Aerobatic school?
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Chandler Air Service in the Phoenix, AZ area if you are willing to make the trip. The weather this time of year is quite pleasant.
The Barcelona-Sabadell Aeroclub offers aerobatic lessons (I've never been there though so can't recommend or not recommend) and I know that the Bournemouth flying club has aerobatics lessons.
The Barcelona-Sabadell Aeroclub offers aerobatic lessons (I've never been there though so can't recommend or not recommend) and I know that the Bournemouth flying club has aerobatics lessons.
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My advice is ask around at your local airfield or check local flying magazines. If there is a national aerobatic organisation in your country, that would be a good place to start, to find local instructors.
You don't need to find a school just an instructor that's reasonably good and has a 2 seater aeroplane that they can train you in.
You don't need to find a school just an instructor that's reasonably good and has a 2 seater aeroplane that they can train you in.
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High Adrenaline Flying, Fighter Pilot & Air Combat Flights with Ultimate High
Highly recommended Aeros school and more at Kemble UK - though I will admit to being biased
Highly recommended Aeros school and more at Kemble UK - though I will admit to being biased
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Rapattack,
As others have pointed out, there are a few well-known names in the UK. Ultimate High is one. But aerobatics is taught at a lot of places.
A couple of points to consider when you're going to select a school:
- First and foremost, get instruction from someone who loves to do aeros. Not from an FI who happens to sort-of know how to do a loop. Ex-RAF FIs are probably a good bet. Instructors who fly aeros competitions or demos are also a good choice.
- As others pointed out, there will be an EASA aerobatics rating in the future, but no such thing exists right now under JAA. That also implies that you don't have to go through a formal training program, with a formally qualified flight instructor. You can be PIC while getting "advice" from somebody who is, legally speaking, a passenger. Now most aeros instructors also happen to be certified flight instructors, so there's no problem there. But I happen to know a guy who is an excellent aeros instructor, competition and demo pilot, but doesn't have his FI papers. Legally speaking that's no problem, but you might want to discuss the PIC role, insurance and checkout issues beforehand.
- As far as a formal training program is concerned, even though none is required by law, it's a good idea to use one anyway. I think AOPA has got an eight-lesson plan available, and there's a similar plan listed in the "Aerobatics; Principles and Practice" book of David Robson.
- Don't focus too much on the type of plane you'll be flying early in your aerobatics career. At least up to Standard level you can use a Robin R2160, GeneralAvia F22, Fuji FA-200, Slingsby Firefly, Decathlon or something similar to those. In fact, learning on a plane like that will teach you a few things that a Pitts or Extra will not teach you, at that stage. Only when you're at or beyond Standard level do you need something more sophisticated (and thus expensive).
- Once you get to a level that you can fly certain base maneuvers (such as a loop, a cuban eight, a stall turn and a few others) solo, you might want to look at the BAeA events calender and enroll in a "LOOP" beginners day. (Don't know if they're still going to be called that next year - I think I heard somebody mention that LOOP magazine stopped their sponsorship or something like that.) These beginners days allow you to try your hand at competition aerobatics in a very relaxed manner.
Oh, and if you're thinking about doing an intensive course, or in general want to prepare for some intense aeros flying:
- Make sure you are well rested, fed and everything. At least according to the I'M SAFE mnemonic, but preferably a bit better than that.
- There is a scientific paper available about desensitization to nausea therapy. It contains a few exercises that (supposedly) help. I have never tried them myself but if you're going to travel to an aeros school for an intensive course (like your posts suggests), they might be a good idea.
http://medind.nic.in/iab/t07/s1/iabt07s1p37.pdf
As others have pointed out, there are a few well-known names in the UK. Ultimate High is one. But aerobatics is taught at a lot of places.
A couple of points to consider when you're going to select a school:
- First and foremost, get instruction from someone who loves to do aeros. Not from an FI who happens to sort-of know how to do a loop. Ex-RAF FIs are probably a good bet. Instructors who fly aeros competitions or demos are also a good choice.
- As others pointed out, there will be an EASA aerobatics rating in the future, but no such thing exists right now under JAA. That also implies that you don't have to go through a formal training program, with a formally qualified flight instructor. You can be PIC while getting "advice" from somebody who is, legally speaking, a passenger. Now most aeros instructors also happen to be certified flight instructors, so there's no problem there. But I happen to know a guy who is an excellent aeros instructor, competition and demo pilot, but doesn't have his FI papers. Legally speaking that's no problem, but you might want to discuss the PIC role, insurance and checkout issues beforehand.
- As far as a formal training program is concerned, even though none is required by law, it's a good idea to use one anyway. I think AOPA has got an eight-lesson plan available, and there's a similar plan listed in the "Aerobatics; Principles and Practice" book of David Robson.
- Don't focus too much on the type of plane you'll be flying early in your aerobatics career. At least up to Standard level you can use a Robin R2160, GeneralAvia F22, Fuji FA-200, Slingsby Firefly, Decathlon or something similar to those. In fact, learning on a plane like that will teach you a few things that a Pitts or Extra will not teach you, at that stage. Only when you're at or beyond Standard level do you need something more sophisticated (and thus expensive).
- Once you get to a level that you can fly certain base maneuvers (such as a loop, a cuban eight, a stall turn and a few others) solo, you might want to look at the BAeA events calender and enroll in a "LOOP" beginners day. (Don't know if they're still going to be called that next year - I think I heard somebody mention that LOOP magazine stopped their sponsorship or something like that.) These beginners days allow you to try your hand at competition aerobatics in a very relaxed manner.
Oh, and if you're thinking about doing an intensive course, or in general want to prepare for some intense aeros flying:
- Make sure you are well rested, fed and everything. At least according to the I'M SAFE mnemonic, but preferably a bit better than that.
- There is a scientific paper available about desensitization to nausea therapy. It contains a few exercises that (supposedly) help. I have never tried them myself but if you're going to travel to an aeros school for an intensive course (like your posts suggests), they might be a good idea.
http://medind.nic.in/iab/t07/s1/iabt07s1p37.pdf
Since the original question asked about the US, my recommendation would be Attitude Aviation in Livermore, CA (near San Francisco). Very focused on acro, and some interesting planes to fly when you get fed up with the Citabria.
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BackPacker, you are right about Loop's withdrawal of sponsorship but the days were run this year under the name of BAeA Special Beginners Days. They are well worth attending if you are serious about aerobatics and the BAeA has an excellent Buddy Scheme too.
Just a thought and something to bear in mind, there are lots of cheap, short flights to London and other parts of the UK making it far more accessible (and probably more affordable too) than flying to the USA and as far as I am aware, as an EU citizen you wouldn't need a visa. So you could probably make top-up visits more easily and frequently.
Just a thought and something to bear in mind, there are lots of cheap, short flights to London and other parts of the UK making it far more accessible (and probably more affordable too) than flying to the USA and as far as I am aware, as an EU citizen you wouldn't need a visa. So you could probably make top-up visits more easily and frequently.
Last edited by DX Wombat; 10th Nov 2011 at 21:31.
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DX, you are right about Loop. I was looking at the BAeA events agenda which I printed out early this season and which was still hanging on the board. But I see the agenda on the website already has had the name changed.
