UK PPL Lessons- how much do you pay?
Join Date: May 2001
Location: 75N 16E
Age: 54
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You'll be fine! To be honest its better to jump in the deep end than to avoid it, at least then you'll be able to handle anything you encounter.
I learnt at Long Beach, 5 runways, 3 actives, Clearance, 2 ground freqs, 2 tower freqs, american controllers talkingatthespeedoflight, blah de blah. I'm glad I did, and although it was quite nerve wracking to start with, you soon get used to it. Besides, most of the traffic at EGHH are training flights, the odd turbo prop, Falcon or Ryanair flight, and as a lot of the ATCO's are trainees, you're all in the same boat together. You should have heard it the other day, people talking over each other, people not responding to the tower, the tower lady getting stressed, people taxying the wrong way, people not reading back clearances....I had to chuckle....then I started talking with the wrong comm box selected, to ground, which wasn't in fact in use that day, but transmitting on the tower freq....still Tower Lady was very understanding !
Cheers
EA
I learnt at Long Beach, 5 runways, 3 actives, Clearance, 2 ground freqs, 2 tower freqs, american controllers talkingatthespeedoflight, blah de blah. I'm glad I did, and although it was quite nerve wracking to start with, you soon get used to it. Besides, most of the traffic at EGHH are training flights, the odd turbo prop, Falcon or Ryanair flight, and as a lot of the ATCO's are trainees, you're all in the same boat together. You should have heard it the other day, people talking over each other, people not responding to the tower, the tower lady getting stressed, people taxying the wrong way, people not reading back clearances....I had to chuckle....then I started talking with the wrong comm box selected, to ground, which wasn't in fact in use that day, but transmitting on the tower freq....still Tower Lady was very understanding !
Cheers
EA
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Paros, Greece
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Sorry, but it would break my heart to pay that much knowing how much cheaper it can be elsewhere in the UK, let alone abroad.
I know things are more expensive down South but does that need to be the case? Does it REALLY cost that much more to run the school/maintain the aricraft? You are paying about 80% more than me. I bet someone is just making a bigger profit on the back of it being 'South of Watford'.
I pay similar to camaro and train justa few miles up the A1 from him. Pa28 is £96 and C150 is about £84 all in. If the circuit is quiet I can usually do 9 circuits in an hour - at this stage in training it's this intensity that seems to help. I do miss not having the ATC and variation in traffic though, but that can come later.
I know it's probably not an option for you to travel up here, for say, a weekend and do five or six hours at once, but factoring in costs, you'd save about £250 each trip! (Yes, we have a B&B nearby for £22 - and they'll run you to the airfiled when not busy).
Just a thought. I know what I'd do...
I know things are more expensive down South but does that need to be the case? Does it REALLY cost that much more to run the school/maintain the aricraft? You are paying about 80% more than me. I bet someone is just making a bigger profit on the back of it being 'South of Watford'.
I pay similar to camaro and train justa few miles up the A1 from him. Pa28 is £96 and C150 is about £84 all in. If the circuit is quiet I can usually do 9 circuits in an hour - at this stage in training it's this intensity that seems to help. I do miss not having the ATC and variation in traffic though, but that can come later.
I know it's probably not an option for you to travel up here, for say, a weekend and do five or six hours at once, but factoring in costs, you'd save about £250 each trip! (Yes, we have a B&B nearby for £22 - and they'll run you to the airfiled when not busy).
Just a thought. I know what I'd do...
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Coventry, UK
Age: 39
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Currently pay £90 p/h all in, C152 at a reasonably busy "international" airport with not much commerical operations at weekends. Was £85 p/h but recently gone up. No additional landing fees when in the circuit or anything, just the same cost whatever we do. I think its perfectly reasonable, there no profit made as such, and its a nice place to fly away from!!! 
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Hampshire,UK
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I fly from Bournemouth and would agree with the comments earlier - £139 ph all in for a PA28 at BFC - C150/152 is less but I am not sure how much - it used to be about £25 cheaper than the PA28.
Also the rates quoted are per hour and pay as you fly - no having to put money down in advance and on the whole I have only rarely had to orbit for any length of time whilst in the circuit.
Check the BFC website for some up to date details.
Rgds
TZ
Also the rates quoted are per hour and pay as you fly - no having to put money down in advance and on the whole I have only rarely had to orbit for any length of time whilst in the circuit.
Check the BFC website for some up to date details.
Rgds
TZ
Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: North Weald, UK
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What is never pointed out is the differing methods used for calculating price.
One club I flew with used to factor the tacho hours, 0.9 was the standard, rising up to 1.1 & 1.2. The published rate was (I think), 0.9 x tacho. The incentive here was to fly with as few revs as possible.
Another charged a flat brakes off- brakes on, which is find when the hold for the active runway was next to the club, but a pain when you had to taxi for 10 minutes. However, they would knock off 5 mins or so if there was a long wait. The incentive here was to fly as fast as possible.
Does anyone else know of any other creative accounting practices?
One club I flew with used to factor the tacho hours, 0.9 was the standard, rising up to 1.1 & 1.2. The published rate was (I think), 0.9 x tacho. The incentive here was to fly with as few revs as possible.
Another charged a flat brakes off- brakes on, which is find when the hold for the active runway was next to the club, but a pain when you had to taxi for 10 minutes. However, they would knock off 5 mins or so if there was a long wait. The incentive here was to fly as fast as possible.
Does anyone else know of any other creative accounting practices?
