Exhilarating flying vacations
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Exhilarating flying vacations
Can anyone suggest somewhere to take a week's holiday to experience some exhilarating flying and preferably training at the same time? After the high of getting my PPL and freedom associated with flying in the US. I found weekend flying in the south east of England sapped all the enthusiasm I had for flying. So much so that I've now not flown fixed wing for a few years and switched to embarking on my PPL(H). Which although enthralling and challenging is ruinously expensive and I don't want to give up on flying planes.
From Google I've come across bush flying in SA Bush Air - Advanced Bush and Mountain / Backcountry Flying Training.
And seaplane training in Canada such as
Ocean Air Floatplanes - Floatplane / Seaplane Charters, Tours and Training
Would really appreciate any other suggestions from forum members that they have experienced, heard about or even dreamt about.
From Google I've come across bush flying in SA Bush Air - Advanced Bush and Mountain / Backcountry Flying Training.
And seaplane training in Canada such as
Ocean Air Floatplanes - Floatplane / Seaplane Charters, Tours and Training
Would really appreciate any other suggestions from forum members that they have experienced, heard about or even dreamt about.
LS,
I can thoroughly recommend float-flying on the west coast. Ocean Air looks like an interesting operation and YYJ is a great place to base your training. If you do go for floats, make sure that they take you to Widgeon Lake, northeast of Vancouver. You would have the experience of flying through Vancouver International's zone , through Harbour Tower's zone over downtown Vancouver and then operating on a one-way in, one-way out mountain lake.
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...es-abroad.html
An important point to note is that in Canada, unlike the US, you must do some solo flying, in order to get the rating.
Another suggestion based on my experience this year, is to rent an aircraft for a week from somewhere in the mid-west and fly to Oshkosh Air Venture and camp under the wing. An amazing experience, but to be honest, for a first-timer, it's a good idea to fly with someone who has been there before. Watching the videos is one thing, but experiencing the Fisk Arrival for yourself, is an eye-opener.
I flew from Calgary and this was my first long cross-country experience in the US. The trip was just as much an adventure as being at Oshkosh. Lots of little airports with friendly people, self-service fuel, courtesy cars to drive into town to eat. It is interesting to note that apart from calling Great Falls Radio to get our border-crossing squawk code, we need not have talked to anybody at all during our 1100 nm flight, although of course we had to listen to ATC when arriving at Oshkosh.
I can thoroughly recommend float-flying on the west coast. Ocean Air looks like an interesting operation and YYJ is a great place to base your training. If you do go for floats, make sure that they take you to Widgeon Lake, northeast of Vancouver. You would have the experience of flying through Vancouver International's zone , through Harbour Tower's zone over downtown Vancouver and then operating on a one-way in, one-way out mountain lake.
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...es-abroad.html
An important point to note is that in Canada, unlike the US, you must do some solo flying, in order to get the rating.
Another suggestion based on my experience this year, is to rent an aircraft for a week from somewhere in the mid-west and fly to Oshkosh Air Venture and camp under the wing. An amazing experience, but to be honest, for a first-timer, it's a good idea to fly with someone who has been there before. Watching the videos is one thing, but experiencing the Fisk Arrival for yourself, is an eye-opener.
I flew from Calgary and this was my first long cross-country experience in the US. The trip was just as much an adventure as being at Oshkosh. Lots of little airports with friendly people, self-service fuel, courtesy cars to drive into town to eat. It is interesting to note that apart from calling Great Falls Radio to get our border-crossing squawk code, we need not have talked to anybody at all during our 1100 nm flight, although of course we had to listen to ATC when arriving at Oshkosh.
Consider learning mountain flying, in France or in Germany or perhaps even in Italy or Northern Spain. One-way in one-way out is all the more exciting on a (pronounced) slope!
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London Seagull, welcome! I have posted a number of photos of flying around Canada in this forum:
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...te-flying.html
Pretty well anywhere in Canada can offer its own character in flying opportunities, though the far north is a long way, and hard to get to for infrequent availability of gasoline.
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...te-flying.html
Pretty well anywhere in Canada can offer its own character in flying opportunities, though the far north is a long way, and hard to get to for infrequent availability of gasoline.
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Why was Southeast England so bad?
Can't help but wonder if you were frustrated by weather? If so, rather than spend fortunes long distance, why not do your IMC (IR (R)) in near continent? I did mine in Portugal and it even involved cross country to Gibraltar - which was cool. Don't know if anyone training there still, but notice Spain and France in Pilot magazine. Then you can more reliably fly in UK.
Or if it's just boring destinations that get you, why not try some competitive flying. With a basic PPL, the British Precision Pilots Association will welcome you into their Sportsman Class and you can learn new skills - and maybe even represent GB in precision or rally competitions. If you need info, PM me.
Or if it's just boring destinations that get you, why not try some competitive flying. With a basic PPL, the British Precision Pilots Association will welcome you into their Sportsman Class and you can learn new skills - and maybe even represent GB in precision or rally competitions. If you need info, PM me.
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Have you tried aeros? Whilst they look expensive, probably no more PH for something decent than helicopters but most flight will probably be shorter so actually cheaper and both exciting and challenging.
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Thanks for the responses. Seems doing some seaplane training in Canada (or Scotland) highly recommended. Mountain flying also appealing. Both exciting prospects.
To foxmoth sorry what do you mean by aeros? Aerobatics?
As to flying in SE England, it's less the weather and more the sameness and focus on airspace infringement and radio work over "flying". It's a long way from the few hours I've done in Botswana and SA where it's a little more "seat of the pants" for use of a different phrase. I did try some instrument training on a SR20 and it was fascinating. Also tried aerobatics, felt sick. I loved gyros. Microlights petrified me if only because with flexwings controls forward and back are reversed. Helicopters have that feeling but as I said ruinous.
Has anyone heard of any training in Africa? Wife's approved one week annual trips (I suspect she figures preferable to alternative mid life crisis options) so re-enthusied where I could do some flying combined preferably with some training
To foxmoth sorry what do you mean by aeros? Aerobatics?
As to flying in SE England, it's less the weather and more the sameness and focus on airspace infringement and radio work over "flying". It's a long way from the few hours I've done in Botswana and SA where it's a little more "seat of the pants" for use of a different phrase. I did try some instrument training on a SR20 and it was fascinating. Also tried aerobatics, felt sick. I loved gyros. Microlights petrified me if only because with flexwings controls forward and back are reversed. Helicopters have that feeling but as I said ruinous.
Has anyone heard of any training in Africa? Wife's approved one week annual trips (I suspect she figures preferable to alternative mid life crisis options) so re-enthusied where I could do some flying combined preferably with some training
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Canada offers a happy combination of enough airports to make a cross country flight reasonable, but very little "airspace". I have flown trips of more than a thousand miles with no comm at all. Planning can be required on some routes to go around some controlled airspace, but it's hardly a problem. One of my planes did not have a comm for years and it really was not a problem.
If you're flying floats, there are tens of thousands of places to land, but, renting a plane to do that is not so easy - insurance requirements restrict where rental floatplanes can be taken by low experience pilots.
Weather is Canada requires some understanding, there is all kinds, and it follows regional patterns. But, I find that wherever I fly, you have to get to know the regional weather.
If you're flying floats, there are tens of thousands of places to land, but, renting a plane to do that is not so easy - insurance requirements restrict where rental floatplanes can be taken by low experience pilots.
Weather is Canada requires some understanding, there is all kinds, and it follows regional patterns. But, I find that wherever I fly, you have to get to know the regional weather.
Also tried aerobatics, felt sick.
I agree with everything ST said. Two advantages of Canada over the US are is there is no TSA nonsense associated with flying-training and you get more dollars for your pounds.
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Seagull -
I had a lot of fun doing some float training with Ocean Air. In fact I loved the region so much I want to move to BC!
Recommended with one caveat - make sure you book all the lessons you think you'll need plus a bunch for bad weather in advance. Ocean Air is essentially a VERY popular one-man airline and the chap books up with great rapidity. I didn't expect this so it was a shock to find I couldn't book extra lessons while I was out in BC because of all the charters, tours and other students who come in. I found the weather in BC to be very similar to the UK (i.e. tends to rain for days at a time) so make sure you cover yourself in advance.
If I did it again I would book six, seven or even eight days (Ocean Air recommended four or five) and suck up the cancellation fees if I got away with the weather and didn't want the extra flying - or do some advanced flying or flightseeing instead. Nothing sucks more than running out of time just shy of finishing and having to go home.
To solo you will need a Temporary Licence Validation Certificate (TLVC). Get the one for flight training, not recreational flying. It costs about CA$40 and - in practice - can only be issued in country. (This is because our lovely UK CAA never respond when TC ask for certified copies of your EASA licences - go figure
.) Luckily there is a Transport Canada office right by Victoria Airport where you can get your TLVC issued in five minutes flat. Imagine how long it would take the CAA to do that. Just make sure you have a credit card - luckily I could use my debit card - as cash isn't done.
Last, just be aware that TC can't issue the SEP(Sea) rating on your EASA licence. You can train to the point where you would have the rating, and the instructor can commend your log to that regard, but you'll need a fully-Canadian licence (not the TLVC) for TC to issue the actual rating and I don't know any more about how to get that. Maybe Step Turn can chime in. Sorry. So even if you complete the rating you won't have anything you can use when you come home - except for a bunch of excellent experience.
On another note I really, absolutely, cannot recommend highly enough the mountain course Marlies Campi gives in Spain (www.aviador.net) in the mountain village Castejon de Sos. It's a bit less busy out there so I was able to get away with booking extra lessons on the fly. Marlies' hospitality is second to NONE and what she has in the Pyrenees is simply a slice of heaven on earth (never mind the scenery - you can get as much radler as you want on tap
) IIRC Marlies only teaches the EASA Mountain Flying Rating (Wheeled) but there are schools on the other side of the mountains in France that do the rating on skis too.
Good luck! Remember to take some photographs for us!
I had a lot of fun doing some float training with Ocean Air. In fact I loved the region so much I want to move to BC!
Recommended with one caveat - make sure you book all the lessons you think you'll need plus a bunch for bad weather in advance. Ocean Air is essentially a VERY popular one-man airline and the chap books up with great rapidity. I didn't expect this so it was a shock to find I couldn't book extra lessons while I was out in BC because of all the charters, tours and other students who come in. I found the weather in BC to be very similar to the UK (i.e. tends to rain for days at a time) so make sure you cover yourself in advance.
If I did it again I would book six, seven or even eight days (Ocean Air recommended four or five) and suck up the cancellation fees if I got away with the weather and didn't want the extra flying - or do some advanced flying or flightseeing instead. Nothing sucks more than running out of time just shy of finishing and having to go home.
To solo you will need a Temporary Licence Validation Certificate (TLVC). Get the one for flight training, not recreational flying. It costs about CA$40 and - in practice - can only be issued in country. (This is because our lovely UK CAA never respond when TC ask for certified copies of your EASA licences - go figure
.) Luckily there is a Transport Canada office right by Victoria Airport where you can get your TLVC issued in five minutes flat. Imagine how long it would take the CAA to do that. Just make sure you have a credit card - luckily I could use my debit card - as cash isn't done.Last, just be aware that TC can't issue the SEP(Sea) rating on your EASA licence. You can train to the point where you would have the rating, and the instructor can commend your log to that regard, but you'll need a fully-Canadian licence (not the TLVC) for TC to issue the actual rating and I don't know any more about how to get that. Maybe Step Turn can chime in. Sorry. So even if you complete the rating you won't have anything you can use when you come home - except for a bunch of excellent experience.
On another note I really, absolutely, cannot recommend highly enough the mountain course Marlies Campi gives in Spain (www.aviador.net) in the mountain village Castejon de Sos. It's a bit less busy out there so I was able to get away with booking extra lessons on the fly. Marlies' hospitality is second to NONE and what she has in the Pyrenees is simply a slice of heaven on earth (never mind the scenery - you can get as much radler as you want on tap
) IIRC Marlies only teaches the EASA Mountain Flying Rating (Wheeled) but there are schools on the other side of the mountains in France that do the rating on skis too.Good luck!
Remember to take some photographs for us!
Last edited by Capn Bug Smasher; 25th Nov 2016 at 13:06.
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Yes, by Aeros I meant Aerobatics, very important though to go with someone who wants YOU to enjoy it though rather than trying to show how good THEY are and making you feel ill, my brief is always that we stop as soon as you want to, you soon build up a tolerance.
BTW
To an aerobatic pilot gyros means something else :- manouvres such as a Lomcevak or Mulleroid that is flown using the gyroscopic preccesion from the prop rather than aerodynamically!
BTW
I loved gyros
I'm having fun this week learning to fly an autogyro. And what's more, I'm doing it in the south of France, in the sun. (Well, sun since this morning) Any new experience is worth a try, and this one is rather different. But of course there are those who will not agree. I notice nobody has yet said "glider" . This may happen. ...
Just keep an open mind, and remember that the whole point is that "it's supposed to be fun" When it stops being fun then it's probably time to join the Bridge club.
Just keep an open mind, and remember that the whole point is that "it's supposed to be fun" When it stops being fun then it's probably time to join the Bridge club.
An amazing experience, but to be honest, for a first-timer, it's a good idea to fly with someone who has been there before. Watching the videos is one thing, but experiencing the Fisk Arrival for yourself, is an eye-opener.
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Could always give gliding a shot. Even if you just get up to solo standard and stop it will give you a new outlook on energy conservation.
If you have an aircraft or aircraft share, point North, stop in Oban for fuel at North Connel, and explore the Hebrides. The best flying holidays I have had by far have been exploring the Hebrides by air.
G
G
