Just a quick question to everyone hear, Im 24 hours into my ppl course nw and i didnt go solo til da 19/20th hour. An i was wondering, is that longer than what you would expect?

I'm on 13 hours. I've now had 4 lessons of circuits and just when I think I'm starting to get the hang on it I had a lesson with a 15kt cross wind. I was all over the place and I feel like a noob again. I really can't see me soloing for many hours yet. :ugh:

Funny
 

I always thought I learnt to fly in about 3 hours. It just needed 20 hours previous to that to get there :)

I do think that there is to much emphasis placed on solo. I actually prefer flying with an instructor. Every hour I fly solo, I get worse more slowly. Every hour dual, my flying improves :ok:

It took me 48 hours to go solo. :{ At the time I thought that I must be the worst pilot in the history of aviation. :(

But the following year, hiring aircraft with a friend and flying off to different places most weekends, taking a two-day trip to Cornwall, planning my first trip abroad, etc etc, it really didn't matter in the least. And it doesn't. Stop worrying.

Without checking I think it took me around 19 hours.
It isn't a race and because yo do it in 10 hours or less doesn't automatically mean you are going to be a good pilot.
Enjoy your flying.
Lister:)

green with envy
 

What year was that ? What I wouldn't give for VFR flying weather every weekend!

My lessons are going from bad to worse :ugh:
Due to the bad weather and the fact that its a small flying school there was a couple of months between my 4th and 5th lessons so I was told that the 5th lesson would be spent as a 'recap' lesson.

Now my instructor has left - no doubt my 6th lesson will be a start from scratch type thing.

Is someone trying to tell me something!!

hey joolz.

You'll probably find that the point at which your instructor changes from Jerez to Seville is at VRP Echo (a little town with a new motorway going near it, to the east of the airport) or VRP Whiskey (an obscure little hill to the west of the airport) - which are the points at which VFR traffic is permitted to leave and enter the Jerez airport airspace. This is because Jerez only covers the airport airspace and the instrument approaches, whereas Seville provides a radar service for the whole surrounding area.

I think it was on about my fourth or fifth lesson there that I started to understand this, change the frequency myself and generally do all the procedures for getting in and out of Jerez...

good luck! And have fun.

1998. And I exaggerate slightly. Or rather, I didn't mention the weekend we got stranded in Blackpool due to a line of thunderstorms from Liverpool to Leeds, or the day we gave up the idea of getting to the Isle of Man due to unforecast sea mist, or the times we went from Welshpool to Shobdon or Sleap yet again since we didn't think we'd manage any further, or...etc etc.

Sue

all part of the game unfortunately.

I started with a 5 hour package and by the 5th lesson I was with an instructor who was sending texts to his mates between glancing at his watch while I am trying to do climbing and descending turns.

Also, had 13 different instructors in my first 45 hours. Eventually the school went bust (mighty Flight Academy Scotland) and yet again changed school, aircraft and instructors to take me thru my test which happened rather soon and successfully.

Fortunately they are not all that bad. But there are some shocking ones that make up for all the good work done by others.

Keep at it, and read the flight training manual to keep yourself right, in the unlikely event that your instructor is of the useless ballast type.

Unfortunately, money can buy ratings but not professionalism

Thanks for you comments high-hopes.
I've got a few lessons booked for next month - weather permitting!
We'll see what this new guy is like, at least I'm lucky in that there are 4 flying schools within a 40 minute drive where I live.

Still, early days yet...!

Cheers Michaelthewannabe for explaining that. Now I understand. How long ago were you at Jerez and how long were you there for? Can you believe we´re getting weather problems here too - August and it´s horribly windy and pouring with rain! At least the chances of it being sunny and calm again in time for my next lesson next weekend are significantly higher than they would be in UK!

Update...
 

Well, looks like I am now starting to fall into the trap.

March 2008 will be my 2 year point - by which I will have no way done my 12 hours. At the moment, I need 2 hours with an instructor, even before I can carry a passenger - then with March rapidly approaching, I will no way be able to fit it in. So after that, it will pretty much be a full retest, with all the usual costs.

I'll tell you the one and only sole reason why this is the case: cost.

I just haven't been able to afford the £100+ each month to do a petty hour, bimbling round Scouseport. The only positive I can gain from this at the moment, is that I still have 3 years left to reach a point in life where I can reasonably afford flying. I can't really go on talking about it because I always knew flying was expensive - but perhaps now it feels more like a tick in the box of life rather than a hobby I'd like to keep up. I've always loved the idea of a group (cracking one at Liverpool, the Chipmunk) and this would have saved me hundreds in the long run - but again, I think this is something I'll have to consider when I'm at a more financially stable point in life (I.e. old and stuck in the rat race).

Sorry - bit of a dull ranty thread to what was once an enthusiastic part of my life :(

Don't loose heart mazzy!
I started flying at the ripe old age of 30 and so far this year have only managed to get 5 hours in due to weather and a couple of instructors leaving.
Is there anyway you could save up a few bob and go abroad for a few weeks and just hammer the flying? Its something Im considering.

Mazzy,
What rotten luck as you were so enthusiastic and really quite an inspiration when I was a student.
I've managed approx 20 hrs in the first 6 months of my second year but I'm fortunate that I belong to a brilliant Piper Cub group where the flying is really affordable and that makes it a lot easier.
Also I'm a lot older than you with no mortgage or other major debts and a reasonable disposable income, it would have been quite a struggle for me when I was younger.
What about looking around for microlight group or a share in something old but safe,like a Jodel or similar?
Good luck and please keep flying!
Lister:)

You need to look at getting into a cheap share Maz - that'll bring your hourly costs down by quite a bit, and there's less currency requirement than if renting from a club (but beware being out of 'your' currency - i.e. don't fly alone if rusty!) and you can go up with other group members if you're a little rusty rather than instructors.

Thanks :ok:

I suppose I was having a bad day yesterday, and in hindsight I shouldn't have posted that here, as it kind of invalidates all of the good work we've put into this thread. However, it's reality and it's the truth :suspect:

mazzy

can perfectly understand where you're coming from.
I got to the same stage where it's painful not to fly, and even more painful to fly (financially) and you're pretty much stuck in the middle.

Buying shares doesn't solve the problem if you're skint lol
It makes you spend less per hour, if you fly a lot of hours, but it doesn't make you spend LESS ! :)

I have given myself 3 options :

1. bite the bullet all the way : get into debt and go commercial and join the club of unemployed pilots until the day one gets paid for flying

2. get a better paid job

3. consider microlights for the time being

At the moment I'm working on options 2 and 3.
Hopefully once 2 is sorted, it might even help with option 1 !

Things aren't going too well with my PPL'ing at the moment.
My flying school has been without instructors since early September. I was booked for a lesson today but that's cancelled and it looks unlikely they will be flying at any time in the future. :sad:

Trawling round the web at the moment and going to get in touch with Liverpool, Ravenair and Chester - any comments on them welcome!

Awww, that's unlucky Sue, hope you manage to work things out. I've no experience with those schools.
I've been keeping my eye on this thread and it's very interesting to read people's stories, some good, some bad.
I've not really been progressing much recently, mainly due to financial issues. I passed my checkride back in March, which I posted on this thread, but I've been quiet since then. I've been flying once every month or so, taking various family members and friends up, and I'll continue to do that for the next 6 months or so all being well.
When college is done in July, the plan is that I'll then begin professional training. Currently I'm leaning towards the modular route. I have a good friend in Canada who also has a PPL, and the plan is that we're going to meet up in July and do some flying together. I'll then hopefully be able to clock up around 70 hours P1 over there to take me up to the requisite 150 hours total time for beginning the modular course.
Currently I'm planning to go to either Oxford or Cabair, and I'm off to OAT's open day next weekend.
Hope everyone's keeping well! It's nice to see this thread's still well alive.

Mazzy,
Long time no "speak". I trust you are well. I do hope you find a way of continuing to fly on a more regular basis, it would be such a waste of all the effort, the blood, sweat and tears that went into getting your ppl!!.
Just as a personal update, you may remember we were learning pretty much at the same time, and qualified not too far apart. It's bloomin' expensive to hire at £120 per hour (Warrior), but I've kept it up and have just reached the required 12 hours (with 7 hours P1), so I'm OK before the Winter sets in, though I still have 6 months to go before the second year deadline. It's nevertheless comforting to have the required hours, and the 1 hour with instructor under my belt - I realistically cannot see me doing much more than 25/30 hours in a full year.
The checkride was taken care of when I spent an hour on a checkride with my new flying clubs' CFI, and he will sign off my next two years privaliges after Xmas. I have now joined Coventry Aeroplane Club (following the demise of East Mids Flying School*). Covaero have two virtually new Warrior 161's owned by the members, beautifully equipped with two garmin 430's, and electric backup for suction, an ELT beacon etc. After the 15000 hour tubs I learned on, they are both so taught and lovely to fly. Coventry is not as busy (yet!) as East Mids, but with Thomsonfly and Wizzair increasing services weekly it seems, it won't be too long!!
I started the IMC, and have done about 10 hours to date, though I've let these lessons lapse over the last three months. I'd like to get that up and running again.
Just a thought, at Covaero, members are encouraged to fly together, thereby halving the cost. One is P1 outbound, the other, P1 on the return. maybe that's a way forward?
Whatever, I do hope you do not let your license lapse, and wish you the very best for your future flying,
Cheers
CF
* Rumour has it EMFS have a purchaser, and may well be continuing at East Mids - I very much hope so, they are a great organisation

Since it seems to be a little bit of a reunion going on I thought I'd poke my nose in here! Glad to see that you are all still about. Sorry to hear your struggling to keep flying mazzy, I know your pain! Its so expensive to just even stay current let alone fully enjoy the licence we all worked so hard on! Hope you manage to find away through it, are you still considering getting an FI? That would be one way you could fly and not have to pay for it? Although you may need to get a CPL first if any school will actually allow you to teach, I don't really know how it works!

Update from me is that I'm going to be starting with Ryanair on 26th Nov and will be flying the 737-800, so am looking forward to doing the TR and then getting in the air in the real thing early next year!

Happy landings and blue skies to you all!

Wow Blinkz!! You have moved on a lot, 737/800, absolutely fantastic, very well done. Congratulations to you - the nearest I get to Boeings/Airbuses is via several friends who fly for the airlines - Virgin/BMI/BA. I keep telling them it's not a proper job, just a paid hobby.

Very envious, and the very best of luck,

Cheers

CF

PS I don't get high enough for blue skies!!

Good to see this thread resurface again - my update:-

I've been making good progress and flying regularly - this coming weekend is the big one. PPL Theory and final Solo Nav on the Saturday, Flight Test booked for Sunday.

I've got endorsements for tail-wheels and wobbly props signed off and will be starting to work on NVFR, retractable u/c and possibly some multi-engine over the next couple of months.

I don't think it's particularly important that you go solo as soon as possible in your training. Yes, it is a milestone in your flying career, of course, but there's no need to rush it. Trust your instructor's judgment.

I was dreading my instructor getting out and saying I could go solo. The first time he did it I told him I wanted to do another hour of circuits. It was the end of a day in which I had done 2 hours of flying. I was tired. I was also fixated with flying a perfect circuit and approach, followed by a 'greaser' of a touch down. I knew I couldn't do that, but what I didn't realise is that it wasn't important at this stage. Safety was paramount. I was safe, but I wasn't confident.

I exercised my fledgling 'airmanship' and said no, but went solo the next day on 17 hours.

hey everyone! How does this keeping current thing work??
Would you need to do a certain amount a year or is it a month??

James :ok:

To fly with passengers you must have completed 3 landings within the preceeding 90 days. If taking pax at night, one of the 3 landings must have been at night - that's called "keeping current".

If hiring club aircraft, many clubs insist that you have flown previously within the last 30 days.

As far as renewing your JAA PPL(A) licence is concerned, you must, in the 2nd year of your licence, complete 12 hours as Pilot in command one of which must have been with an instructor.

See Lasors 2007 (search Google for the pdf).

(I think! ;) )

Note that although going up and doing 3 circuits every 3 months, while it does satisfy the currency requirements for pax, probably won't do your flying any good! ;)

Keeping current.
 

Most flying schools/clubs have a 30 day rule. ie you must have flown in the previous 30 days, or you have to go up with an instructor for a (usually very quick) check ride. It's to do with insurance cover I believe.

Ok cheers guys! So i could probably get away with at least 2 landings a month or is my maths bad from getting up at 4am to go to work at heathrow?!?!

Not that im just gonna do 2 landings a month i wanna do as much as possible, depending on how much overtime there is :}

James :ok:

That's the problem sometimes, when they insist you go up and do 2 hours to go over the whole syllabus!

Don't get me wrong, nothing is better than experience, but I think sometimes the club goes a bit over the top...

Mazzy, hi! I haven't visited this thread for ages, so nice to see it's still around.

Maz, if a simple checkout is taking two hours, something is wrong. Either you've forgotten everything you ever knew, or the instructor wants the hours. :( I don't know which it is, but if the second, find another school.

You're not all that far from Sleap, are you? Much cheaper hire than Liverpool, no landing fees for home aircraft, and....YOU ONLY HAVE TO DO A CHECKOUT WITH AN INSTRUCTOR IF YOU HAVEN'T FLOWN FOR TWO MONTHS! Friendly little club too - I miss it. :{ It might be worth the extra drive for you.

Another option is to take off to France for a few days and do some flying with Sue Burgess-Virr, a British instructor who lives near Limoges and practically specialises in getting Brits their 12 hours - it's how I got mine. See www.nearlyheaven.com.

If none of that works, bite the bullet and revalidate your PPL by test. A friend just did it and said it was no big deal - no nav, and about an hours general handling...and Bob's your uncle. He said he's always going to do it that way. He did it at Sleap - I have no idea if all flying schools and examiners are the same. But it's certainly cheaper than flying 12 hours for the sake of it.

The other option is to give up flying till you have the money, then renew by test. If you don't leave it too long, it should be no big deal. Again, there's no point in flying simply in order to be allowed to carry on flying! Stopping for a few months or even years really isn't the end of the world.

Hope some of that helps at least a little.

Hang in there. :ok:

Whirly

Hi Mazzy,

2 hours for a check ride!!! My skills test wasn't much longer than that. My last club check ride (post knee surgery kept me grounded for 10 weeks:*) was about 40 minutes. Slow flight, steep turns, unusual attitudes and a PFL plus a couple of t & G's.

Hope you can keep flying Mazzy, I must admit finances do limit my aerial activities some what, but then thats part of the challenge. If it was as cheap as chips the world and his wife would be up there. God forbid the skys become as crowded as the roads.

Thanks for the tip Whirly my sister has a house near there. Me thinks cheap holiday and cheap(er) flying must be good for the soul.

Chris

Thanks guys ;)

Whirls, I think you've summed up my plans there pretty well - I am gonna wait a while and then think about taking it all on board again (I have something in the pipeline at the moment which should soon - wont say too much yet) ;)

I've never had a bad thing to say about my club, and I hopefully never will, but one thing for sure is that they love getting the hours in for their customers (natural I guess - they are a business). I can pretty much guarantee, that when I come to re-validate by test, it will be the full works - nav and all. Now, as some have you have pointed out, you've not had to do this, however, I've never disagreed with getting experience - I just feel a little down hearted sometimes when I know they may be shafting you for cash at the end of the day, it's the CAA that make the rules and the clubs that bring the money in (I've worded that last sentence carefully there, as the CAA do make money).

Whirls - I have even considered moving to another part of the UK where I can get the 'Sleap' type of flying - we are very limited up here in the north west...

Keeping the positive vibes - onwards and upwards - I'll get there in the end :cool:

Cheers
Lee :ok:

30 days
 

Mazzy,
I recently had a situation where I had not flown for 6 weeks, outside of the 30 day rule. All I had to do was 2 circuits with an instructor, total time brakes off/on, 20minutes, and I was immediately cleared to take the plane (went straight out!)
Maybe I misread your post, but you should not be having to do 2 hours just to get 30 day current,
Cheers CF
PS, I'm 75% through the IMC and it looks like it's being canned by EASA - great!!

Received the letter today that my flying school, Cheshire, has gone in to liquidation :sad:


Sadly the number of lessons canceled due to this years bad weather had a lot to do with their problems which is understandable, I had twice as many flights cancelled than I actually had!

My main problem now is getting my training records so I can transfer them to my new flying school

Funny that Sue, LFS have just acquired a 172.....

I have to admit, that however painful it is that I haven't flown - I think the weather has actually helped me in this situation. In all of my 25 years, I don't think I can ever remember such a bad 2 years or so of weather!

It's a really nasty forecast for all of the UK this weekend....

Last I saw of the CATS 172 it was parked up in Hawarden but I wouldn't be surprised if its the same one now at LFS

Hopefully weather will improve early next week, got another lesson booked for Monday, I've not been out since Sept

Well - what can I say!

It's been a very long time since I posted here - I decided to log in to prune and see some of my old posts.I havent logged in for a very long time (in pprune terms!) and I thought it only right to let you know what's going on.

About 2 months ago I was in search of a new job (wanting to climb the career ladder and all that) - we also put our house up for sale, again, looking to move up the ladder. So, the house goes on the market on, lets say Saturday.......here's the good bit.....

By Tuesday we get a call saying wev'e had an offer (which was accepted) and on Wednesday, I found out I had got this great new job. I had to control the excitement, knowing that if I got too carried away with all the good progress, I'd end up doing something stupid.

So where is this going (after all, I did say at the start of this thread that I wouldn't talk about life and all it's struggles etc)? Well, the new wage, and lack of having to travel about 4 hours per day, may very well mean that I can start flying again. 9 days ago was the 2 year anniversary of my PPL flight test, which means that I dont' have the 12 hours required. HOWEVER this may not be a bad thing. Rather than waste lost of money bimbling around, I can now spend some quality time with an intstructor, working on my skills in order to get my 'wings' back :)

(By the way - nothing wrong with bimbling around) :ok:

Sorry to re-incarnate this old thread, but after so many dedicate posts, I only see it fair to say Hi and let you know how things are,

Congratulations to Blinkz and DiscoChocolate, who are now flying for Ryanair, it doesn't seem that long ago since we were talking about Air Law :8

See you in the air...

Cheers
Lee :ok:

Hey Mazzy, good to hear from you. This is a "Classic" thread that should never be allowed to die!!

Hopefully your new circumstances will see you back in the air soon. I am still flying out of East Mids occasionally, though mostly out of Coventry these days in new Warrior 111's. As we spend much of the Summer in Chichester, I'm just about to start flying out of Shoreham too, converting to a very nice new 172 - will make a change from the PA28's.

Best of luck,

CF

Hi Mazzy,
Good to hear from you and the good news re job,house etc.
I am due for my two year renewal with instructor flight before 11th May and will be doing it in a Stearman sometime in April.
I fly most weekends in the L4 Cub ,weather permitting, and we have also just moved house to a smaller property about 3 miles from our previos place, so that we can keep the same friends etc.
Good luck.
Lister:):)