40 hours without solo is a concern but then where I'm angry is that i have told the school my free times yet i am not getting the hours or the instructor chosen is not free for what ever reason, but from speaking to a few others i may need additional 30 hours or less thus my next concern is if the 30 hours cost is the same as 45 hours at another school do i proceed with DEREK or choose another flying school to complete the course

Most, if not all, flying schools will do some kind of bespoke program. They often need the income! Your experience sounds atypical to me. I'd recommend shopping around, you don't necessarily need to go to DD.

However, a word of warning; there should be absolutely no guarantee (from any flying training operation) that you'll be able to get what you need done by September. Formulate a back up plan for your ATPLs.

i have shoped around and i will not be going back to my original flying school where i started my initial PPL, i have looked at a few places that are near me within driving distance and price wise the difference is that of say roughly between £500-£1000, but what I'm thinking is will the weather be improving in AUGUST OR SEPTEMBER ,

In England? Good luck with that. Could go either way...

Seriously. Crack on but don't put yourself under that timetable pressure.

Do make sure that your logbook is signed by the school you're leaving, verifying your hours.

G

i guess going to the states within the next 11 days or so and completing the ppl over there won't mean i will achieve it within the next 6 weeks will it? i have been told DEREk charges £200 per lesson including landing charges thus my question is if i need say 30 additional lessons to complete my PPL do i go with him or find another school as i have found another school where they charge 30 hours for £5100, huge price difference of £900..

would i be wise to visit the additional school/s tell them my story and let them assess how many hours i will need to complete the PPL

r10bbr

Where about in Essex are you/have you been flying from?

S$!^£*ford ( i have chosen to omit the schools name for personal reason to respect the school and not to create any personal prejudice's etc )

The States generally have much more stable weather than here. Possibly; can't advise you on that, all my time instructing was spent in the UK.

Without being familiar with either Derek or the other school, no idea. You'll have to pick. Having said that, I suspect there is no "magic bullet" that DD possess, and others do not.

Any flying school you go to with a half completed PPL will and should want to know your backstory. They won't be able to truly make an estimate of how long you'll need until they fly with you; and even then it'll only be a guess.

I wish i could go back and either find a more suitable flying school whom would have accommodated me to the time table for when i first started maybe then i would not have been in this situation , any hows my next question is the pricing as that when i was looking at other schools, if i need approximately 30 hours or less and that if DEREK's pricing is the same as 45 Hours at another school , do i opt to fly with DEREK or choose the alternative flying school and complete the required hours whereas i will be saving the difference in price etc...

Also in terms of location i have found that flying wth DEREK will involve flying in BOURNEMOTH whereas if i chose an alternative school such as CRANFIELD i would be flying from MILTON KEYNES, thus will the weather be good in AUGUST/SEPTEMBER in either location.

The weather won't be appreciably better in either location, overall.

I don't believe Derek is somehow magically better than other schools.

Here's what to do;

-Stop fannying about on PPRuNe.
-Pick a school; go and visit one that has reasonable prices that is located somewhere good for you. Unless you're going to the US, don't both trying to pick somewhere in the UK with good weather.
-When you visit, walk in unannounced, find the Operations person, explain your situation and ask what they can do for you.
-Repeat until you find somewhere you feel comfortable at that make you feel welcome. Talk to the othet studes as well, see what they have to say.
-Don't pay upfront, ever.
-Get flying, pronto. You keep going on about your September deadline. Well, you posted here almost two weeks ago, and far as we know, you've still not gotten back into the air.
-Report back.

I did my Microlight to SSEA with Derek over three days, the one + is that he seems to fly in weather that most instructors wouldn't, I was converting from three axis microlight and also had some time in a C152, so wasn't to bad jumping into a P28, if it was a flexwing microlight conversion to SSEA, three days would be pushing it.

iv just hopped onto this conversation so forgive me if this has been said already.

have you considered going to another school to see how they think you fly?

40 hours without solo is a long time but certainly not unheard of. i took about 12 but i was also aiming for completing in a month. i did all ground exams with derek, rt with my school but due to weather and bookings etc it took me 6 months in the end 45 hours and 10 mins total time.

everyone has their own absorption rate and it should never be rushed, people could get hurt that way. just go with the flow and see what happens. i do think getting another instructors opinion may be worth while step to take. An intensive course is probably going to be unnecessary if say for example , you were being held back.

yes i have considered other schools and have made the necessary appointment to visit them and to explain my situation, yes i agree everyone works at there own pace and yes it should never be rushed, i just wish that by now i would have had my PPL license and look forward to starting my ATPLS .. i guess i will have to take it a day as a time, one quick question i have also looked on Best Flying Schools In The UK | TopRankFlyingSchools.co.uk and in particular the top 10 flying schools in the UK, picking a school that is in the top 5 will that count towards my completion of PPL faster etc than compared to a school that is not in the top 10?

Given your slow progress so far, the last thing to do is RUSH.

The time it takes you to complete will largely be down to your progress, and not down to "the best schools" table.
Simply choose one that suits you, and do it. You need to ask them for an honest opinion as to whether you are capable of achieving PPL standard, and if you are, what are your prospects for a professional licence in the fullness of time.
Consider aptitude testing post PPL stage.

I have no idea how they define "top" on that website (which is just a paid-for advertising site) but very much doubt "speed of PPL completion" is amongst the categories judged (assuming there is any "judgement")

It's no good wishing about the past.

I'll be blunt; it seems you're wasting a lot of time doing research to find out which is the faster school to complete with.

Flying training is (in the main) flying training; one particular school doesn't somehow go a lot faster than the others.

From psychology lectures 50+ years ago: humans differ in their learning imagery. You may need an instructor who understands (shares?) yours. I learnt nothing from watching an instructor do something.
Kinaesthetic imagery???
(Slow to solo gliders, 3 hours to convert to power on a DH82 Jackeroo variant.)

hobbit1983

Nothing at all wrong with being blunt, but try and be accurate.

Each flying school I have come across has its own agenda and sometimes I have seen where the interests of the student is disregarded. It is true to say that some instructors are career instructors offering a full time service whilst others have part time jobs elsewhere, while just building hours towards an unfrozen ATPL.

R10bbr, you may wish to consider Clacton Aero Club. They also offer intense instruction and are very very good. That said, I have also heard complimentary remarks about DD.

Jetblu,


I believe I am being accurate - hence the 'in the main' bit. I don't disagree some schools are better than other, but the OP is still going to have to do a set number of exercises. And he's running out of time, apparently.

wow the prices of Clacton Aero Club is 1k cheaper if not 2 k cheaper to those schools i have looked at price wise for 45 hours PPL, i do understand i may not even need 45 hours but as that is the cheapest school found does that mean there delivering of PPL to students will be less than other schools of different price, now the question asked will the weather be better in clacton ?

i found the following club Flying schools - Clacton Aero Club flying school, the price of 45 hours ppl is between 1 to 2k cheaper to other schools i have looked at the prices are:

Cessna 150/152
Training: Hourly - £129 - 10hr block £122 per hour

PA18 - 150 Super Cub
Training: Hourly £149 - 10hr block £142 per hour

Cessna 172
Training: Hourly £152 - 10hr block £145 per hour

Cessna 150 / 152 (45 hours £5490 )

thus if i need 30 hours it will be that of £3,660

im in two minds now

Accommodation is available too if you ask. You will enjoy it there. The instruction is 1st class grass roots flying. The mindset is totally different.
If the weather plays ball, no reason why you wouldn't complete in 2-3 weeks.
Good luck whichever way you decide to go.

hi jetful thank you for your reply, wow i wish i found or heard about this school before, I'm amazed at the prices surely how can they afford to maintain and run if other schools prices are more? may i ask is there info i should know about clacton?

r10bbr, Stop just concentrating on the price! I would have thought you'd have learned that by now, after your experiences. It's the quality of instruction and - very, very important - how you get on with your instructor which count. Also the organisation at the school - whether you can fly with the same instructor all the time if you want to, whether you can book lessons when YOU want them, type of runways (grass only limits you to dry-ish weather), and a whole host of other things. All this can make a huge difference to the number of hours it'll take you, and more importantly, to your ability as a pilot at the end. Early instruction is very important; you don't want to re-learn stuff you've been badly taught - and, sadly, I speak from experience here. :-(

Look, I don't usually blow my own trumpet, but I'm an instructor and also an aviation writer. I had an article published long ago called "What School, Which Instructor" which covers all these issues and more. If you're serious about this, PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy. You might find it in back issues of Flight Training News, but it was published about 8 years ago!

All of this is equally important when it comes to choosing a school and instructor for more advanced courses too, such as CPL, FI etc, so don't think I'm treating you as a beginner. I'm simply trying to pass on the benefit of my experience. Plus...loads of people helped me on this site in the early days; it's time I passed it on.

r10bbr - you have received a lot of advice on here, some informed, some maybe not so. I would advise you to take Whirlybird up on her offer.

And, as others have said, do not go on price alone. If you go on to CPL/IR level, costs then will dwarf PPL training. And a little extra spent on good PPL training/grounding now may well save you additional training costs further down the line.

thank you for your replies i had my first trial lesson with Derek today lovely gentleman who cuts to the chase, i flew a PA28 compared to my normal cesna 152, loved it the PA28 was easy to fly, love the hand break style flaps and the big trim wheel, getting used to the new layout will take time lol, my day started doing a flight from Bournemoth Airport to Old Sarum Airfield, and then doing circuits roughly about 7 touch and go's and then general exercises such as stalling/steep turn

i still can't believe how easy it was to fly and i managed no hiccups in term of landing etc..
price is yet to be talked about but i will speak tomorrow but overall i enjoyed my trial flight and hope the good weather continues..

i appreciate everyone input and yes i will look at clacton on my next day off

ps air police i am looking to study my ATPLS at ground school and will build up hours during free time or after completion of ATPLS

If you are content with DD stick with him. Leave Claxton until post PPL issue.

Don't be in any rush....

Good though DD may be, commuting from Essex to/from Bournemouth over the course of a PPL is going to be both a tough ask and expensive to boot.

Pick a school within an hours commute max would be my recommendation (unless you intend to get accommodation somewhere for a 3 week Florida-style PPL completion course)

just did my first solo loved it, was so exciting and it went quick the 15 mins of solo lol, i am actually staying nearby than commuting fellow members i will highly recommend others to DEREKDAVISDON, training has been great flying from BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL TO OLD SARUM AIRFIELD , felt so proud landing back at BOURNEMOUTH INTERNATIONAL on an actual airline airfield felt like i was sat behind a 747, lol..

Congratulations, r10bbr!:D I completed my conversion from microlight to SSEA this week with Derek. No complaints from me.

Excellent. Well done :ok:


...as I said earlier, I have only heard compliments about DD.

Pleased to hear that you are enjoying it & congratulations on your FIRST SOLO.

Congratulations r10bbr. Looks like you don't need my article right now, but hopefully it'll come in useful in the future.

thanks for the article and all the help fellow users

Is it not a bit unfair to have a four page thread on one instructor?

He has been around longer than most. :-)

Unfair to whom?

DD is a bit more than 'one instructor' and offers in effect a unique product by specialising in helping students/qualified pilots complete courses of instruction.

And from what I have picked up from this thread, he gets a ringing endorsement.

i too agree with Parson, i can only speak highly of Derek Davidson

just a quick update guys :
Derek's charges are £189 p/h plus landing fees of Bournemouth Airport which is of £30 plus, on top of that the owner of the aircraft used during training his charges are £1,000

I can think of better ways of wasting money :-)