first lesson
 

I had my first lesson at lac barton today. my instructer was tony partakis. enjoyed every minute of it. i have had flying experiance before with a good friend of mine in g-bbky but this was my first with an instructor. tony was very accomodating and informative and he let me do most of the flying which i really enjoyed. i learned a lot and enjoyed the stalls and recovery very much.....looking forward to my next lesson if the money doesnt run out....thanx tony

Congrats on your first lesson, well done. :ok:

So, youv'e started on the road!, keep going and i hope you enjoy every minute. I know i did, well almost!!:D

Well done on the first lesson! Keep going!! :ok::ok:

Good Luck
 

Good luck with the flying; once you've got the bug!.....

I had a few flights with Tony a few years ago to be 'signed off' to fly the PA28s at Barton; I found him to be very personable, easy to get on with and a great instructor.

Thanks everyone. Ive always had the bug so now its time to start living the dream...here we go all the way..I hope

second lesson
 

had my second lesson. had an hour ground school and then an hours flying. Practiced flying straight and level flight at different speeds. Enjoyed it and feeling more confident..

Me too!
 

Well done Winneybobs. I too have just begun down the road of PPL after a highly enjoyable (yet surprisingly turbulent) first flight last week. Not helped by a two week holiday in the middle of April but looking forward to getting plenty of air between myself and the ground from May 1st.

Good luck with your lessons - keep me updated as to your progress. It'll be good to see how other people are coping with the challenge!

BR

Tony

What i found useful is to write down all the things you have learnt in a notebook and revise them before and after each flight. Happy flying!!! :}

Congratulations Winneybobs - enjoy the journey!

Cheers - Keith

congratulations!

it's certainly exciting stuff, and you look forward to the next lesson more and more.

keep a diary / blog of your lessons and notes of your lectures so it helps you with your exam revision. read the books and try to remember it.

andoni

I can't wait for the day somebody posts a thread on here about their first flying lesson, and somebody replies with something like, "I remember that instructor, he was a right :mad:!"

Well done on taking the first step mate - every success for your future in the air!

:)

Good to hear you'r doing well

We had this young lad age 13- 14 years - came up to Biggin from Battersea most eves after school to clean club planes, taxi for fuel, and general duties -in return for half hour flying or so weekly - On 16th birthday (or eariest date to qualify) passed flying test - not long after was 2nd officer Brit Airways or similar title - Hope you find this encouraging.

halfbaked -

i vomited a lot on my first lesson. now that was something. instructor was good but damn it i was in bits :}

his response... "open the storm window"

cheers mate

hi tony,

just done my 3rd lesson on wednesday. i did climbing and decending excercise 7,8.

feeling a bit more confident.

i have taxied and taken off on all my 3 lessons due to the fact that i had some previous hours with my mate in a cessna before.

i have a great instructor and the flying school is brill.

i have enough money for my next lesson but not enough for another after that for now.

hows your flying going?

im finding it hard learning my air law but keep on reading in hope...

where r you doing your ppl?

hope ure ok

happy landings

ian

thanx everyone for your advice...

keep them coming..

I think i will start a diary for my lessons...sounds like a good idea..

I will keep you all posted as i progress..

happy landings everyone..

:ok:
Ian

Hi Ian

Glad to hear it's going well. The cat-ash-trophe prevented my well earned holiday, but I have managed to get up a couple of times this week. Nailed straight and level (Ex 6) so about to start on 7 and 8 in the next week.

I'm training at PFT in Kidlington - sorry - London Oxford Airport. Great facilities, lovely people, nice place to fly around.

Agreed on air law - dryer than a Ryvita sand sandwich. I was told, a little bit at a time. Also, one tip I got from an instructor - read a couple of pages last thing at night. It'll have a better chance of getting into your brain that way (apparently) - certainly helps you get off to sleep!

Good luck - and keep us updated.

Tony

Brady Lane made this blog last year, but some of you may find it interesting to watch/read thru. He was doing his FAA Light Sport Pilot licence. A different country, different rules, different plane, but the experiences, the studying, the highs, and the lows, are pretty much the same...:ok:

Earning My Wings: a video blog about learning to fly

update
 

Hi all,

Just thought I will give you another update. Ive had my 7th lesson now and doing circuits. My instructor is very pleased with me and im very pleased it went well. studying for my air law exam and looking forward to my next lesson.
hoping to pass exam and medical in a few weeks so i can concentrate on going solo. Hoping to get solo with 10 hrs trainning so only another 3 to go (fingers crossed).

I hope everyone else is doing ok with theres...let us know

Ian

Winneybobs

As long as you remember to deploy flaps when you shuld and not retract them, you'll be ok LOL.

I miss Barton

Just a quick 'good luck' Winneybobs.
Seems like things seem to be going well for you so far!

Hey Winneybobs,

I also just started my ppl lately.

I've four lessons done and doing two more this week. Best of luck with your training:ok:

go mighty ducks...

where you doing your ppl ?

good luck..

ive got my 8th lesson on sunday at 6pm

I'm doing it in Cork, Ireland.

I tried talking to atc and made a complete balls of it:\Embarressing

How you getting on

im doing ok.

money is tight so i save up and have a lesson every couple of weeks or so. im really pleased the way its going. I ve had 7 lessons and my circuits are really good. my instructor seems pleased with me too. talked to barton information a few times. im ok at it but cant seem to grasp the reply bit yet i get tongue tied but will come with practice.
finding it hard to take all the air law in for my exam. i want to pass it in a few weeks so i can get my medical and go solo with around 10 hours...well thats my plan anyway.

keep going and keep in touch:ok:

ian

8th lesson
 

Hi everybody,

just had my 8th lesson.

Done some more circuits and talked on the radio. Really pleased with myself. Feeling confident now. Tony gave me some fan stop after take off (engine failures) and did a glide approach also i did a simulated aircraft on runway go-around.

head down to study my air law and medical.

hows everyone else doing???
:ok::ok::ok:

I am new here, but have to say that this forum is encouraging me, as i am looking for a club in manchester/liverpool to start my lessons.
Solo after 10 hours....does that mean (and forgive my ignorance:-)) on your own in the plane?

Yes, it does. You'll be flying alone for the first time... :eek:

Medical (class 2)
 

HI FOLKS,

Just to let everyone know that I passed my class 2 medical today...

I hope everyone else is doing ok. Ive not flown for over a month now but soon will be..:)

Hi there, how's the training going at the moment? Any updates are extremely appreciated. I'm planning to start my PPL at Barton in the new year.

I hope you took notes and remember that - flying at Barton (sorry City Airport Manchester - bah humbug!!!!) it'll happen to you for real many times

Congratulations on getting the bug - I hope you stay hooked

Cheers
Ian

Well done so far winneybobs. :D

It sounds like you have the right attitude to get that solo within 10 hours.

Good luck, :)

coldair

Hey Winney, I'll let you into a little secret, you don't actually need lessons to fly a plane. There was a bloke on The Gadget Show who just spent a long time on a PC simulator and went to fly a circuit, (including the landing) straight away.

Of course I'm only kidding.

My old fella' used to take me Barton as a nipper, either to just marvel at the aircraft, (in them days you used to be able to wander round the hangers. My dad was an engineer, and was amazed that some guy was filing an engine block with what looked like an old "bastard" file, so that he could get over the pylons at the end of 27, rather than fly under them. (Or that's what he told us:)).

And the airshows were magnificant-seem to remember a low level pass by concorde some years ago.

Try and get hold of Three Score Years and Ten by Peter Maher, some great stuff in there about the history of the place.

Years later, managed to eventually to gain my PPL there and spent many an hour flying around the Northwest. Everyone I met there were truly friendly and helpful.

I don't fly now, mortgage & work being my poor excuse. I don't even visit the place, because it would serve as a sad reminder of how I used to spend my time there.

But boy oh boy, how I yearn to be back in India Lima, getting thumped on my shoulder, with my instructor tapping the airspeed indicator with a pointy telescopic thing, reminding me of my airspeed on finals:ok:

1st solo
 

Hi everyone,
sorry but i did post a reply on the 7th october but it seems its not come up.
passed my air law exam:ok:
i did my 1st solo on the 7th october at barton. i was really pleased. 10 hours like i wanted too.:ok::D:O
got my name in todays pilot magazine (dec.2010 issue)

had another lesson today and did 45 degrees and 60 degrees turns.
did a nice landing too.

hope everyone is doing well.

let me know

happy landings

hi
 

is there anybody else out there doing well or struggling let me know please....:bored:

Think I'm doing reasonably well, making slow and steady progress :ok:

ATCOs are used to that!

Haha, true! ;)

I am making very slow progress - 6 lessons and having difficulty with slow flaps down on a steading heading. I think its a combination of my age and too long a gap between each lesson. I would be suprised if I go solo before 20 hours

Keep at it peeps! :D I too had many points during my training when I thought I was going backwards, but I now have my PPL. You CAN do it - just accept that we all have to 'plateau' during our progress sometimes.

12 th lesson
 

Did my 12th lesson on the 30th dec.2010.

precautionary circuits..

a bit rusty and weather was a bit foggy but did quite well.


next lesson to be booked in a couple of weeks i hope.

ordered my navigation equipment

start studying again for nav