Finally Started my Training!
 

Hi All,

Just wanted to introduce myself on here as the brother of 'Mazzy1026' who seems to have been somewhat of a PPrune veteran several years ago!

I'm currently a massive two hours into my training, and I can happily say they have both been an incredible experience. Its taken me a while to finally get the ball rolling with learning to fly, but it is definitely the start of one hell of an adventure! Admittedly, the whole process is a little daunting to me, in particular the exams side of the PPL, but I'm sure this is something which can be better understood with the help of a few good text books (currently on order) and a lot of determination!!

If anyone is in the same(ish) position it would be great to hear from you - as I am presumably one of the lowest hour students on here! :O

Cheers guys,

Tom

You're behind me by a whole hour, though I do have some sneaky experience as a youth when I did a gliding scholarship thing.

Like you - it's been on my hit list for many years (Well, the gliding thing was ~15 years ago!), but I've really been bitten by the bug now!

I am about four hours in. Well five if you include the 'experience flight'.

Enjoying it immensely and am getting the hang of the basic airwork (turns, climbs, decent etc.) and the correct attitude of the plane.

Doing the maneuvers in 'open sky' is one thing, it will be interesting when they are applied to take off, landing and general circuit proceedures. i.e. when you need to time the events and aim for a particular point rather than just 'please climb to 2500', now turn 90 degrees. etc.

Welcome Mazzy, VWdan and Gentoo,

You will find an awesome amount of experience and support here, and club house spirited discussion along the way. Let us know about your experiences as you progress through your training...

I'm due for my skills test shortly, enjoy your ride, first couple of lessons are overwhelming and you don't learn much, after fifth or so lesson things start to click into place ridiculously fast.. and from there on it's like a vintage video-game where you play the same level till you advance to the next one from which you will look back and think - the previous one was easy, now this one's difficult... it's a swing that goes up and down all the time, if things don't get tough, you're not doing it right :D anyway, enjoy it, I know I had

Good luck Tom, hope your training goes well. Happy flying!


Cheers,
Danny.

I'm 10 hours into my training and also loving it.

I did Ex19 today (Intro to Instrument Flight) which began with my instructor asking me to attempt to maintain S&L flight with my eyes closed, using only my physiological senses. I thought I was doing well until I opened my eyes and discovered we were losing altitude with 30 degrees of bank...

Where is everyone training? I'm at Gamston and the 6000ft runway is perfect for those questionable landings :D

Get your instructor to begin by teaching you about safety altitude because that stops you opening your eyes and discovering the side of a mountain ahead of you!

I'm 34 hours in, and gearing up to do my qualifying cross country.
Still quite a few exams to do, but really enjoying the flying and have gained a lot of truly memorable experiences, not too mention a few scary moments i.e. the first solo, just after leaving the ground!

The only advice I could give is don't concentrate on getting the licence, just enjoy the flying and you will get a lot more out of it.

As a suggestion I kept a diary of every flight on Word during my training. I did it to use during training so that I could look back on previous lessons to see what I had done, but now some years later it's nice just to look back on it. You will forget what you did and how you felt about it very quickly once you get your licence.

Gamston is one of the places I fly from. Who are you with?

Gamston Flying School :ok:

I'm about 17 hours in and starting to get a handle on the important "how to land" bit of circuits. I thought they were never going to end but I'm finally enjoying the final approach phase.

I'm flying out of Turweston, near Silverstone, so the landmarks are pretty handy.

Flying Diary
 

I also kept a diary about every lesson during my training last year, and still do now. Every flight I write a few pages about what happened, what went well, what I learned, what didn't go well. I also put a few notes about wind and runway in use etc., how I felt, anything new. Its a great way to consolidate your experience to write things down, and as Thing says, it will be nice to look back on in years to come (if I can read my hand writing that is...)

I would rather not say where I am training in case I want to have a moan at some point down the line.

Chances are I will not need to moan though as the place seems like a decent school and club. There are a variety of instructors and they seem to have different styles so it's good to get a few opinions.

I am thinking of paying 'upfront' though, to get the saving. A lot of people advise against this but I hope to use up the hours quickly and will pay by credit card so I think (need to check) that I am covered if there is some issue with the school's finances.

Unless you are absolutely certain that the Credit Card company will reimburse you, under any circumstances that you can think OF,


............................................DON'T EVEN THINK OF PAYING 'UPFRONT' FOR FLYING TRAINING!:eek:


MJ:ok:

Don't do it!

Thanks very much for such a warm welcome guys!

That's the one thing I can say about the flying community, so far, everyone is genuinely interested in helping you out and giving advice wherever they can!

Next flight is booked for this coming Saturday for 9AM so no hangover for me.... My MAIN lesson learnt from last weeks lesson though is to be more prepared in terms of reading up on the lesson ahead. I would have been far more relaxed if I'd have known what was actually coming and what kind of questions my instructor was going to ask me. But I suppose this was a given and I should have been far more prepared!!!

Again, I suppose this is all part of the learning curve! I'm looking forward to getting to the point where I can sit in the PA38 and know exactly where everything is and exactly what it does. Currently, its still like stepping into the unknown (but that's what excites me!):O

Just a quick update on my training: I did both Air Law and Operational Procedures today and passed both with 100%.

If anyone is yet to sit theory exams, I throughly recommend both the EASAppl app for iPhones and the online tool Airquiz, as a supplement to your reading of course ;)

To the new budding aviators and aviatrix, welcome to PPRUNE. Please post your experiences here, as we all enjoy reliving our student days vicariously through you.

Chillindan: I found a flight diary an excellent debrief tool as it allows you to make some sense of what just happened to you in your last flight and you can go to the next lesson with properly thought out questions for your instructor about improving your skills. I ended up making mine into a blog and its still going today.

First of all, bfg, well done mate! 100% is absolutely brilliant - you must have put some serious revision into it! :) I'll have to take a look and see if there's any kind of equivalent for android devices as that could come in extremely handy.

Can't wait for my next flight though - been slacking with it a bit recently due to a camping trip away and terrible weather but really looking forward to getting back into the skies. I think I'm still at the point where everything is still a little daunting, especially the navigation side of things but again, this will no doubt come with time. How is everyone else getting on with their flying progress? Very sad news about the pilot killed at Oulton park... flown over it during every lesson so far :(

Cheers Mazzy! I just did a quick search of the Google play store and you can get the app there - it's £9.99 but well worth it in my opinion. A lot of the questions were either very similar or near identical to those on the tests. It would probably be possible to just 'remember the answers' but I made sure I read both books fully so I actually knew the content.

Got another lesson tomorrow myself. Had my medical yesterday and there was some issue regarding medication - need my GP to give the AME a report. Hopefully it isn't going to take too long to sort as I'm just about ready for solo circuits, minus the medical certificate :(

Okay all, so another quick update on my flying progress so far....

I've now got a huge 7 hours under my belt and have just finished Exercises 7&8 of PPL1 book. After a bit of a shaky start with maintaining straight and level due to there being a significant lack of horizon for the last few lessons, making it hard to keep a steady attitude, it has somehow clicked into place. The whole motion of Power Attitude Trim (or Attitude Power Trim if levelling off from a climb) is starting to make a whole lot more sense and feels a lot more 'natural' if that's the right word! My taxiing is more controlled with less weaving from left to right and my instructor has now let me conduct the last two takeoff's which felt pretty damn good. To me, there's nothing better than advancing the throttle and seeing that speed climb, and then comes the magical feeling of getting airborne. Similarly, I have also had a go of landing as well, now that we have covered the approach set up. Both landings went well with smooth touchdowns and light compliments from the instructor which I'm not going to lie, put a grin on my face for the rest of the day!

So it's safe to say the bug has certainly taken over, I can't wait for this Sundays lesson in which we'll be covering turning. Again, it would be great to hear how everyone else is doing! :O

Tom

Hi Tom,

I well remember where you are now and it wasn't that long ago for me.
the lessons and exercises you're doing now will all make sense once you're doing circuits and you'll do lots of them!

I've got a 2.7 hours solo time now (see Personal Flying Videos Mark II thread) but still start each day with some dual time with my instructor. I'm normally the first lesson of the day and he likes to check the weather at circuit height and the thermal/wind landscape on final approach before sending me aloft alone, which is fine by me. I can drop him off on the apron and still have him in my head poking and prodding at the relevant times.
Forgetting to close carb heat on final is my weakness at the moment but I'm developing muscle-memory for the procedures and self commentating for mind-memory.

Another hour or so and some area familiarisation will hopefully see me solo outside the circuit.
It's amazing what a switch from runway 27 to 09 for the first time can do to your circuits "where the heck are my landmarks?".

We've also had time aloft where the circuit has been busy with turn-backs for passenger nausea and low altitudes joins etc where the post lesson briefing explained that it wasn't a good day to go solo; it was my intro to flapless landings and what with all the radio chatter, put an orbit in for spacing, don't put an orbit in as there's someone behind you, what's this numpty doing below us at 500 feet cutting across the base leg? etc.
It was a good days experience of a busy circuit and I took plenty of firsts from it anyway.

I'm weather watching now as I see lessons may start to get cancelled.
My instructor is also away for 3 weeks from mid September...augh.
The bank balance will be happy for the break though.

No blue duck thats a weakness of your instructor-keep it out or Google G-ATRR

From the Safety Sense Leaflet quoted in the AAIB report on the G-ATRR accident:

Blueduck: If you are flying an aircraft where you have to take your hand off the throttle to operate the carb heat, (all PA28s built after the late 1960s) do as your instructor says.

However:

NEVER orbit in an uncontrolled circuit pattern. You never know if there is someone behind you, or not.





MJ:ok:

This.

I'm on a PA28-140 with push throttle, not quadrant style.
The carb heat is directly under my thumb with hand on throttle.

Go around and touch n go with hot air is very noticeable in terms of power reduction.

Thank you to all contributors.
Interesting AAIB report...

Ah turning. A handy skill to develop...;). Great to hear that you are really enjoying it, good innit :).

I was thinking as I read through this thread how as you develop as a pilot your 'stuff to concentrate on' changes. At the moment my taxiing is appallingly slack, not helped by the fact that the taxiways at some of the places I fly from are almost wide enough to land on; so I make a real concerted effort to stay on the centreline. That's the 'get a grip' bit of my flying at the moment. Oddly enough though if I'm somewhere were the taxiways are very narrow I have no problem staying in the middle.

passed my skills test a month ago, I was expecting myself to jump up in the air from happiness, party all night, but somehow I felt absolutely nothing. Tired, exhausted - yes - but happy? I know I've been happier.. Anyway, bless the IAA, I got my licence on hand just a few days later, got my first passenger and only then I realized what's wrong. I am so used to training routine it's hard to switch away from that - I still arrive at the club and look at my instructor like a dog looks at it's owner expecting the instructor to say - ok lets go to the aircraft.. The route to PPL is full of milestones - you have your first flight, your medical, your solo, your written exams, your qualifying cross country and the skills test. It just felt as if another milestone has been reached but I have a million more to reach (in a way that's kind of true)

It's all me now, you don't fully digest it until you're taking off with your first PAX, this is when the bell rings, learning curve continues, you have new responsibilities now, you're a fully licensed pilot! Obviously the joy finally kicked in once I got my first pax down on the ground in one piece, we were both smiling and laughing like mad, real joy, doesn't get any better than this..

as for the paying up front bit, I know the general advice is not to do it as many schools can go bust, but I did it anyway as I have great trust in my club and ended up saving nearly a grand. Use your own judgement in this matter.

It's been a while....
 

Hello all that are still following this thread!

It's been an absolutely crazy past few months due to work and other flying ambitions, hence the lack of posting on here, and unfortunately the lack of hours gained in the sky! Currently at 11.5 hours now with the next lesson being stalling so definitely one to look forward to.

Will try and keep a log of how the lessons go, so would be great to hear if anyone else is at a similar position to me and how they're doing!

Cheers

Mazzy

my fault was not putting carb heat back to cold in case of go around on final approach, the nmeonic CRAP works for me, carb heat cold, runway clear, approach good and permission.
fuel injection or a europa with no carb heat would work even better ;-)

9 month and 11 1/2 hours?

Yes Sir. At current rates it's hard to afford any more than 1-2 lessons per month. Combine this with having practically no spare time and its a challenge!

I may be different to others in the sense that I would rather get to a position where I can give it my all, than simply eat away at it with the odd hour here and there, I prefer the continuity! Different strokes for different folks.

Mazzy

@Mazzy28: The ebook 'Handling Light Aircraft' by Julien Evans may be helpful to you as you progress. Good luck with the PPL course!

Thanks very much Discorde, I shall take a look at this!

18 months and 40 ish hours so far. Saturdays only for me, mostly.
I have a week booked off in each of the next 3 months so I hope to "nail it"; we'll see.
I see from my previous post I've only completed another 3 hours of solo since then...
I've had a particularly unlucky few weeks where one thing or another has meant my instructors "duty of care" has meant I haven't completed a local Navigation solo. I understand and accept this but it was/is frustrating as hell!
Then we get a beautiful Saturday for visibility but I completely fail to cope with the 10kt crosswind in a simple circuit check ride; thoroughly demoralising.

Fingers crossed for decent weather next week.

I think flying is one of those things where there is always a barrier to overcome in one way or another! Hope your flying is going well Blueduck, just out of interest (and not sure if you have already mentioned this) but how long was it before you went solo?

Not to be one of those people who are obsessed with doing it as quickly as possible, but would be good to get a feel for how long its taking everyone.... At the moment I'm in no real rush at all, would rather get to a point where I feel comfortable than rush in to it.

Ahh, and the joy of still needing to sit Air Law exam is on the back of my mind! Should be a fun next few months :)

Hope the weather stays off for you!

Hi Mazzy28,

I was circa 21,22,23 hours or there about; logbook at home.
This was also an occasion where my instructor (rightly) held me back until all the conditions were right, namely my skill and comfort, his comfort and the weather.
Solo vid here...

>sept 3 - 2015
> Similarly, I have also had a go of landing as well,

>mar 30 2016
>Currently at 11.5 hours now with the next lesson being stalling

"Strange", umm, order of teaching skills.

Final skill test passed this weekend just gone. :cool:

I ended up doing the circuit work on the Saturday, just before the 'orrible weather front came in.
Sunday afternoon I did the Navex & manoeuvres stuff.

During my course, over 21 calendar months, I have:

Had lessons with 4 instructors (including examiner), albeit 95% with one.
Had a demo of upset recovery training in a T67M (G-BNSP).
Flown 2x PA28 140 (G-AVLT and G-AYJR).
Land-away from Turweston (EGBT); at Wellesbourne, Leicester and Cambridge.
Clocked over 60 hours, I think.
Taken 4x 1 week leave to ramp-up my training schedule.
Spent around £10,000 on flying and ground-school and equipment (Books, CRP etc).

Bizarrely, there was no "woop-woop" moment on passing; I guess I have taken so long and tried to be so certain of things that it was a bit of an anti-climax to hear those words from the examiner.

I still have to collect all my paperwork from my instructor and send it all off to the CAA, so 4-5 weeks I'm guessing, before I possess a piece of paper with the magic words on.

Like Martin, I'm sure I'll look to the right and think "arrgh, where'd he go!"

I am looking forward to taking some friends up and widening my land-away experience to other parts of the UK in the next 12 months.

Congratulations Blueduck you should be extremely proud of that. It's a hell of a lot of money and no doubt a lot of stress/time involved but can only imagine the sense of achievement!

I've had a very significant turn of events in the last few months, in that I've been offered a place on the easyJet MPL programme with CTC. Just now waiting on a medical then I should be good to go, so its exciting times ahead.

Would be interesting to know if anyone else is thinking of going commercial or taking things further with the PPL?