PPL In Central Scotland in October/November??
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PPL In Central Scotland in October/November??
Hi Folks, if you have seen some of my previous posts, i was originally planning to go for my PPL in the Summer of 2015, and i was intending to go abroad to do an intensive course.
However, i've just quit my job! Wayhay! And i could potentially have 4-5 weeks off before i start at my new position.
So this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a decent amount of time off and go for my PPL. It would need to be in central Scotland though. (I currently live in Glasgow). So probably Cumbernauld or Prestwick.
Ideally, i'd be looking to go somewhere where i could really do an "intensive" course. Though i know there's probably no chance of completing my PPL in the time frame, i'd at least like to maximise the time to get as many hours as possible.
The question is, is there any point at this time of year? Will the weather totally scupper my plans?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
However, i've just quit my job! Wayhay! And i could potentially have 4-5 weeks off before i start at my new position.
So this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity to get a decent amount of time off and go for my PPL. It would need to be in central Scotland though. (I currently live in Glasgow). So probably Cumbernauld or Prestwick.
Ideally, i'd be looking to go somewhere where i could really do an "intensive" course. Though i know there's probably no chance of completing my PPL in the time frame, i'd at least like to maximise the time to get as many hours as possible.
The question is, is there any point at this time of year? Will the weather totally scupper my plans?
Any thoughts greatly appreciated!
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Clocks change towards end of month. After that, we have lessons booked in at 10am and 1 pm. Maybe also squeeze in a trial flight. (10am start to allow defrosting aircraft)
Since you have min of 45 hours to do in four to five weeks, that's two hours Flying a day - every day.
You can't do that at this time of year, no daylight to be able to catch up on lost days like today.
And have you seen next weeks forecast!
Since you have min of 45 hours to do in four to five weeks, that's two hours Flying a day - every day.
You can't do that at this time of year, no daylight to be able to catch up on lost days like today.
And have you seen next weeks forecast!
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Cheers, so bit of a no go really?
Another option would be to spend this time getting my theory exams out of the way to speed things up for when i do go for my PPL.
Do you know anything about these guys?
Elite Groundschool Training home page - Elite Groundschool Training, The fast way of passing all your PPL gound exams
Another option would be to spend this time getting my theory exams out of the way to speed things up for when i do go for my PPL.
Do you know anything about these guys?
Elite Groundschool Training home page - Elite Groundschool Training, The fast way of passing all your PPL gound exams
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Amblikai, My experience is that the learning was part of the fun- it is not just a 'tick-box exercise'. Ok, I slightly lied- I found the bookwork hard work, but putting what I had learnt from the books into practice was fun. Of course I had really good instructors too 
Why do you think its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? It doesn't have to be an intensive course. I did mine over 10 or so months, which was often enough that I didn't have to re-learn what I had learnt in the last lesson, but not too frequent that it seemed like a chore.
Good luck, however you decide to do it
Why do you think its a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? It doesn't have to be an intensive course. I did mine over 10 or so months, which was often enough that I didn't have to re-learn what I had learnt in the last lesson, but not too frequent that it seemed like a chore.
Good luck, however you decide to do it
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I don't think doing it in a rush is a good idea either. The reason, I was told, is that if you take a year to do it you get to fly in most seasonal weather conditions. You could go to a sunny place and bash it out in a fortnight, then the first time you fly in the UK get hit with a rain squall & wonder what the hell is going on!
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What i meant by it being a once in a lifetime opportunity is that, the job that i do often is really unpredictable in terms of what free time i have. Learning by doing the odd lesson here or there, coupled with the unpredictability of the weather and not being able to commit to lessons until very short notice, could mean i'd take years to get my license. While you'd come out of this apporach with a "high hours" PPL. I don't necessarily think it's going to make you a better Pilot, since you'd spend most of your time relearning things which had been forgotten!
I don't necessarily have a problem with taking time to get the PPL, i also don't think that getting your license is a "check box" event but there is absolutely an incentive sometimes towards regular and consistent training, and unfortunately that's a difficult thing for me to commit to without some sort of "intensive" training.
I don't necessarily have a problem with taking time to get the PPL, i also don't think that getting your license is a "check box" event but there is absolutely an incentive sometimes towards regular and consistent training, and unfortunately that's a difficult thing for me to commit to without some sort of "intensive" training.
I did my CPL in Scotland, looking back through the logbook about 30hrs flying in Oct/Nov, that was with lots of ground school/exams taking up time, so it is possible.
You get a good mix of “educational” weather up north but it seemed less common to get total non-flying days compared with similar places in England, for instance. Cloudbase and visibility are the two main problems with learning to fly and the western side of Scotland is normally OK with both, even during the winter. It can get pretty windy but that’s helped if you have a choice of runways.
Even at the end of November, you’ve still got >7hrs of daylight to play with. You get snow on the hills but very rarely at sea level.
As you say, the odds are somewhat against you to complete the entire syllabus in a 4-5week period in Scotland but you never know. It is very much my opinion that intensive instruction/practice is pretty much the best way to learn anything and getting a good blast of continuity will set you up much better than to attempt to do it piecemeal over a much longer period of time. Also, Scotland is a fantastic place to go flying as the sky changes hourly and the scenery is amazing.
If you have the time and the money (which rarely coincide for most people) why not give it a go?
You get a good mix of “educational” weather up north but it seemed less common to get total non-flying days compared with similar places in England, for instance. Cloudbase and visibility are the two main problems with learning to fly and the western side of Scotland is normally OK with both, even during the winter. It can get pretty windy but that’s helped if you have a choice of runways.
Even at the end of November, you’ve still got >7hrs of daylight to play with. You get snow on the hills but very rarely at sea level.
As you say, the odds are somewhat against you to complete the entire syllabus in a 4-5week period in Scotland but you never know. It is very much my opinion that intensive instruction/practice is pretty much the best way to learn anything and getting a good blast of continuity will set you up much better than to attempt to do it piecemeal over a much longer period of time. Also, Scotland is a fantastic place to go flying as the sky changes hourly and the scenery is amazing.
If you have the time and the money (which rarely coincide for most people) why not give it a go?
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Thanks, i had similar thoughts. Do you recommend anywhere to learn since you have been through training in Scotland?
Also, with regards to the cloudbase, i've always wondered how that is measured. I have real difficulty judging it by looking at the clouds!
Also, with regards to the cloudbase, i've always wondered how that is measured. I have real difficulty judging it by looking at the clouds!
I’m way out of date to recommend anywhere as I did the course sometime back in the last millennium! The weather doesn’t seem to have changed much, though.
As far as measuring cloud base, posh airfields have one of these but if you need to do it manually you can use a combination of experience, guesswork and 400x the difference between the temperature and the dew point, if the air is well mixed up.
Cloud ceiling, which is the legal definition of the height of cloud above an aerodrome, is the height of the lowest layer of cloud that covers more than half the sky.
As far as measuring cloud base, posh airfields have one of these but if you need to do it manually you can use a combination of experience, guesswork and 400x the difference between the temperature and the dew point, if the air is well mixed up.
Cloud ceiling, which is the legal definition of the height of cloud above an aerodrome, is the height of the lowest layer of cloud that covers more than half the sky.
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FullWings,
Some things may have changed a little since you were doing your CPL in Scotland......
Only Prestwick has a cross-wind runway.
And the weather?
Well, this time of year we always get the tail-end of the hurricanes from Florida etc. So I would challenge your:
"Cloudbase and visibility are the two main problems with learning to fly and the western side of Scotland is normally OK with both, even during the winter. It can get pretty windy but that’s helped if you have a choice of runways."
To be frank - although we are grass and have three runways! - I would suggest that Fife (Glenrothes) with one runway, but on the better weather east, or Perth, with three runways and pretty cheap accommodation in the Skylodge, might be the best bets if the aim to i get the maximum flying in in Oct Nov.
Yes, there may be seven daylight hours in the day. But in my experience if you try and fly more than two a day your brain gets fried! And you really want a little time between lessons to let it all sink in.
Just my tuppence worth!
ps. Intensive ground school? Ha! Just go to pirate bay and your gets the exam papers! (or else learn the subject properly, in tandem with lessons).
Some things may have changed a little since you were doing your CPL in Scotland......
Only Prestwick has a cross-wind runway.
And the weather?
Well, this time of year we always get the tail-end of the hurricanes from Florida etc. So I would challenge your:
"Cloudbase and visibility are the two main problems with learning to fly and the western side of Scotland is normally OK with both, even during the winter. It can get pretty windy but that’s helped if you have a choice of runways."
To be frank - although we are grass and have three runways! - I would suggest that Fife (Glenrothes) with one runway, but on the better weather east, or Perth, with three runways and pretty cheap accommodation in the Skylodge, might be the best bets if the aim to i get the maximum flying in in Oct Nov.
Yes, there may be seven daylight hours in the day. But in my experience if you try and fly more than two a day your brain gets fried! And you really want a little time between lessons to let it all sink in.
Just my tuppence worth!
ps. Intensive ground school? Ha! Just go to pirate bay and your gets the exam papers! (or else learn the subject properly, in tandem with lessons).
Hi xrayalpha,
I still stand by my assertion about the west coast weather - Prestwick has a pretty good record for VFR days as it’s 800’ lower than Strathaven and the orographic cloud forms inland of the airfield. Having cross runways helps a lot with wind components.
Perth/Dundee/Fife, etc. are great but have issues with the Haar creeping in from the sea in easterlies, which can happen for extended periods.
I still stand by my assertion about the west coast weather - Prestwick has a pretty good record for VFR days as it’s 800’ lower than Strathaven and the orographic cloud forms inland of the airfield. Having cross runways helps a lot with wind components.
Perth/Dundee/Fife, etc. are great but have issues with the Haar creeping in from the sea in easterlies, which can happen for extended periods.
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Inverness has cross runways and a good reputation for micro climate. Also has ATC without significant traffic.
Staying away from home and close to the airfield I would argue is an advantage.
Might be worth checking out.
BB
Staying away from home and close to the airfield I would argue is an advantage.
Might be worth checking out.
BB
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Perth/Dundee/Fife, etc. are great but have issues with the Haar creeping in from the sea in easterlies, which can happen for extended periods.
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Haar today, not gone tomorrow...
You are right, Piperboy 84 - the haar mainly affects Dundee, driven in from Barry at the mouth of the Tay. The foghorn there is known as the “Barry coo” (as in cow)….
And one set in, it can linger
And one set in, it can linger
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Prestwick Flying Club would do its best (who I fly with) but they don't have any full time instructors. However they are (I suggest) the most experienced, including an ex RAF test pilot and a current BA captain. Worth having a chat to see what's possible. If you can get instructor availability you wont be disappointed! Don't be put off if you can't get someone on the phone - it is a club rather than a profit making school but voice messages are checked (and a phone back will depend on BA shift patterns). There is good availability with our "new" Robin which I enjoy flying.
A perhaps better bet would be Prestwick Flight Centre who have (I believe) one full time and a number of part time instructors.
Prestwick pretty much never fogs in and there is a cross runway, meaning you can fly in more wind conditions. As its runway is pretty much at sea level (and the runways are huge), cloud base is less of an issue.
If you are unlucky there will be a series of low pressure systems that come through just as you start which keeps you on the ground (no fun to fly in rain). However if you sign up for lessons and are flexible to go whenever the weather is good, you should still be able to get well through the course, and grounded instructors will be happy to have chats on theory you have difficulty with (at Prestwick Flying Club, almost certainly without charge).
ACS are now doing training from Glasgow but that means you take off from Glasgow, then fly to Cumbernauld or Prestwick to do circuits, which to me would waste a bit of time and probably cost more. Cumbernauld is a great place but I know there have been times that I haven't been able to fly in due to cloud (as it is higher up) when Prestwick has been fine.
If you're Glasgow based, you really don't want to be travelling to Perth or Fife on a regular basis to fly. You'd spend much more time on the road than in an aircraft.
My theory - if you don't get signed up with a club / school, you'll certainly stay on the ground!
A perhaps better bet would be Prestwick Flight Centre who have (I believe) one full time and a number of part time instructors.
Prestwick pretty much never fogs in and there is a cross runway, meaning you can fly in more wind conditions. As its runway is pretty much at sea level (and the runways are huge), cloud base is less of an issue.
If you are unlucky there will be a series of low pressure systems that come through just as you start which keeps you on the ground (no fun to fly in rain). However if you sign up for lessons and are flexible to go whenever the weather is good, you should still be able to get well through the course, and grounded instructors will be happy to have chats on theory you have difficulty with (at Prestwick Flying Club, almost certainly without charge).
ACS are now doing training from Glasgow but that means you take off from Glasgow, then fly to Cumbernauld or Prestwick to do circuits, which to me would waste a bit of time and probably cost more. Cumbernauld is a great place but I know there have been times that I haven't been able to fly in due to cloud (as it is higher up) when Prestwick has been fine.
If you're Glasgow based, you really don't want to be travelling to Perth or Fife on a regular basis to fly. You'd spend much more time on the road than in an aircraft.
My theory - if you don't get signed up with a club / school, you'll certainly stay on the ground!
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I'd agree with going to Prestwick.
I've seen Haar in Perth many times. And on the question of frost, make sure you get this issue addressed before you start at a school. it's unreasonable to expect them to de ice-it costs a fortune. But hangarage will prevent delays.
Get the exams done before you quit your job. Then it will be achievable. If you waste time on exams it won't happen.
I've seen Haar in Perth many times. And on the question of frost, make sure you get this issue addressed before you start at a school. it's unreasonable to expect them to de ice-it costs a fortune. But hangarage will prevent delays.
Get the exams done before you quit your job. Then it will be achievable. If you waste time on exams it won't happen.
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Why not Glasgow?
Amblikai,
Why not do it at Glasgow International?
Open 24/7.
Full time instructors.
Possible to schedule your flights in advance; if you are available full-time and are competent enough you will get it done.
Why not do it at Glasgow International?
Open 24/7.
Full time instructors.
Possible to schedule your flights in advance; if you are available full-time and are competent enough you will get it done.