Obtaining PPL over time

[Neoburner]

Hi all

Just after a bit of advice about gaining a PPL/NPPL, I had a look around the forums and got some mixed views so it thought I would couple my questions into my own thread.

I have a big passion of getting my PPL, 3 teaser flights so far which is keeping my niggling bug happy and up in the air, the hours go in the logbook (a whole 3 in total...) so all helps in the process.

I work full time in a stable career and now thinking of pursuing this.

My closest airfield is Shoreham which I am due there next weekend (was this weekend but the TAF was awful for flying ) for another hour up in the air on a PA28 (Can't wait for this again!), and another hour in the LB...

My main question is due to being full time in my working life can this be done over a period, I get mixed views on people saying to do it in one go and some saying that spreading it out is no bad thing. I think personally that I would be able to do it over time as my memory works well on long term learning.

Has anyone done it over time... again it would be a hobby not to move into the field and commercial..

And also the teaser flights do count towards the hour building of the PPL... is that correct?

26 Years of age here and living in W Sussex.... any advice would be great!

Thanks

Ben

[Grob Queen]

Hi Ben,
As a 30-something PPL student who works full time I hope I may be able to help you a bit!

due to being full time in my working life can this be done over a period, I get mixed views on people saying to do it in one go and some saying that spreading it out is no bad thing. I think personally that I would be able to do it over time as my memory works well on long term learning.

Yes, absolutely!! I think people have mixed views over whether a PPL should be completed in a short a period as possible or spread out. Personally I have taken two years so far, 53hours (45 mins of that is solo) and no where near skills test standard. There have been many reasons for this, weather, aircraft and instructor availability. But like you, I learn best over a long period of time, especially where the ground study is concerned; so this is the best way for me. Also, if you don't set yourself timescales, you will find that you enjoy the experience much more - after all you are still flying be it with an instructor or solo! If your instructor becomes a friend you will also enjoy it more (espeically on long X country navexes! )

Flying is just a hobby for me so again, time doesn't matter. Ref the exams - again, this issue tends to spilt people but I am aiming to do them all "at the end" (well, apart from nav which i will have to do before my QXC). This is not to say I am not bothering to study! I am reading and studying along the way as that helps me understand the flying perspective. This is on teh advice of my instructor, as this is what suits my learning style; and as we are all different it may not be what suits you best.

Best thing is talk to Shoreham, the instructors and the other students there and see what they suggest, how they like to learn. I believe that if your three previous flights were with an instructor, they count.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need a "student to student" chat

GQ

[Neoburner]

Thanks for the reply Grob, it seems already that it can be done, and as you say even it is on your own or with an instructor it is still flying .

I shall PM you for sure if that's ok and maybe we can chat

Ben

[Slopey]

Originally Posted by Grob Queen

well, apart from nav which i will have to do before my QXC

Why? The Nav exam is much easier if you have experience of planning routes/making up and flying plogs in the real world first. Or is it a club rule?

[Grob Queen]

Club rules I think Slopey!

However I am planning navexes already and have flown two...(Saturday's was better than the first ) My instructor also wants to send me on a solo local famil trip soon...

[fwjc]

I was 24 when I first started learning to fly. Due to lack of funds, and some other delays, it took me four years and 46 hours total. On that basis I would say that it is entirely possible to spread out your learning. I have two pieces of advice for you. The first is that there tends to be a natural acceleration towards the end, since Nav trips tend to be longer than circuit bashing. Bear this in mind when budgeting.The second is that if you aren't flying too often, as a newbie, one of the best things I did was to hang out at the club on weekends. There is a considerable amount of flying done in the bar, some of it b.s., but a lot of it things that were worth learning about. Plus there were occasional opportunities to pax as self-loading baggage for trips etc, all of which helped me to keep "current" even when I wasn't flying. Enjoy!

[Ds3]

Was a club rule for me too. Had to have Air Law passed before first solo, along with Met and Nav passed before first solo navex.

In answer to the original question - also 30 something PPL student about to embark on my QXC. Currently at 9 months and 44 hours, but have had some weather delays this year which have been frustating.

When you say doing it over a period, what sort of timescale are you thinking of? Most people take 1-2 years anyway so unless you do an intensive course it's not exactly a rushed process. The one major negative to spreading it out too much is if you have massive gaps between lessons you'll end up having to revise previous lessons, rather than go straight on to the next one.

I think the general and very broad concensus is that you can learn in a short or long period and neither is right; learning quickly will probably cost you less where as taking your time will cost more but make you a better pilot. Naturally this doesn't apply to everyone.

[transmitforDF]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with a big time scale, I began in 2006 and had to pause my training for 5 yrs (education/travel) but I never lost those hours and just picked up from where I left it. I resumed last may and I'm not too far from finishing. This has all revolved around my full time job (where else is the dosh going to come from?) and other commitments and its been no problem at all, just do the exam study in the evenings or on lunch breaks, stay committed and all will be well.

The only downside is like yourself I'm flying out of shoreham and with its micro climate ways, spending weekends on the ground can become very frustrating but persevere at least you can save the money!

[Neoburner]

Thanks for the advice it all helps, I am flying out of Shoreham hopefully this Sunday for another teaser (fingers crossed) the TAF for this Monday gone was awful

Might join a Club down there and see how I get on!

Ben

[BroomstickPilot]

Clubs

Hi Neoburner,

I don't know whether you have looked at other flying establishments other than those at Shoreham.

May I suggest you also take a look at some others before you settle on any particular one.

Since you live in West Sussex, Redhill and Headcorn/Lashenden in particlar come to mind. I liked Lashenden alot, and would have gone there myself had I not lived too far away.

I would also recommend, since you have no ambitions to go professional, that you consider three-axis microlight flying. The aircraft in that category are actually more modern and perform better than the Group A aircraft you seem to have flown so far.

Good luck,

BP.

[abgd]

I think my main concern about spreading out a PPL wasn't so much the flying - though I spread out hang-gliding lessons and that was very much a case of 2 steps forward, one step back.

My worry was that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my career properly if I was thinking about flying and the PPL exams all the time. I had the opportunity to take a little time out and get it all done and dusted, and whilst I continue to learn and read pprune etc... it's overall much less intrusive when you've already got that qualification.

[Airlinepilot1687]

PPL OVER TIME

Hi I would firstly like to say good for you starting to learn to fly its the best move thou will ever make. There are lots of views on how to do your PPL but after all of them there is you and what works best for you. Doing it over a short period of time has its advantages but doing it over a longer period of time you will learn lots of extra knowledge and meet more people who will be full of knowledge to pass on. I did my licence over about 3 years with a full time job and the time flew by. You just need to keep your goal in mind and realise that every time to set foot in the aircraft your another step closer to your dream. Try to re-run your previous lesson in your head and look over your notes before your next lesson and you will find it comes back quite quickly. As for the exams try to get them done sooner rather than later but remember once all of them are completed you have so long to get your licence to keep them valid. Go for it and have fun. Just some friendly advice

[VictorGolf]

I was lucky enough to learn to fly in Kenya where I think I only had one lesson scrubbed due to weather. This meant I made fairly quick progress through the syllabus but I hit a "wall" (not in the aircraft) after my second solo cross-country. I have no idea why, as I was very close to taking the test and it took a phone call from the club to ask where I was to jolt me back in to action. I'm really glad they did and I completed the course in 9 months and 42 hours flying. Best thing I ever did.

[Neoburner]

I think the main thing that makes me want to do this more and more is seeing other people doing it as well (if that makes any sense).

With the way this county/climate is going its getting tougher and tougher to make this happen, but with a bit of determination it seems it can work well and I can accomplish the dream!

Ben

[Grob Queen]

My worry was that I wouldn't be able to concentrate on my career properly if I was thinking about flying and the PPL exams all the time.

I think it depends possibly on what stage of your career you are at. I admit, I do eat, sleep and breathe flying and studying...and having to fit it in around work is tougher than full time study at University! I'm always hiding in a quiet corner in our library at lunchtime and my colleagues know that i'm not to be disturbed.

However, I took up flying now because its a lifetime ambition to be a pilot and i'm settled in my career, have been doing it long enough now so needed a new challenge and something to really make my brain work. You know when the time is right to do something and if its the right time for flying for you now, go for it!

[Genghis the Engineer]

I think it depends possibly on what stage of your career you are at. I admit, I do eat, sleep and breathe flying and studying...and having to fit it in around work is tougher than full time study at University! I'm always hiding in a quiet corner in our library at lunchtime and my colleagues know that i'm not to be disturbed.

I know that feeling well. At age 41 I'm having a year where, right now I'm not studying for any new qualifications. This is, I think, the first time that has been the case since I was 13. It also won't last I'm quite sure!

G

[FANS]

It depends what you want the PPL for

If you goal is simply to get the PPL (rather than commercial) then do it over time AND ENJOY THE LEARNING AND EXPERIENCE.

The trick is not to get lost on trying to do everything in minimal hours as, very simply, it will not happen when doing a lesson a week. The lesson a week turns into a lesson every month+ at winter. Therefore you have to enjoy the learning.

My reason for highlighting this is that there are many that rarely touch a plane after the PPL. Equally, there are far too many desperate to do everything in minimal hours that they look like they're off to see the dentists when flying training!

If however you're dead set on commercial, then that is another debate. However, I think you're too inexperienced to commit to commercial anyway.

[L'aviateur]

Hi,

I started my PPL when I was 22 and it took 15 months. I essentially did it in three intensive periods of 2-3 weeks. My big issue was finding time, so it was done in holidays, with the final stage staying in a B&B at the airport to get as much flying in as possible. I finished at 48 hours, and found that doing it in intensive batches was best. On the second and third intensive period, the first hour or so was getting familiar with the aircraft again and then it was all uphill from there!

Good luck.

[Johnm]

If it helps I got my PPL between 51 and 53 years of age while working full time in a demanding job. I got my IR between 61 and 63 while working part time in a slightly less demanding job :-)

[Maoraigh1]

I did my PPL in 25 days, at 23 years of age, during a holiday, at Thruxton. I was unable to afford to keep it current. ( I didn't know about PFA/LAA then.) I regained it after 21 years, and have kept it current for 25 years since then.
Save up. Do it in the minimum hours. Join a cheap LAA group. I fly a Jodel, but a VP group is even cheaper. (MUCH cheaper)