How to enjoy your PPL?
 

Upon completing and obtaining a PPL how do you go about hiring aircraft (C172)? I know that you can join a flying club and rent aircraft when they are available but where else can you rent them from? Flying schools? Airports? I know this may be a silly question but I just need advice

How to enjoy your PPL?
 

I made my PPL with a flying club, so I had access to the club aircraft anyway. Otherwise, others were in syndicates.

Shop around and find a club with a monthly subscription if you intend to do plenty flying once qualified.

For example - the club i am with charges £40 a month with a fleet of aircraft to hire from £99 (C152 weekday) an hour all inclusive (fuel, home landing fees etc). The rate is worked out from an onboard Hobbs Meter too so you only pay for Master Switch on to off.

This is far cheaper and less hassle than ownership in my opinion.

Thank you very much for your replies. Do you have to join a club to be able to hire aircrafts so? Is it the only way apart from buying a plane or having a syndicate? I appreciate all of your help so far

My club is £10 a month membership. daren't tell you how much I pay for rental but club membership seems the way to go unless you want to buy into a syndicate.

There's a club near me that has very reasonable rates, they have a PA28-180 for £96 wet for 50 minutes on a wow switch IE approx an hour chock to chock. Very clean and nice aircraft with autopilot. This was last year but I can't see it having gone up much if at all.

There are many ways of accessing aircraft, the first of course being renting from a club. You then have private rental, if you can find someone that is happy to hire out their aircraft when they are not using it that can be cheaper than a club, though not always, but you probably will have better availability, hire can be either straight hire or "non equity share", where you pay a lower hourly rate but pay a monthly fee as well. You then have syndicates or groups and complete ownership.
Cheapest is probably a group ownership on an LAA aircraft based on a farm strip, this will normally have good availability into the bargain.

I certainly hope not! No Hobbs meter should be connected to the master switch. That would mean you are paying for the (correct) pre flight by checking flaps, lights etc.

However, I have known a school in America that did this...

Actually it would also be easy to work it in your favour - start up, get airborne and turn off the electrics - not actually needed if you are not in CAS or night - VERY cheap flying!:ok:

I once flew a Robin HR200 with a hobbs on the electrics. I pointed out to the instructor doing the checkout that I could switch the master off. He just said "go right ahead"... and of course it kept running! So did all of the electrics. Turns out the master in that aircraft was just a battery master!

I did not have the presence of mind to pull the ALT circuit breaker as well, and indeed now do not remember if this was possible.

That would mean you are paying for the (correct) pre flight by checking flaps, lights etc.

Which takes what, all of 60 seconds max to check those items? 5 lights, 1 pitot heater and a set of flaps.

flying clubs and groups
 

Well, we have a club, and just to give you an idea of the costs, it is £75/hour and £75 wet an hour. We are roughly about the same as other clubs we know and our members can cope with that amount, as you can budget each month depending on what you can afford at the time. Also, regarding availability, it's definitely a case of "horses for courses" as surprisingly, many people want to fly during the week, not just at weekends like you may have thought.