That's really awful.

In such a case, I would recommend finding an experienced pilot to fly with (in his plane, with you as a passenger) to keep the cobwebs off, until the wx improves enough to resume the "official training".

I've done that with a few people. It's good fun.

There is little point in banging circuits because circuits just make one sweat like a pig and (due to the stress) have minimal learning value, and flying in bad weather is not much good unless it is done in the context of learning radio navigation (GPS/VOR/DME) which is important but is rarely done in the basic PPL except for very basic stuff.

Indeed it isn't. In addition to consulting METARs and TAFs a.o. I often have a peep at the webcams at Booker and White Waltham (not a million miles from Denham) and even further afield at Kemble and Bembridge which can help to build up a picture of the weather situation.

Skycams - Sky-facing webcams from around the UK, for weather forecasting and flight planning is quite useful for this (use Chrome or FF though, takes ages in IE)

I've had some lovely flights in the winter - still, sunny, and sodding cold. At least you engined lot have heaters - I've had to supplement my ski gear with extra layers before!

Thanks for that, oversteer. Looks useful - now bookmarked! :)

I was very pleased to get a phone call on friday afternoon to say there was a lesson available on Saturday morning. As it was 5 weeks since the last lesson (of 5 to date) the instructor said we had better going over the previous exercise "straight and level at different speeds/flap settingsm with constant heading". Not a problem I thought as the last lesson went really well.........................it was a shambles I ended up chasing myself the whole time.

However hopefully some good came of it as the instructor is going to see if he can get me a lesson every weekend immediately after Xmas. Hopefully with some continuity I will start to make some progress. I can't believe how hopeless I was - I took 5 lessons to pass my car test and breezed through my motorbike test as well but this seems a lot more difficult or maybe the passage of time isnt helping. I have revised my aspirations and will be happy if at soem point I can at least land a plane on my own.

Despite this even Saturday was fun. Have a good week all.