Affordable Flying
 

Hi,

I'm looking for some affordable flying in the Southeast?

I don't mind if this is a share in an aeroplane or hire. Ideally, I would like to pay less than £100/hr wet. I'm not looking for anything flash.

Does anyone have any ideas/suggestions? I know this might be a tall order in the current climate.

Thanks all :ok:

Gliding, delta, parasailing, powered parachutes and weightshift microlights are just a few examples of very cheap flying. Well below £100/hr.

If you get a share in an LAA type homebuilt or microlight you should also be able to fly for less than £100/hr wet.

It really depends on how much capital you are prepared to invest and how much flying you do. For £3 - 4k you should be able to buy a share in a permit aircraft which will give you flying at about £60/hour as long as you do about 2 hours a month. For a much bigger investment you could buy a share in a more modern machine which, with a much better fuel consumption, should offer even lower rates.

Just about any syndicate at Popham, Chilbolton (okay, a few issues there right now), White Waltham... will give you under £100/hr, some including amortising the share purchase over the first year or three.

Best value will usually come from permit aeroplanes - LAA or BMAA permits in other words.

G

FlyingTime at Shoreham have what they call the '79 club'. Basically you get a Piper PA28 (diesel) for £79 per hour including VAT and fuel. Not bad at all!!

There are some caveats on this deal though, such as you can only have the plane for a max of 1.5 hours at a time, allocated in slots. However, I think it's the best deal going so I will be paying the £350 deposit to join this club once I get back from the States with my PPL in May.

Also, if you're in this neck of the woods we could always meet and plane share. This would help to build air experience and we could share the costs somehow which would make it cheaper for us both. Just an idea....

Depending on your experience (especially tailwheel) you could get one of these for £65/hour wet:

http://www.turbteam.com/TurbPass2.jpg

From the Tiger Club

OC619

www.airsearch.co.uk

Not exactly down your route but your can volunteer your time to help others with flying and also make some pretty good contacts along the way.

Endorsing the Tiger Club's Turbs - and the £65/hr includes repairs, maintenance, hangarage and insurance. It don't get much more affordable than that! :ok:

Try £35/hr for an L4 Cub Warbird all inclusive,there may be some shares available;)

Damn that tiger looks like fun:cool:

Lister - Get thee behind me temptation.

JAFO - that Cub is SO unsuitable for you! It's not allowed south of the river Waveney, though Lister does patrol the north bank quite effectively! Exercising his own Suffolk NFZ!!

Stik

Sufferk NFZ
 

North of the Waveney ? That be Norfaark, there it be

Hi Everyone,

A BIG Thank you for all these fantastic suggestions. :ok:

Where is the best place to search? I've found the UKGA site.

Is tailwheel experience required to fly an aircraft which does not appear to have a tailwheel?;)

Stik - I've applied for a visa and expect travel restrictions to be lifted on Friday of this week, at least for business travel. :ok:

Everything is suitable for me, however very few things are suitable for my bank account; the price I pay for that rosy inner glow one gets from a lifetime of service to the public, I suppose. ;)

How utterly useless! (And, looking at their website, you are correct, 60-90 minute slots, only one per day).

1½ hrs at a time, allow 15 minutes at each end, is an hour. That'll about get you around the houses, you'll never land away anywhere, never go more than about 50 miles from your Shoreham and thus never really learn much about flying.

Even most rental operations will allow you to landaway so long as you do some reasonable hours. A proper share will allow you to take the aeroplane away for a few days.

G

AFORS, The Hangar, adverts in any of the flying magazines (Flyer, Pilot/Todays-Pilot, Loop) and the members magazines (Light Aviation, Microlight Flying).

And most of all, go to the friendly local airfields, buy a large mug of tea, and go and survey the notice boards.

G

Join the LAA - the mag etc will help

Rod1

JAFO - I've just taken the donk out of my two-deater today as with less than 3 hrs after a bottom o/haul it was not maintaining oil pressure - else I'd meet up with you.

Keep in touch!

Stik