Decades ago I waited for weather good enough to fly my solo cross country. Each week, I'd ask my instructor if the weather was good enough... He'd hmmm, and say, "I don't think so".

On the day I actually did my solo cross country, he had just said the same thing. Another instructor overheard, and said to me "go check the weather yourself". I did, and is was fine. I went right back to my instructor, and reported this. He said "Oh, Okay, go ahead then". And I did. I'd been lazy. I learned that lesson.

Perhaps at these earlier stages of training, it can be frustrating suffering the variability of the UK weather, because your go/no go decisions are being made for you. There will come a point where you'll have to make them for yourself. This is part of that training.

Understand what about the actual or forecast weather makes it not acceptable for your proposed flight. Some factors of weather will less influence your flight as your skills improve. Others are what they are.

Once, while ferrying a C 150 back through Manitoba, I arrived at my planned fuel stop (few and far between in Manitoba) to find the winds gusting to 45 knots with some crosswind. When I got to the ramp, two planes had just been blown over.

One day, you're going to be up there, thinking "what am I doing here!?". Then you'll think back to this frustration, and it won't seem so bad....

and the tafs and metars were? :)

It is very true that one should check the weather oneself first and only then ask the instructor for his permission.

On my skills test, it was about 5km vis (summer haze) and it was delayed. I was not happy about it but the man wouldn't do it - and that was with him in the plane...

....Not invented yet. It was the early 1980's. Weather reporting, be it actual or forecast, was more general, and sometimes of less than ideal accuarcy over larger expanses in those days. I'm sure it's much better now.

That's a great lesson sir, to this beginner pilot. Thank you very much!

Looking at next week doesnt look hopeful either. My issues are
1. Lister N - weekends denham is booked months in advance
2. Back Packer - my diary gets filled up by other people. I work in a meetings environment which I cant do much about which makes booking leave difficult
3. Bingo - if I am already at Denham then they are happy to do ground school but being so new to it I want to get more hours in
4. EnglishAl - Denham are not keen on the idea of more than one lesson per day. Not sure either how I would cope.

Heathrow Director - giving up at the point of cross country is a tragedy having put all the effort in. Maybe your son will go back to it when he is a bit older

IO/Jan/ILF/Molesworth/Postey/Pilot Dar - it seems I am not alone then in getting frustrated

Sloppy I had though Jerez might be a better bet for say a week to get a 10 hour block?

thanks for all your responses
Chas

Fri Sun Mon look OK and then low cloud till at least Thursday.

ChasG, you are certainly not the first or only student pilot in this frustration, at the contrary most must have been through this to some degree. Myself have been very lucky, though, in this respect.

Do not be put off by the oncoming winter. I am puzzled about the mention "too cold to fly", cold is only good for flying: cold air is denser, thus improving performance of wings and engine alike. Drag will go up too, yes, that's the counterpart, theoretically. The nicest is however that cold air is generally very stable, far less turbulent than on those treacherous days of summer that only bring unexpected turbulence and haze.
True, many days will be spoiled by low clouds and/or poor visibility; and grass runways may get too soaked and thus closed. But whenever you CAN fly, it will be great flying. Count on booking twice for flying once, as a crude rule of thumb.

A few snaps to make you drool:

http://users.skynet.be/fa348739/image/IMG_6778.JPG
http://users.skynet.be/fa348739/image/IMG_6779.JPG

Yes that's me, on some of my very early solo flying, photography courtesy of my instructor.

Do not be put off by the oncoming winter - but do prepare your thermal underwear.

ChasG

I feel your pain and a run of poor weather is just as frustrating for the Instructor. One of the challenges for instructors in your situation is dealing with skill/knowledge fade. It is very important to maintain what you have otherwise you get into the situation where after a bunch of cancelled flights, you finally get to go only to use most of the flight reviewing what you have allready done and hardly make any progress. My advice is if a flight is cancelled take a 1/2 hour or so and chair fly the last flight. By that I mean sit down and set out your maps, checklists, and instrument panel poster. Run through the flight from the inital walkaround to tie down at the end of the flight going through all the checks, radio calls, standard operating procedures, manoever sequences etc etc. This will keep the flying juices flowing and the info current. if during the chair flight an item comes up that you are unsure of, make a not of it and you can get it addressed at the next lesson.

Without wanting to upset the OP, the weather around Denham was perfect for flying today! I understand that lessons were running a little late due to overnight ice but otherwise no problems.

DON'T believe the Denham weather page - it isn't always accurate. When I checked it early this morning it was apparently snowing! Took off a few hours later in glorious sunshine and returned late afternoon to similar sunshine.

DO persevere - as you get more advanced and do solo flights, the instructors are very picky with the weather and only want to send you out when it is perfect. Take the opportunity to knock off all the ground exams so when the sun does shine you are ready.

Hoping for clear skies for us all.

Is that possible in the UK?

I have flown single Cessnas down to -41C (though it is interesting to note that the "O" rings in the fuel system are only approved down to -20C). That was central Quebec, we don't get that cold here!

-10 to -15C is just perfect for a good flight.... like this one...

http://i381.photobucket.com/albums/o...t/IMG_2357.jpg

Pilot Dar

What a stunning picture :ok:

Pace

Here is a good question ,

I see Pilot DAR has left his propellor at the 12-6 o'clock position.

Who else parks their props like that,and how many know why?
and,
what if the prop was wooden?

Me, in winter time - lets water drain out of the spinner etc so you don't get ice forming overnight and creating an imbalance. It's a theory I'm in favour of, having seen the remains of a PA34 nacelle after the engine removed itself due to ice creating enough vibration...

I found it useful to occasionally go up with my instructor on the days I was told it wasn't flyable - it provides a far more effective learning experience than simply being told the weather is unsuitable!

Madlandrover,
Thats what I was taught many years ago as well, but am I am amazed how few people bother especially with aircraft parked outside in the UKweather

Now what about a wooden prop?

That can be very useful, but I think a lot of students don't like it - because the PPL costs a lot more money that way.

There are instructos who do the "right thing" (for the right type of more able student) and take them up in less than great weather, and that produces a better pilot in the end. But there are also instructors who are less than honest and they take people up in unsuitable conditions; I have met some of those.

Can't have it both ways.... but I do think the total reliance on map+stopwatch nav in the PPL does result in a lot of training opportunities being wasted.

Let's be honest - nearly all pilots who hang in there long-term go out and buy a GPS ASAP.

We seem set for a number of days with low cloud but only a thin layer; perhaps blue-sky VMC at 3000-4000ft. I wonder how many instructors will take PPL students up there and do some radio nav? I would.

Thread drift, sorry...

Propeller position:

Mine is deliberately positioned as seen, to make most easy (and safe) hand propping, should it ever be necessary. The position of the propeller allows it to pass through the top of the compression stroke at the optimum position of my hand (about 10 o'clock). Having your hand below the 8 o'clock, or really any other position, is comparitively unsafe.

The only negative of this position is that if parked in a crowded ramp, there is a slight chance that a passing high wing might hit it, but that's fairly low on the "likely" scale for me.

Some props are keyed to only two positions on the crankshaft, so position would not be a choice. The O-200 is not arranged this way though.

Were it to be a wood prop, this would be a poor way to orient it. The low blade can absorb water, that affects the balance. Wood props are best horizontal.

As for the actual subject of the thread, which is certainly worthy of attention...

I support the idea of students being cautiously mentored in poor weather, just to learn how scary it can be. Similarly with strong winds, though that is a skill which really should be mastered. When you actually experience flying in "Special VFR" conditions, you quickly realize that you'd best have everything else going your way, so better plan for it!

My extensive experience as a visitor in the UK (happily, to occur again next week) reminds me that I don't visit to enjoy the weather! I delight in the number of days I can fly here, without weather being a concern. the odd stretch of a few days where I cannot fly, reminds me to think a kind thought for those, for whom poor weather is more a common event. Stick with it....

In the UK we actually require better than "ordinary" VFR weather for special VFR flight in controlled airspace.
Go figure, I think you say over there.

When I learnt to fly the PPL was around 42 hours and I could not afford it.
I did not want to be on 50 or 60 hrs because I was flying around with instructors to keep myself current awaiting weather windows.

One thing you do have nowadays is a good home PC sim. Some you can customise with photo real scenery and accurate mesh terrain.

It is easy to fly the routes for practice as well as raising and dropping the visibility so you can get used to flying in poor vis.
Okay you wont get a fantastic feel in home sims but they are still a useful tool.

On my last Citation recurrent the operator put an engine on fire, threw in solid IMC. He then decided to throw in bad turbulence with the engine now shut down. Dropped the viz to 200 metres fog and then to top it all gave me 200 ibs of fuel a side on the ILS :ugh: Oh and failed the autopilot.
Hand fly to a zero vis landing on the ILS. OK not a home PC sim but a full motion and very real variety :E

Sims are a useful tool even the home PC variety to help keep current.

Pace

I know how you feel, my skills test was cancelled...ready for this..........23 times. First booked in Oct 09, finally complete Sept 10. Bad weather every time. Inbetween bookings the weather was great, but when I booked a test, the weather closed in EVERY time.

My first skills test was even called off half way through due to lowering cloud base. It added alot more hours to my log book, and removed a few more zero's from my bank account.
Stick with it, it's worth it in the end. It took me 2 1/2 years and 68hrs. Losing my job half way through didn't help either.