Aerobatic Training?

[PPLvirgin]

hi all,

I want to do some aerobatic training - anyone know of a school thats near Nottingham?
Also I know the Extra's are probably the best all round planes but cant seem to find a school or somewhere that has an extra to hire in Nottinghamshire?

Regards

Tris

[Gene Genie]

Wickenby (Lincoln) have a very active aerobatic community. I suggest you give them a call on 01673 885000. It's also a nice place to fly.

[Chilli Monster]

Nearest in an Extra is probably Cambridge. You can do an Aero's course at Leicester, but in the Firefly - still a reasonable aerobatics machine.

[PPLvirgin]

Just tried searching wickenby, doesnt seem much upto date news.
Yeah, i saw the extra down at cambridge... Bit of a trek though which is a bot of a problem.

Thanks for the tips guys

[18greens]

A Bulldog or a Pitts are fine to do the basics in and loads cheaper than an extra.

[PAPI-74]

Cambridge has the best airspace, aircraft and instructors. I would pop in!

[fwjc]

I did an Aerobatics course at Leicester on the C152. That sounds like a rubbish aeroplane to use, and it is. But it also teaches you to really fly the aeroplane rather than relying on power to fix things. It makes aeros in anything more aerobatic much easier. It has certainly served me well.
Dave Biddles is an excellent aeros instructor in any aeroplane (C152, Slingsby or anything else you send his way). He really does know how to coax the best out of n aeroplane and pilot, plus he's bloody good fun to fly with.

[LowNSlow]

Little Gransden is a 2 hour hike by road from Nottingham but they do have a variety of aircraft for hire like an Extra, Pitts, Yak etc.

[BackPacker]

I fully agree that for a novice, an Extra 300 or such is not necessary at all to learn aerobatics. You can learn the basics, and even enjoy competitions up to Standard level, in a Robin R2160, GeneralAvia F22, Slingsby Firefly, Fuji FA-200, Bulldog, CAP-10 or similar aircraft. As long as the aircraft is certified for +6 to -3G and preferably cleared for (positive) flicks, you're going to be fine for the first few years. An inverted flight system is not required either: All maneuvers up to Standard level have very limited inverted segments, and during these segments you can just be a glider.

Flying an Extra 300 is an extreme thrill, but realistically you'll be paying between two and three times more than a basic aerobatics trainer per hour. Sure, that's partially offset by the shorter transition time from the airfield to the practice area, but you won't learn your maneuvers faster, or develop G-tolerance quicker.

And, like others said, by flying in a relatively low-powered aircraft you'll hit the limits of that aircraft earlier. You have to sort things out by using (and thus, acquiring) superior flying skills, instead of having the luxury to sort things out with power.

[foxmoth]

I would back what Backpacker has said, learn on an aircraft from his list and you should have no problem progressing onto Extra etc later (as far as the aeros go - flying it generally you might need a bit of conversion), if you learn on something like the Extra you will get a bit of a shock if you then end up flying a less capable aircraft. Personally I would try and steer clear of the Cessnas though, they are really only basic trainers that are aerobatic rather than trainers that have been designed for aeros at the start. Enjoy.

[jez d]

Flight training school Aeros have opened a base at Notts 'Tollerton' Airfield. They offer aerobatic courses but not sure what aircraft they use:

Aerobatic Training |

[foxmoth]

From their website

For thrillseekers! Whether you want to enjoy an Aerobatic flying lesson gift or train as an Aerobatic pilot, Xtreme Aeros is for you.
We have a fully aerobatic aircraft, the Robin 2160i for those who do not wish to fly straight and level all the time. A perfect gift for someone special: an exhilarating experience with loops, rolls and turns!

I do not think I would describe aeros in the Robin as Xtreme, but a good one to learn the basics in

[BackPacker]

Agree that, by most standards, aeros in the R2160 cannot be called extreme. However, I've had some passengers where even LAROSA was too much, and I had to cut the sortie short.

So far I have not yet have to mop out the aircraft, fortunately. But there was this one guy (ex-navy pilot, commercial pilot and sort-of my manager) who didn't want to call it a day when he'd had enough, because of some weird form of pride. He spent about two hours sitting in a corner afterwards, white as a sheet, before he was able to function normally again.

(LAROSA: Loops And Rolls On Sunday Afternoon)

[squawking 7700]

Relatively close to Nottingham there's a Decathlon at Tatenhill which again is a good aerobatic (and tailwheel) training aircraft - Tatenhill Aviation.
There's a Firefly at Gamston - Gamston Flying School with a couple of ex-Barkston instructors available.
Phoenix Flying School at Netherthorpe have Cessna 130hp Aerobats.
And there's Leicester Aero Club where I did my CRI course with........as mentioned above, Dave Biddles.


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