many days were cancelled due to weather)
But every year is different.
Most decent clubs will only let you do two one hour lessons a day.
Learning to fly in the UK does allow you to see and fly most weather conditions,doing it in a sunshine state/country,you can maybe bash it out in a month,but miss all the other experience.
Your choice and Good luck
Lister
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IO, sorry for the confusion. I did mean once I pass. I realise there are a whole load of other factors that cause cancelled lessons whilst learning.
But again, you have IMC, which by the time I pass anything, wont exist. So of that 150+ hours you do, how much of that is in VMC, and at weekends?
Fuji, I think I want to be thinking conservative with any flying I do once I pass, until I have more experience under my belt.
Lister, yes, totally agree with you about learning in the UK. I learned to sail in teh UK, and that put me in much better stead for sailing most places, cos the UK is more challenging than most. Same with flying.
I just suppose, like all students, I can't wait to have a license, and dream of having the freedom to fly when I want....and this winter so far has brought me back to reality with a thud, realising there is so much more than "when I want" involved....I suppose at the end of the day, this is my little attempt at you lot keeping my spirits up :-)
The problem is when magazines land on the mat, telling me how EASA is going to make everything harder, at the same time as I realise how much of a limiting factor the weather is. Please, oh please, oh please let it be sunny for my lesson tomorrow (not looking hopeful so far!)
Thanks all. IPZ
But again, you have IMC, which by the time I pass anything, wont exist. So of that 150+ hours you do, how much of that is in VMC, and at weekends?
Fuji, I think I want to be thinking conservative with any flying I do once I pass, until I have more experience under my belt.
Lister, yes, totally agree with you about learning in the UK. I learned to sail in teh UK, and that put me in much better stead for sailing most places, cos the UK is more challenging than most. Same with flying.
I just suppose, like all students, I can't wait to have a license, and dream of having the freedom to fly when I want....and this winter so far has brought me back to reality with a thud, realising there is so much more than "when I want" involved....I suppose at the end of the day, this is my little attempt at you lot keeping my spirits up :-)
The problem is when magazines land on the mat, telling me how EASA is going to make everything harder, at the same time as I realise how much of a limiting factor the weather is. Please, oh please, oh please let it be sunny for my lesson tomorrow (not looking hopeful so far!)
Thanks all. IPZ
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I fly gliders with Booker Gliding Club at Wycombe Air Park (just along the M40 if you're travelling fom London). Tend to find that in 'marginal' conditions you're likely to see gliders flying more often than you will powered aircraft. We don't have crosswind limits as we takeoff and land into wind and don't restrict ourselves to strips of tarmac/concrete that determine such directions. Low cloud? Not a problem as we can operate up to cloudbase near the airfield, and once we go West to avoid the airspace restrictions we can if we wish fly in cloud. Just like birds, we don't fly when it's raining although we do sometimes fly on the edge of rain and snow showers as there's often useful rising energy available.
Going back to the point of VFR-able days you need to consider also that the weather can change a lot (certainly in the UK) during a single day. So, it may be non-flyable at 08:00, flyable at 09:00, non-flyable at 11:30 and so on. The thing to remember is to go to the airfield and try to fly as often as you can. Too many times I hear of people who think it won't be a good day and so don't bother....and it turns out to be a good day after all.
Going back to the point of VFR-able days you need to consider also that the weather can change a lot (certainly in the UK) during a single day. So, it may be non-flyable at 08:00, flyable at 09:00, non-flyable at 11:30 and so on. The thing to remember is to go to the airfield and try to fly as often as you can. Too many times I hear of people who think it won't be a good day and so don't bother....and it turns out to be a good day after all.
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I can and will fly low in pretty marginal weather - yes scud running - it is kind of fun and I have an IFR get out of jail card. However it is not the sort of thinking to undertake lightly because it can be a recipe for disaster.
But that's not the same as flying in 5k or even 3k vis.
But again, you have IMC, which by the time I pass anything, wont exist. So of that 150+ hours you do, how much of that is in VMC, and at weekends?
how EASA is going to make everything harder
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I sailed a lot before I learned to fly,I found most of the weather knowledge helped,so did "rules of the road",( anti-collision regs) very similar aviation and marine.
Also the telecomms helped a little,I asked if my Marine telephony licence could be used for aviation,but no such luck
And as said,you could wrap it all up in 2011,start now by doing all the paperwork exams,maybe even RT?
Also the telecomms helped a little,I asked if my Marine telephony licence could be used for aviation,but no such luck
And as said,you could wrap it all up in 2011,start now by doing all the paperwork exams,maybe even RT?
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I'd really like to get my license in 2011, but remember I am starting with NPPL(M) as that's well within my budget. I know I can convert after to NPPL(SSEA) and then get an IMC, but I've started with what works for me, within easy reach of my house, and my bank account!
But who knows, maybe I will get it all done this year. Believe me, I am watching that April 2012 deadline like a hawk!
And as for getting the paperwork done, yup, I will. And I do think that my experience with Nav and radio from sailing will put me in good stead. If nothing else, I'm not frightened of it. It seems to me that a lot of people who have problems with Nav and RT do so because they ahve convinced themselves its diffifcult, rather than just going with the flow....
If I can work out tidal currents, leeway, ground clearance and the likes, over the space of a 36 hour journey, then I think I should be able to cope with crosswinds. I mean, in sailing, there's a whole 120 degree span that I can even head towards (into wind) and have to tack to take account of it. Can't imagine much harder than working out best tacking angles for the best SOG (speed over ground)! :-)
But who knows, maybe I will get it all done this year. Believe me, I am watching that April 2012 deadline like a hawk!
And as for getting the paperwork done, yup, I will. And I do think that my experience with Nav and radio from sailing will put me in good stead. If nothing else, I'm not frightened of it. It seems to me that a lot of people who have problems with Nav and RT do so because they ahve convinced themselves its diffifcult, rather than just going with the flow....
If I can work out tidal currents, leeway, ground clearance and the likes, over the space of a 36 hour journey, then I think I should be able to cope with crosswinds. I mean, in sailing, there's a whole 120 degree span that I can even head towards (into wind) and have to tack to take account of it. Can't imagine much harder than working out best tacking angles for the best SOG (speed over ground)! :-)
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So, what do you think?
The thing is to book more lessons that you need, if the school will let you. If you can afford one lesson a month book one a fortnight. If you can afford one a fortnight book one a week. If you can afford one a week book one every Saturday and one ever Sunday.
Navigation is indeed easier than boats because there's no tide, but on the other hand it's harder than boats because you're going twenty times as fast and thus have only one twentieth of the thinking time.
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Thanks for that Gertrude. I reckoned I could just about afford weekly lessons, though perhaps that's a bit tight, so I booked weekly, assuming that I would end up with a few cancelled, and try and also get some time back from work so I could do lunchtime lessons if I missed two consecutive weeks. That sort of follows your suggestion.
As for navigation, yes, I can see that the speed is a challange. I suppose its got to be a case of preparing your route, looking for your secondary ports (or I suppose, nearest airfield in emergency, in planes) and keeping on top of it. The peculiar thing I've seen with sailing is people doing their nav, assuming there is loads of time, and then getting flustered when crunch time comes. Is it the same with flying? The more preparation, and the more up to date you keep everything during a flight, the easier to deal with the unexpected, cos you know exactly where you are? Be interested to know your thoughts. IPZ
As for navigation, yes, I can see that the speed is a challange. I suppose its got to be a case of preparing your route, looking for your secondary ports (or I suppose, nearest airfield in emergency, in planes) and keeping on top of it. The peculiar thing I've seen with sailing is people doing their nav, assuming there is loads of time, and then getting flustered when crunch time comes. Is it the same with flying? The more preparation, and the more up to date you keep everything during a flight, the easier to deal with the unexpected, cos you know exactly where you are? Be interested to know your thoughts. IPZ
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You need to think ahead when flying, and if you fly at 150kt you need to think ahead more than if flying at 100kt.
The key is to reduce the cockpit workload so you have more brainpower left over. Flying with a GPS for example is far less work than timing legs and looking for landmarks etc. Currency helps a lot so flying frequently is important - every 2 weeks or more often if possible.
And yes you need to have the paperwork organised long before you arrive at the destination. When I fly IFR I start sorting the approach plates in the likely order etc with 100nm left to run.
An autopilot is a brilliant cockpit workload reducer.
The key is to reduce the cockpit workload so you have more brainpower left over. Flying with a GPS for example is far less work than timing legs and looking for landmarks etc. Currency helps a lot so flying frequently is important - every 2 weeks or more often if possible.
And yes you need to have the paperwork organised long before you arrive at the destination. When I fly IFR I start sorting the approach plates in the likely order etc with 100nm left to run.
An autopilot is a brilliant cockpit workload reducer.
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It will also depend on if you have your own aircraft or not.
I started on microlights and purchased a RansS6 as soon as I passed my test. Having made the investment and paying for it even when it was sitting in the hangar we (Self and Wife) used to fly every weekend when possible. On the non-flying weekends we generally hung out at the flying club, either tinkering or just drinking tea and chatting.
Looking back through my logbook we flew just about every weekend for two years with the exception of March and May when we only managed 3 out of 4. Most of the time going away somewhere either for a day trip or whole weekend away. We always looked for somewhere we hadn't been before to add some adventure to the flying, and tried to attend fly-ins etc whenever possible.
Someteimes we just hung around waiting for a break in the weather and got away later. We only once got stuck, and that was because of a puncture causing us to run out of light, so had to stay overnight.
We once had to stop and wait for the weather to clear on the way home. We were just 10 minutes away from having to go to catch the last train home when through the murk a Cessna 172 arrived from teh direction we needed to go and he said the weather was blue skies and sunshine just 5 miles north and coming south, so we waited another half hour and flew home in perfect weather.
Just be flexible with your plans and always have alternative travel options and you will very rarely fail to get away or back. Sometimes having another cup of tea can make all the difference. If given a choice always fly towards the bad weather going out, as you will be flying away from it coming home, and coming home is where the pressure to fly most comes in. And going out you can turn around and cancel if it proves to be worse than forecast.
That only happened to us once when we were flying from Eshott to Fishburn and Newcastle radar said they were seeing Thunderstorm strikes over Fishburn, so we about turned and got back on the ground with the plane back in the Hangar at Eshott before the storm arrived.
I started on microlights and purchased a RansS6 as soon as I passed my test. Having made the investment and paying for it even when it was sitting in the hangar we (Self and Wife) used to fly every weekend when possible. On the non-flying weekends we generally hung out at the flying club, either tinkering or just drinking tea and chatting.
Looking back through my logbook we flew just about every weekend for two years with the exception of March and May when we only managed 3 out of 4. Most of the time going away somewhere either for a day trip or whole weekend away. We always looked for somewhere we hadn't been before to add some adventure to the flying, and tried to attend fly-ins etc whenever possible.
Someteimes we just hung around waiting for a break in the weather and got away later. We only once got stuck, and that was because of a puncture causing us to run out of light, so had to stay overnight.
We once had to stop and wait for the weather to clear on the way home. We were just 10 minutes away from having to go to catch the last train home when through the murk a Cessna 172 arrived from teh direction we needed to go and he said the weather was blue skies and sunshine just 5 miles north and coming south, so we waited another half hour and flew home in perfect weather.
Just be flexible with your plans and always have alternative travel options and you will very rarely fail to get away or back. Sometimes having another cup of tea can make all the difference. If given a choice always fly towards the bad weather going out, as you will be flying away from it coming home, and coming home is where the pressure to fly most comes in. And going out you can turn around and cancel if it proves to be worse than forecast.
That only happened to us once when we were flying from Eshott to Fishburn and Newcastle radar said they were seeing Thunderstorm strikes over Fishburn, so we about turned and got back on the ground with the plane back in the Hangar at Eshott before the storm arrived.
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'Thank God I didn't think about gliding. 50 days a year, yikes!'
Not so as others have said. There might be 50 super duper flying days a year but it's rare that we don't fly. In fact this winter had been one of the worst for not getting the kit out that I can remember, mainly because the field has been under a zillion tons of snow.
Not so as others have said. There might be 50 super duper flying days a year but it's rare that we don't fly. In fact this winter had been one of the worst for not getting the kit out that I can remember, mainly because the field has been under a zillion tons of snow.
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I should mention that during my PPL training in 2000/2001 I booked every day in Oct/Nov/Dec (i.e. 90 lessons) and got just 3 lessons in. It was very bad warm front weather - OVC006 and drizzle.
This is not all that unusual. I recall one bloke who waited 6 months to fly his QXC. He was hit by a very hazy summer (which was perfect VFR conditions as far as I was concerned) and his instructor would not let him go in less than 10k vis (which is a fairly common rule). Of course his training just got partly wasted; he could fly dual but without the QXC you cannot progress beyond a certain point. This is extremely frustrating, especially if in the meantime you fly with a more experienced pilot and realise that haze is a non-issue in reality, using modern navigation, and much of the time one can just climb above it when enroute.
Since I bought my plane in 2002 I have tried to fly once a week, and I manage this about 50 weeks out of 52. I could probably do it every week OK but sometimes I have too much other stuff to do. But I fly mostly weekdays.
This is not all that unusual. I recall one bloke who waited 6 months to fly his QXC. He was hit by a very hazy summer (which was perfect VFR conditions as far as I was concerned) and his instructor would not let him go in less than 10k vis (which is a fairly common rule). Of course his training just got partly wasted; he could fly dual but without the QXC you cannot progress beyond a certain point. This is extremely frustrating, especially if in the meantime you fly with a more experienced pilot and realise that haze is a non-issue in reality, using modern navigation, and much of the time one can just climb above it when enroute.
Since I bought my plane in 2002 I have tried to fly once a week, and I manage this about 50 weeks out of 52. I could probably do it every week OK but sometimes I have too much other stuff to do. But I fly mostly weekdays.
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IanPZ, this year has been particularly grotty.
I had a lesson booked every weekend from September 2009 onwards and only missed three due to weather throughout my entire training.
This winter, I've looked out of the window almost every weekend and seen nothing but a solid overcast. Today was lovely weather and I couldn't get the damn thing to start!
I had a lesson booked every weekend from September 2009 onwards and only missed three due to weather throughout my entire training.
This winter, I've looked out of the window almost every weekend and seen nothing but a solid overcast. Today was lovely weather and I couldn't get the damn thing to start!
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IO, Steve, everyone...
Thanks for all the comments, and the encouragement. It sounds like you've all experienced teh same frustration at times.
But...yes, I got to go flying today, and it was BRILLIANT. Last lesson of the day, flying until sunset, it was absolutely beautiful. This is what I was waiting for!
Hoping this is going to carry on like this. Thanks for the help.
Thanks for all the comments, and the encouragement. It sounds like you've all experienced teh same frustration at times.
But...yes, I got to go flying today, and it was BRILLIANT. Last lesson of the day, flying until sunset, it was absolutely beautiful. This is what I was waiting for!
Hoping this is going to carry on like this. Thanks for the help.
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I think I only had one (if any!) lesson cancelled between June and end of Nov when I did my first solo - we did IMC appreciation in the clouds the one day the wx wasn't suitable for circuits, and the cancellation was either excessive crosswind or waterlogged runway.
Then I got no flying between end of nov and 21st Jan.
Swings and roundabouts, but it doesn't answer the original OP question about % good days in a year - I havent' got enough hours in for that yet!
Then I got no flying between end of nov and 21st Jan.
Swings and roundabouts, but it doesn't answer the original OP question about % good days in a year - I havent' got enough hours in for that yet!
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Keeping current during the winter months
As a relatively new and low hour VFR PPL holder, and weekend renter (not an owner yet, but one day I hope...), are there any others in a similar boat to me who worry about their lack of flying over the winter months due to poor weather, with the corresponding fall off of currency, skills and therefore safety (and confidence)?
I am not happy about going up in marginal conditions until my skill base has increased (bit of catch 22 here)- I know my limits (and read AAIB reports!) and verge very much on the side of caution.
I was lucky enough to have a 30 minute go in the A320 sim at Gatwick (simply amazing) - does such a 'realistic' sim exist for simple GA aircraft - and if so, any in south east corner of UK?
Any other tips or thoughts for keeping the flying skills rust at bay during the winter months?
Thanks in advance!
I am not happy about going up in marginal conditions until my skill base has increased (bit of catch 22 here)- I know my limits (and read AAIB reports!) and verge very much on the side of caution.
I was lucky enough to have a 30 minute go in the A320 sim at Gatwick (simply amazing) - does such a 'realistic' sim exist for simple GA aircraft - and if so, any in south east corner of UK?
Any other tips or thoughts for keeping the flying skills rust at bay during the winter months?
Thanks in advance!