Training at Liverpool
 

I am considering starting PPL training at EGGP and would welcome any thoughts on the various flying schools based there.

I have worked with all the schools at Liverpool and they all have their plus and minus points, you won't do too bad with any of them, you will get different opinions on here from personal experience, mostly people post when they have had an issue. watch out for the glowing feedback as likely to be one for the schools owners / workers in disguise lol
You will get a really good feel by just popping down unannounced and see who takes the most care of you and takes the most time to talk and help you, look at the planes, training material, student facilities etc

It's very competitive right now and money is tight so make sure you get a good deal.

oh and it's so worth it when you do your first solo :ok:

I'm training with LFS and really enjoying it. Friendly atmosphere and great instructors. I also get the impression the fleet is well looked after, with all of the aircraft being hangared overnight.

Had a friend do an instructors rating at Ravenair and he was very complementary about his particular instructor.

Only experience of Merseyflight is that they nicked some of my photos for their website, so not a big fan :P

Heard good things about Lomac aviators but no personal experience.

EGGP is a nice place to learn, but not the cheapest. Landing fees are quite high and you often have to hold for IFR traffic (had one 50 minute lesson in which we only did 2 circuits!)

.mic

I have flown out of Liverpool for nearly 25 years and at some time or other have used all the flight schools. Currently I would recommend Lomac Aviators. The owners have been around aviation for many years and this is their first venture into training. The aircraft are well maintained and the instructors are good. More importantly for flight training schools, the two owners are well placed financially so you will not find the school suddenly closing down.

Liverpool Flying School are very good, They helped my with the ground school exam's on a 1to 1 basis too 'Phil Ryan'. Like with every school i would advise asking for the 1 instructor all the way through your training instead of whoever is working on that day
T6

I can only vouch for Ravenair as i done my PPL there. All the instructors were great. I also stayed mostly with the one instructor. That way they know what you need more help with on the start of each lesson so you don't have to have different instructors each lesson finding out your weekneses are on your £££'s.
On airfields, I have also trained at Blackpool which is great but i consider Liverpool the better of the two as it is a lot busier, so in my opinion better to train in that environment as it is a great confidence booster for when you go further afield. You may well have to throw in a few orbits for the big jets but it's all great confidence building.

as always there are pluses and minuses!! I trained upto my first solo at EGGP before moving elsewhere for a number of different reasons.

On the plus side there is nothing like mixing it with the big boys from day one, this will make your flying more acurate and your RT very professional. I dont have much experience of the schools there anymore, but the guys that own LOMAC are very very good. They were members of the school I learnt with and taught me a lot just by chatting to them in the club room or offering me a back seat ride now and again, they are a very enthusiastic pair with a wealth of experience in general aviation and it is worth talking to them (No I dont work for them, just have huge respect for them!!)

As always there are down sides, chief amongst them is the fact that this is a busy commercial field. Whilst you get good experience mixing it with the IFR traffic, this can also hinder you. Never think that a one hour lesson will be exactly that, holding over the south bank of the Mersey was a common activity when I was there. Circuits are worse, the most I ever managed was 4 in a one hour lesson, compared with 6 or 7 when I moved to a field in the open FIR. That is if you can get a circuit detail in the first place. You may find yourself having to transit somewhere else first, thus either reducing your circuit detail or adding to your hours, be prepared for it.

Post qualification Liverpool is a good field to operate from, with Sleap and Caernarfon being within easy reach and the knowledge at the back of your mind that it has top class emergency facilities if it all goes wrong !!

As for option it depends where you live, there are schools at Hawarden, Tatenhill, Sleap, it is your money make sure you are happy before spending any of it. Go along and have a trial lesson at 2 or 3 of them and see what you think.

Above all, enjoy it, and welcome to the world of general aviation!!!

I always mention Barton :rolleyes: It has, like anywhere, pros and cons. For me the ease of circuit work and the slightly ramshackle appearance suited my slightly ramshackle appearance.

I'm sure it's better these days despite losing Ravenair (who would be my LJLA choice) especially looking at the old clubhouse's swanky makeover.

And from Stockport cheaper on fuel to travel there too.

Lastly, I have to speak up against the notion that one instructor makes you a better pilot. It makes you a clone of that person. I had five instructors and I took the best bits from each, and spotted the dodgy bits when shown differently by one of their colleagues. Keeping with one instructor you like and get along with might be nice but won't broaden your experience.

SGC

Many thanks for your thoughts and experiences guys.

SGC
I did consider Barton but felt learning at somewhere with a large and hard runway would be better, at least initially, as well as gaining experience with 'the big boys' :)

I am starting out with Lomac and see how things go.

Do your best to get the same instructor throughout your training:

The continuity avoids the 'three steps forward one step back' effect as each new instructor tries to catch up with what you've done already with previous instructors.


It will save you money in the long run..

(At the same time, however, don't be afraid to change instructors if you don't hit it off with one)

Good luck and enjoy your training: it's a very rewarding time, not always plain sailing but the end result is well worth the effort.

Cusco

The best place to learn to fly is a quiet airfield away from commercial traffic for the same reason you would not start learning to drive car in a busy city centre. Take my advice, based on being CFI in two schools with some of the busiest commercial traffic in the UK, if you feel that gaining a PPL is just the start of really learning to fly. There is plenty of time post PPL to learn to fly into busy airfields.

Oh and good luck and enjoy your training-some good advice above about picking a school

I think each person is different, Personally i found mixing it up amongst the IFR traffic was a bonus!
In respect of RT this will be better you and make the smaller airfield's a doddle.
It would be advised to get some circuits in from a smaller airfield also to practice O/H join's the different RT and landing on a small RW.

Horses for courses :)

I agree with Sir George (but then I'm Barton trained as well). In my book, short grass runways and an uncontrolled environment trump 'big airport' facilities every time for ab initio training. You want to do another circuit 'cause you ot your instructor think it's a good idea? Just do it! At Scouseport it will be traffic dependant.

When I learned I visited EGCC and EGGP as well as other conrolled fields such as Blackpool. That kept the RT professional. Bur remember that you are learning to fly and the radio is NOT a primary fight control. These days I fly from EGGP and enjoy the professionalism of the RT as I go in and out. But that's the icing on the cake.

First - learn to fly! Barton will make you a better stick & rudder pilot with its short runways and self-reliance on positioning. Do the 'big airport' stuff later.

I can also give a thumbs up to Ravenair at liverpool.

The big problem from small fields like Barton is RT skills.

Ask a controller from Manchester ATC what they think :oh:

Bethere....is that the controllers or other pilots at Barton that you comment on.

Nick.

Either way he's wrong.

Tiro PPL's & GA pilots

Maybe the old MAN Int/ Baton rivalry is creeping though :oh:

In the good old days when Ravenair was based at Ringway , Its was not uncommon for the ATC guys to pop over & chat about the "issues" traffic out of Barton caused .

Good to see you have gone with Jimmy and Paul. Rod is an excellent instructor with the worlds supply of GA experience and has a lot of knowledge to pass on. Like tohers have said though, through the learning process of 45 hours try a couple of different instructors, get a different view

Just from personal exp over the years...

PPL's / GA flyers tend to have more developed sense RT / traffic situational awareness when they've come from a busier traffic environment.