New student pilot
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Join Date: Aug 2011
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New student pilot
Hi all,
Just wanted to say that I have finally after much waiting for stuff (mainly finances) to sort themselves out arranged to go tomorrow and sign up to learn to fly
I know it's been done on here before but I am also writing a blog about my experiences. As you would suspect at the moment there is not much there but as of tomorrow I will be posting more on there.
For some reason I can't post the address on here so I will (until I find a way to do so) copy the posts on to here.
All comments and opinions appreciated.
Regards,
Mark
Just wanted to say that I have finally after much waiting for stuff (mainly finances) to sort themselves out arranged to go tomorrow and sign up to learn to fly
I know it's been done on here before but I am also writing a blog about my experiences. As you would suspect at the moment there is not much there but as of tomorrow I will be posting more on there.
For some reason I can't post the address on here so I will (until I find a way to do so) copy the posts on to here.
All comments and opinions appreciated.
Regards,
Mark
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First Post
Welcome and thanks for reading.
The aim of this blog is to document and record my experiences and feelings from the start of my journey as a student pilot right through to the day I get my license.
I am sure that there are going to be many trials and tribulations along the way. I am in no doubt that at some point I will be delighted, come home on a high and love every minute of my journey. Other times I am expecting to be pulling my hair out (what's left of it) and wanting to throw in the towel.
Stick with me and keep checking back to find out how I get on on this exciting journey.
The aim of this blog is to document and record my experiences and feelings from the start of my journey as a student pilot right through to the day I get my license.
I am sure that there are going to be many trials and tribulations along the way. I am in no doubt that at some point I will be delighted, come home on a high and love every minute of my journey. Other times I am expecting to be pulling my hair out (what's left of it) and wanting to throw in the towel.
Stick with me and keep checking back to find out how I get on on this exciting journey.
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Congratulations!
Since you're in HW I presume you're flying out of Booker or WW, both of which are in my view excellent places to learn to fly due to their proximity to LHR and the airpace issues that go wih it. Once you've got your PPL your confidence will be a lot higher than someone who went off to the USA and did it in two weeks (although you won't realise it).
I look forward to reading of your progress.
One bit of advice I can give is don't expect girls to be impressed!
Since you're in HW I presume you're flying out of Booker or WW, both of which are in my view excellent places to learn to fly due to their proximity to LHR and the airpace issues that go wih it. Once you've got your PPL your confidence will be a lot higher than someone who went off to the USA and did it in two weeks (although you won't realise it).
I look forward to reading of your progress.
One bit of advice I can give is don't expect girls to be impressed!
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Thanks stickandrudderman.
You're right I am going to be learning from Wycombe.
However instead of learning on a Cessna or Piper for a PPL I am going to be learning with Light Sport Flying Club (LSFC) in a Eurostar EV97.
After much research this aircraft will suit my needs - cheaper to fly per hour than a C152/PA28 & capable of the fun flying I want to do.
I have no interest in getting an instrument rating or going the CPL route.
You're right I am going to be learning from Wycombe.
However instead of learning on a Cessna or Piper for a PPL I am going to be learning with Light Sport Flying Club (LSFC) in a Eurostar EV97.
After much research this aircraft will suit my needs - cheaper to fly per hour than a C152/PA28 & capable of the fun flying I want to do.
I have no interest in getting an instrument rating or going the CPL route.
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Also should have added that other than the type of aircraft another consideration of learning to fly at Wycombe was as stickandrudderman says, the type of airspace over these areas. Also the full ATC that operates at Wycombe can only be a good thing to get used to.
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Signing Up
This morning I woke up to the text I had been hoping for. The confirmation that I could meet the CFI at Wycombe Air Park at 14:00. Then ensued one of the longest mornings in history, tick tock, tick tock. A quick trip into town to buy a new notebook (figured I would be making lots of notes over the next few months) helped the time pass. Eventually it was time to head for the airfield.
Right on time, I headed inside and was warmly greeted by the CFI, Steve. A couple of forms later and I was officially signed up to both Airways Flying Club (for the use of the facilities) and the LSFC. Next it was on to exercises 1&2.
This was a discussion only today as the weather was absolutely awful. We ran through the legalities of the aircraft, looked at the documentation and discussed the standing orders, booking in & out procedure, fuel storage and health and safety rules. We then went through METAR's and TAF's. This is something that I had been looking at for the last few months as and when I got a chance, so I had a bit of an idea what was what.
I was also given (sold) a pack containing loads of information. Checklists, a wipe clean laminated PLOG, a copy of the microlight pilots handbook, the NPPL syllabus and a DVD with files and videos of checklists and procedures. The only thing that wasn't in the pack was a knee board (currently out of stock).
After that it was time to head for home.
Well, currently my head is spinning with loads of information. Checklists to learn & understand (what the hell are T's & P's?) and a book to read.
Well I am now off to go watch the DVD and read the book and see how much of it I still remember in the morning.
Right on time, I headed inside and was warmly greeted by the CFI, Steve. A couple of forms later and I was officially signed up to both Airways Flying Club (for the use of the facilities) and the LSFC. Next it was on to exercises 1&2.
This was a discussion only today as the weather was absolutely awful. We ran through the legalities of the aircraft, looked at the documentation and discussed the standing orders, booking in & out procedure, fuel storage and health and safety rules. We then went through METAR's and TAF's. This is something that I had been looking at for the last few months as and when I got a chance, so I had a bit of an idea what was what.
I was also given (sold) a pack containing loads of information. Checklists, a wipe clean laminated PLOG, a copy of the microlight pilots handbook, the NPPL syllabus and a DVD with files and videos of checklists and procedures. The only thing that wasn't in the pack was a knee board (currently out of stock).
After that it was time to head for home.
Well, currently my head is spinning with loads of information. Checklists to learn & understand (what the hell are T's & P's?) and a book to read.
Well I am now off to go watch the DVD and read the book and see how much of it I still remember in the morning.
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Welcome to the quickest and easiest way to deplete your bank balance Say Cheese
Not sure I would agree with g-dunx about the exams.
I am doing mine as I go along except for the Air Law exam which my school expect to be done at an early stage of training, your school may have similar requirements.
There will be days of joy and days of frustration but flying is a great experience, enjoy it.
Not sure I would agree with g-dunx about the exams.
I am doing mine as I go along except for the Air Law exam which my school expect to be done at an early stage of training, your school may have similar requirements.
There will be days of joy and days of frustration but flying is a great experience, enjoy it.
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Re the exams.
Although its a long long time since I did my PPL exams (CAA not JAR) there was a requirement for Air Law to be passed before being allowed solo. May still be the same requirement under JAR
Although its a long long time since I did my PPL exams (CAA not JAR) there was a requirement for Air Law to be passed before being allowed solo. May still be the same requirement under JAR
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Hello, Cheese! Good school, there, at Wycombe Air Park, and also you will learn to look out for gliders as well as Boeings! As well as handling radio, which can be intimidating. Good idea to buy an airband, and listen to the chatter so as to get used to it; amusing to hear the various accents heading for LHR! and the crisp tones of London Control.
Another good idea is to visit the tower at Wycombe, they should alway be glad to welcome a new pilot; though one must be respectfully silent when they are handling aircraft....
Very good idea to get exams done while it is lousy weather. Good days will come.
By the way, do you have a medical? may as well be sure that is OK at an early stage.
Happy landings!
Mary
Another good idea is to visit the tower at Wycombe, they should alway be glad to welcome a new pilot; though one must be respectfully silent when they are handling aircraft....
Very good idea to get exams done while it is lousy weather. Good days will come.
By the way, do you have a medical? may as well be sure that is OK at an early stage.
Happy landings!
Mary
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Hi Cheese,
If you are going to post each lesson you may be best to start a new threadeach time with the lesson number as this thread will get very long by the timeyou finish. I will be following your progression as probably a few others will& also make it easier to follow & remind people what stage you are upto.
Everybody is different on exams & learn at different paces, i needed todo mine as i went along so i could relate to what i was doing at that time.
You will find your own pace but keep on top of the exams as you don’t wantto get to a point where you can’t fly any more until you catch up.
When i was training for my ppl there were plenty of people who fell for thatas most clubs want passes in air law to solo & also you’re met & navpassed before you can go cross country solo. So try keeping a level balance offlying & reading in proportion.
Good luck don’t be afraid to ask anything asthere is a lot of experianced people on here who will help & guide youalong with your instructor.
You are joining the best club in the world.
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Hi all and thanks for the welcome.
I am not afraid to ask questions if I don't know something. I just have a desire to learn how things work the way they do and if I don't know then I will ask. I am a firm believer that you never stop learning
With reference to the exams, I am not sure if I need to pass Air Law before solo or not. I have my first lesson booked for this Friday (weather dependent, lets all hope for CAVOK!) and will ask then.
In regard of a medical, I can see no reason why I shouldn't get signed off. As it's an NPPL for microlights that I am going for I believe it's a medical that I declare I am fit then get the Dr to sign to say he agrees, rather than he has to examine me. My job also means I have to be pretty fit so that should help.
Having the different categories of airspace around Wycombe was a reason for choosing there, not just that it's my most local airfield. I was also hoping at some point I would be allowed in the tower to see how things work, as hopefully it'll provide a good experience.
On the subject of airband radios, as I just want to listen in, not transmit (no licence so would be illegal), what do people recommend?
Also, I will look at posting different threads for each lesson but thought that it might be easier to keep all info contained in just this one thread?
Thanks all for the advice. Please keep them coming as it's all helpful stuff.
Regards,
I am not afraid to ask questions if I don't know something. I just have a desire to learn how things work the way they do and if I don't know then I will ask. I am a firm believer that you never stop learning
With reference to the exams, I am not sure if I need to pass Air Law before solo or not. I have my first lesson booked for this Friday (weather dependent, lets all hope for CAVOK!) and will ask then.
In regard of a medical, I can see no reason why I shouldn't get signed off. As it's an NPPL for microlights that I am going for I believe it's a medical that I declare I am fit then get the Dr to sign to say he agrees, rather than he has to examine me. My job also means I have to be pretty fit so that should help.
Having the different categories of airspace around Wycombe was a reason for choosing there, not just that it's my most local airfield. I was also hoping at some point I would be allowed in the tower to see how things work, as hopefully it'll provide a good experience.
On the subject of airband radios, as I just want to listen in, not transmit (no licence so would be illegal), what do people recommend?
Also, I will look at posting different threads for each lesson but thought that it might be easier to keep all info contained in just this one thread?
Thanks all for the advice. Please keep them coming as it's all helpful stuff.
Regards,
Wow your first lesson, congratulations and welcome to the aviation fellowship that is PPRUNE! Some pointers:
- Relax! The sensations of flying will feel alien to you, but by relaxing you'll learn better.
- Prepare! Read up as much as you can about the lesson at hand. It will help you understand the concepts your instructor is trying to teach you.
- Debrief! After the flight, write down what you learned, and try to think of elements you didn't quite understand or things you would like to try again and make a point of discussing them with your instructor prior to the next lesson.
- Enjoy! That is what flying is all about!
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All the best with your PPL and with your blog!
This blog helped me greatly when I was doing my PPL (I read all 90 pages or so), so much so that I wrote my own. This helped me even more as it made me review each lesson, the things that went wrong, how I could improve, etc. Believe me there will be bad days as well as good and by no means will you come away feeling great after every lesson
But enjoy it where ever possible!
I didn't continue my blog for the NQ & IMCR, not sure if anyone has done this?
Haha my experience was/is that (some) girls are impressed! I was very surprised at this (I consider it an unexpected bonus ) and certainly didn't do a PPL for that reason
This blog helped me greatly when I was doing my PPL (I read all 90 pages or so), so much so that I wrote my own. This helped me even more as it made me review each lesson, the things that went wrong, how I could improve, etc. Believe me there will be bad days as well as good and by no means will you come away feeling great after every lesson
But enjoy it where ever possible!
I didn't continue my blog for the NQ & IMCR, not sure if anyone has done this?
One bit of advice I can give is don't expect girls to be impressed!
) and certainly didn't do a PPL for that reason
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Say Cheese, regarding that question of the medical, it may surprise you that your friendly family GP suddenly gets all coy when you ask him/her to sign a statement that you are fit to fly an aeroplane! If you havn't seen your doctor in three or four years, would you really expect him to sign such a blank check without at least checking your blood pressure?
Truly, doesn't hurt to have this box ticked before you spend big bucks on aviation training.
Truly, doesn't hurt to have this box ticked before you spend big bucks on aviation training.
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Welcome to the best (if arguably!) the most expensive hobby in the world!
I wish i had kept a PPL diary now, but more than over half way through training its not really worth starting. As I always say, the instructor in my view is the key. Find a good 'un and you'll love your flying. You'll have days where you want to forget all about this idea of being a pilot, and other days when you feel like Top Gun! A good club is also beneficial...nothing better than stepping out of the aircraft to refuel and finding a row of friendly faces asking you how your flight went!
Above all, enjoy it, you obviously have oodles of enthusiasm and that, adn (hopefully) the faith which your instructor has in you will get you through any sticky patches and make you feel 10feet high in the (Many) good patches.
Good Luck!
GQ
I wish i had kept a PPL diary now, but more than over half way through training its not really worth starting. As I always say, the instructor in my view is the key. Find a good 'un and you'll love your flying. You'll have days where you want to forget all about this idea of being a pilot, and other days when you feel like Top Gun! A good club is also beneficial...nothing better than stepping out of the aircraft to refuel and finding a row of friendly faces asking you how your flight went!
Above all, enjoy it, you obviously have oodles of enthusiasm and that, adn (hopefully) the faith which your instructor has in you will get you through any sticky patches and make you feel 10feet high in the (Many) good patches.
Good Luck!
GQ
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Enjoy the start of the never ending learning that is flying!
RE airband radios- technically its illegal to listen in on transmissions in the UK but it doesn't bother anyone and every spotter is doing it. No one will come after you unless you start posting recordings online.
I understand you get what you pay for. Digital is better than analogue as frequencies can be very close together so with analogue it can be hard to stay on one specific one. The more specific ones (so airband only) are better as the aerial will be designed for airband, rather than a much large frequency range.
My school has a CD containing all the normal phrases which helped me alot so worth an ask as yours. Also see CAP 413 Radiotelephony Supplement 3: A Reference Guide to UK Radiotelephony Phraseology for General Aviation Pilots | Publications | About the CAA which includes examples of the standard phrases.
RE airband radios- technically its illegal to listen in on transmissions in the UK but it doesn't bother anyone and every spotter is doing it. No one will come after you unless you start posting recordings online.
I understand you get what you pay for. Digital is better than analogue as frequencies can be very close together so with analogue it can be hard to stay on one specific one. The more specific ones (so airband only) are better as the aerial will be designed for airband, rather than a much large frequency range.
My school has a CD containing all the normal phrases which helped me alot so worth an ask as yours. Also see CAP 413 Radiotelephony Supplement 3: A Reference Guide to UK Radiotelephony Phraseology for General Aviation Pilots | Publications | About the CAA which includes examples of the standard phrases.
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Bernoulli and his principle!
Well, a few days have passed since the last post and I've been using that time wisely.
Firstly, I've signed up or the free Met Office aviation weather service. This I've found pretty useful as I've been able to sit and decode TAF's and METAR's and get used to reading aviation weather. Also, it appears to be an awful lot more accurate than what gets broadcast on the news!
Secondly I've been reading the Microlight Pilots Handbook. This is the book I was sold and it seems pretty in depth. However the first chapter on the first two read throughs confused the life out of me. I always thought that lift on a plane was generated by air going under the wing. Now while this appears to be correct in part the bit that threw me and I just couldn't seem to grasp was that you need air to travel over the top of the wing too.
My theory was that any air travelling over the top of a wing would provide pressure on the wing and thus create weight that the air underneath would have to exceed to generate lift.
I now know I'm wrong. What I hadn't banked on was Bernoulli's principle, and boy did it take some understanding. Apparently this is why I didn't do Physics at school. However with much thought, reasoning and communication with a pilot (via my mum as she happens to work with one) I now pretty much understand it. Phew!
The next hurdle however is drag. I assumed that drag was just drag. But again oh no, there are according to the book 2 types. Induced and Parasite. Looks like I've some more reading to do yet as I still don't quite understand it all.
I never thought that this would be an easy ride but I didn't think the theory would be this hard. All this and I haven't even taken off for the first lesson yet!!
Talking of lessons, the weather is looking good for Friday at the moment so I should hopefully get up in the air. I did text the instructor yesterday and confirm which syllabus exercise I'd be covering so I could read up before hand. I've read the info and it's just made me even more keen to go flying.
Is it always this addictive??
Firstly, I've signed up or the free Met Office aviation weather service. This I've found pretty useful as I've been able to sit and decode TAF's and METAR's and get used to reading aviation weather. Also, it appears to be an awful lot more accurate than what gets broadcast on the news!
Secondly I've been reading the Microlight Pilots Handbook. This is the book I was sold and it seems pretty in depth. However the first chapter on the first two read throughs confused the life out of me. I always thought that lift on a plane was generated by air going under the wing. Now while this appears to be correct in part the bit that threw me and I just couldn't seem to grasp was that you need air to travel over the top of the wing too.
My theory was that any air travelling over the top of a wing would provide pressure on the wing and thus create weight that the air underneath would have to exceed to generate lift.
I now know I'm wrong. What I hadn't banked on was Bernoulli's principle, and boy did it take some understanding. Apparently this is why I didn't do Physics at school. However with much thought, reasoning and communication with a pilot (via my mum as she happens to work with one) I now pretty much understand it. Phew!
The next hurdle however is drag. I assumed that drag was just drag. But again oh no, there are according to the book 2 types. Induced and Parasite. Looks like I've some more reading to do yet as I still don't quite understand it all.
I never thought that this would be an easy ride but I didn't think the theory would be this hard. All this and I haven't even taken off for the first lesson yet!!
Talking of lessons, the weather is looking good for Friday at the moment so I should hopefully get up in the air. I did text the instructor yesterday and confirm which syllabus exercise I'd be covering so I could read up before hand. I've read the info and it's just made me even more keen to go flying.
Is it always this addictive??