Bristol GA
 

Hello guys,

I have just moved to Bristol from London for my job. As we all noticed, there are 2 airports in Bristol (Bristol Filton & Bristol International). I am currently choosing a flying club for hiring, which airport do you recommend for me to be based?:*

Thank you!

Gordon

at Bristol Filton you have aeros (they have a commercial training establishment at Gloucestershire Airport) - but the brance at Filton is used as a PPL school. - dont know much about them, but the guys at Gloucestershire were pretty good.

At Bristol Intl you have Bristol Aviation (who can offer PPL training all the way through to multi IR) - good bunch there, I recommend them.

Next door to them there is the Bristol and Wessex Flying Club, again, friendly bunch. (dont know much on their costs tho)

Nice part of the country to be flying in tho, I miss it!

The main difference is that at Bristol International you'll get the experience of operating from a very busy airport with an extremely diverse range of aircraft.
Filton exists on behalf of the BAe factory and, although it accomodates a range of aircraft types and opeartions, it's significantly quieter.

The whole area is a very busy piece of airspace, within the Bristol CTZ and outwith same there's an awful lot of stuff happening of all aviation ilks.
Wherever you decide to go, make the most of what's available and I am sure you'll enjoy it.

Depending which side of town you are based on it may be worthwhile considering Kemble as well. It's a bit of a trip but Filton is (I think) closed at weekends now and Bristol International is, by repute, a bit pricey for GA.

At Filton -> Bristol Aero Club and Aero's. BAC can only be joined if you're a member of BAe, RR or Airbus so unless you work for them, you can't join. Also, they only have 2 aircraft and run as a non-profit organisation.

Aero's is a bit more pricey but if you live near Filton, then I think they're probably a good bet.

Bristol Intl -> They have a few flying schools mentioned above but again they're slightly pricey. Lulsgate seems to be trying to price itself out of the GA market. Then again though, if you manage to find a decent price to do your training, then go for it.

Other nearby places include Gloucester and Kemble so check them out. I don't know what transport you have available for yourself so you will have to weigh up budget and travelling distance. Also, which part of Bristol are you living in?