Where to do PPL training: big airport or small airfield?

[Northern Highflyer]

you take off and less than 5 minutes after, your lesson is under way (if not before....).

I think it would be more useful for the lesson to start before you take off, I found knowing how to take off useful when it came to flying.

[simon brown]

FN

You dont necesarilly pay for brakes off/brakes on time.Some aircraft are fitted with a hobbs meter that only logs the actual flying time of the aircraft, but you can log all time from brakes off to brakes on. Worth checking with your prospective school. A Busy GA airfield with all the aids is excellent experience.

I trained at Gloucester with 6 runways and full facilities, with quiet airspace for initial training but with plenty of military and busy airspace for X countries and nav experience. Luckily I had the best of both worlds and wasnt paying for taxiing/holding time as a busy Sunday afternoon can be frustrating if you are paying taxi fares and not solid airtime.

If I was learning at a regional Airport i would make sure im on the hobbs and not paying for sitting there aircraft spotting waiting for all the holiday makers to depart.

[oli carley]

definatley big airport, somewhere like leeds/bradford,
nothing beats learning in controlled airspace, especially if you want to follow a career in aviation

[Brooklands]

Some aircraft are fitted with a hobbs meter that only logs the actual flying time of the aircraft...

Sorry, but I'm certain that you're wrong about this. The Hobbs meter starts recording as soon as the engine starts, and stops when you shut the engine down. Paying buy Hobbs time means that you will pay for all the holding etc.

You may be confusing it with the engine hours recorder on the tachometer, which only starts recording when the engine is running at greater than about 1000 rpm.

[QDMQDMQDM]

definatley big airport, somewhere like leeds/bradford,

Controlled airspace stuff is details. Handling the aircraft is number one -- remember 'aviate, navigate, communicate'. You can be a bad pilot and take off and land regularly on 7000 feet of tarmac without cracking up. You cannot be a bad pilot and do the same on a short grass strip.

Small field.

QDM

[Holloway]

I totally agree. I did my PPL at Manston EGMH and we have a 60m wide x 2700m Long runway. HUGE!!!!!!!!!! When I did my X Country I went to shorham and landed and took off on the grass. That was a bit hairy i must say. I think if I had to abort take off I would of ended up in the river!! Since then I have practiced short field takeoff and landins!!

[FlyingForFun]

Contrast is the way to go.

I did my PPL at a busy, uncontrolled grass airfield. Got very good at looking out for myself in a busy circuit. Have no problems with landing on grass. But managed to get my whole PPL having only ever been to a controlled airfield once.

Then I did some hour-building in the USA, at an airfield with full ATC. Not at all daunted by talking to controllers now. Quite happy to listen to instructions, check I'm happy with them, then carry them out.

All in all, I feel that I'm a more rounded pilot from having experienced both of these. Either one without the other leaves a gap in your experiences. You may find you have to fill that gap yourself after you finish your training.

FFF
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[andyb79]

there is also dundee which has atc as opposed to a/g but the commercial traffic is not to heavy so there shouldnt be to much waiting around it does only have 1 rwy but as i understand because of its location its weather doesnt get to bad

[BigGreenPleasureMachine]

Well, if you want the best of both worlds, surely Prestwick holds the answer.

Hour and a half down the road, reasonably quiet, but still a few 74s to play tig with, ATC, the longest runway your likely to get unless you fly a space shuttle and, if what my sources tell me is true, some pretty good training.

I fancy it strikes a good balance between 'grassroots' and 'big league.'

Regards, BGPM.