Advice on flying schools at Elstree
 

Hi,


I'm looking into flying schools at Elstree Aerodrome, to train up for my PPL and as a newbie would really appreciate some opinions/advice about flying schools in Elstree (particularly the ones below).

Am considering two schools:

Flight Training London (www.flighttraininglondon.co.uk) which charge £169/hr for C152, and

Flyers Flight School (www.flyersflyingschool.co.uk) which charge £205/hr for the same aircraft C152.

My intention is to get my PPL and then hire a plane occasionally for trips round the UK and the Continent. So am looking for a school which is friendly, has a good social vibe, is staffed by honest experienced personnel, and support its students post-PPL (in organising trips etc).

Am not sure why Flyers Flight School charge more than others for training?

I could really do with some advice on this (particularly from anyone who has flown/trained at Elstree).

HI,

I fly from Elstree. Flyers don't have a C152, they use PA28's as their main training aircraft. Ivan who runs flight training is a nice guy, and Vicky who runs Flyers is great. IMHO they are both good places to learn.

I would suggest the same for anyone who is looking at a flight school - it's an important decision, so go along and speak to the people. You'll get an idea of how the school is run and what the place feels like better. It's probably the most important thing to feel at home, and I've been very lucky because I've found my place here are flyers. They organize weekly trips abroad - we've just come back from a weekend down to La Rochelle in France with a couple of aircraft. I've been to many places post-PPL with them.

Visit a couple of places, speak to some people and see what you like and don't like. Then come back when you have decided and let everyone know how you're progressing!

Above all else - enjoy the experience and have fun..

I've been to a few schools and it seems that you get what you pay for.
Cheap schools I have seen tend to have less well maintained planes where they choose not to fix not essential instruments for instance, which I think can be good during training so you get an idea of how instruments can be unreliable.
Less well maintained planes can be frustrating when hiring as you want everything that you pay for fully working!

I've just started with flyers and they are lovely, helpful, professional and very positive. I am now enjoying flying rather than being annoyed with it!

I hear flight academy is good too !

I meant flight training...!

I started with Flyers 2 months ago and am very pleased with them.

I made my choice after trying 3 different schools with, amongst others, the 152 and the PA-28. As already mentioned, Flyers don't use 152, they fly PA-28s. One of these has a glass cockpit if you fancy that. And you can also fly a DA-40 if you want (not ab initio, though). Once you have your PPL, the club also has a Cirrus, an AA5, a Rockwell Commander...

My reasons for choosing Flyers were principally:
- I felt I would get on well with the instructor I flew with
- Vicky arranges fly-outs and helps you get experience outside the normal instruction environment both during and after your PPL.
- The aircraft looked/felt nicer than the others I tried.

Price wise, there was little difference between the schools I looked at. If you look at the details of how they time the hours (T/O to landing, brakes on/off, hobbs...) it became very similar and I ended up ignoring that in my choice.

Your priorities may differ - and, unless they have had a really bad experience, everyone is likely to suggest the place they fly/flew themselves - very few have actually experienced more than one PPL school :-)

This:
> Visit a couple of places, speak to some people and see what you like and don't like.

Is a must. You will spend a lot of time in a small space next to a relative stranger. Make sure you find a space you like and a person you will get on with.

Baikonour.

You could have a trail lesson at each, time logged will count towards your PPL and you'll get a feel for the instructors and environment. I completed my PPL at Elstree in 2010 with the now defunct firecrest

I have flown with the instructors at flightraininglondon and can vouch for their expertise and personable teaching style.

You wont go wrong a Flyers flying school at Elstree, even more so if you want to be involved in the club feeling and flights around the country/abroad post PPL, they are always organising well planned trips and never a bad word said.

Yodi

Thanks
 

Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice guys.
As suggested, am now in the process of arranging trial lessons and will post again when I've made some progress.

Good stuff, if you get a chance to speak to David at 'Flyers' ask him about any of his trips, he will inspire you and his passion rubs off instantly.

I would definitely try air-academy
 

Sell is a great instructor who isn't just after your money. If you are prepared to work hard and appreciate his help, you'll become a great pilot. He does spend a lot of time with his students before and after the flights properly briefing and debriefing. You will fly a PA28, which has recently had its interiors done and smells like new:) If you're after a quality professional instructor it has to be Sell. Good luck!