Easiest Airfield to get to from Central London (without a car!)
 

Hello All,

Its been a dream to learn to fly ever since I was a boy and would like to start working towards my PPL but I dont have a car so the airfields are a little difficult to get to and was wondering if anyone else has been in this position and knows an easy flying school to get to by public transport,

many thanks,

Will

Have found thread appologies / Best to do PPL at - any experiences?
 

ok have just found this thread -

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthr...ghlight=london

which is great but it doesnt really discuss location vs PPL training. Any thoughts on the best combination of PPL instruction and cheapest/fastest transport links from london would be great

Biggin Hill is realtively easy to get to. You get a train to Bromley South from either Blackfriars or Victoria then get a bus (358 i think) which takes you directly to the airport. The whole journey should take about an hour from the train leaving the station, if all goes well.

When i was training i cycled from Home to Kings Cross Station, took the train to Sandy then cycled 12 miles through lovely country side to Little Gransden. It helped me prepair mentally for the learning. Driving is a stressfull thing and it doesnt put you in the best frame of mind to take all the info in i found (unless it was raining:(). So if your not against cycling then any of them would be easy to reach. Gerrards Cross station to Denham is only a couple of miles, likewise Boreham Wood to Elstree Etc!

I flew into Elstree every day during the summer and got the tube to work at Edgeware Road.

They have a couple of training schools on site one of which bought my old 152 . A very in demand aircraft as it is full IFR with GNS430 etc!

B-man, I think the answer is that there is no airfield which is quick to get to from central London by public transport :(. I have tried most of them (by helicopter and fixed wing) and they usually involve a flight, a (road) taxi, a slow (zone 4) tube or a fast train and then a fast tube polished off with another taxi or a walk. I include Battersea in this which is far too overpriced and inconveniently located to be of any further use to me.

My current favourite is Denham :ok:. Nice people, good attitude, reasonable transport link but still not in possession of fantastic links.

Can you imagine how succesful a new GA airport would be if it had a rapid and conveniently placed tube stop?

We can dream,
SB

North Weald ?

If you assume your start point to be St Johns Wood, then a ten minute cycle to Marylebone station, followed with a half an hour train to Gerrards cross and another ten minutes on the bike will have you at denham. Door to door in under an hour, not too onerous for someone used to getting around London i would have thought!

Denham is the only one I can think of. Chiltern Trains are among the better train operators and operate from Marylebone Station, so you start/finish pretty centrally. Depends a bit on where in London you live, of course.

Shoreham is close to public transport, too. Train to Brighton, change and then Shoreham.

>>I flew into Elstree every day during the summer and got the tube to work at Edgeware Road.<<

Bose-X

(Pedant mode on)

I think you mean Edgware tube station. Edgware Road station is a long way into town.

(Pedant mode off)

Elstree gives access to either the BR lines at Elstree or Watford. Alternatively you can acces the tube at Edgware or Stanmore.

The problem is you would need a taxi or a good friend to get there.

Doesn't the Worthing to Victoria train stop at Shoreham? It used to. But anyway that would be a 1hr+ trip.

Elstree is a filthy place. It needs somebody with a broom to sweep the tarmac of the stones. I reckon the residents spend a fortune on prop overhauls. The renters were probably never taught about this so they don't worry. Then somebody should go to B&Q and gets a few bags of cement and fill the holes. No.... it would cost too much, nobody would pay.

N/W is unlicensed so there are no training schools there.

Its also a complete sod to get into as you end up driving in a spiral, up the M11 and then right round the lanes and peri track. :*

All airfields are stuck in the middle of nowhere - I don't believe there is a single one that is easily accessible by public transport. There is a large one to the west of London that doesn't even have a main-line railway connection!

Summer of what year???:}

I worked on Edgware road for LU and got the tube into Baker Street/Edgeware Road.

Summer 2 years ago, I barely missed a day due to weather!

White Waltham.

London Paddington to Maidenhead by train will take you 32 minutes.

Maidenhead Train Station to White Waltham Airfield by bus (either the 7A or 7B) will take you 15 minutes, one bus departs every 15 minutes. The drivers usually drop you outside the front entrance of the airfield if you ask them. Two minutes later you'll be in the club house of West London Aero Club.

From memory it's about £10 in a taxi from the station to Elstree airfield.

VFE.

Yep, or about 15 minutes on my folding bike!!!

Theydon Bois on the central line is just over 3 miles from Stapleford, taxi is about £6 and a cycle ride of 10 mins so i would say that is reasonably accessible? Just had a look on Google Earth and its only 2.5 miles from Upminster bridge to Damyns Hall, it has an ATZ on the half mil so does anyone know of any training there?

Damyns Hall has a couple of Microlight schools.

see....

http://www.microlightsport.co.uk