Hour Building (General & UK)
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: North of South
Posts: 831
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
CPL Lead in flying.
I am currently building hours toward cpl course while doing the DL ground school. From a point of view of those who have done it , just bimbling around is not really a good lead up to the course, I am aware of the requirements ie 300 nm x country etc etc , but does anyone have any interesting tricks or ideas for making the transition from ppl probably with bad habits to competent to start a cpl course ??, I think you all know what I mean
Join Date: Aug 2002
Location: Deepest Warwickshire
Age: 47
Posts: 932
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At least try to get abroad, even if it's only Le Touquet. More involved flight planning e.g. filling out flight plans, crossing FIRs, working radio units en-route etc is all good character-building experience.
Last edited by BlueRobin; 11th Mar 2007 at 18:33.
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 97
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Finished my CPL & MER 3 weeks ago - it's pretty much what you will have done before but to a higher standard. Depending where you will be doing your CPL, I'd recommend flying into the same airfield several times to get used to it, fly in controlled airspace generally, visit busier airfields generally, fly with an instructor for an hour or so refreshing your manoeuvres and nav (cheaper than doing so at CPL rate), when on your own practice flying within 50 feet or a set altitude, within 10 degrees of your heading and 5 knots of supposed airspeed. Away from flying, review the local chart for where you will be going and the Pooley's for the airfield: commit as much of the local freqs etc to memory as you can. Good luck.
RD
RD
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Somewhere In The South China Sea
Posts: 960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Max
Get your VFR Map out, look at your home airfield, then set yourself some routes obviously in a triangle shape, try and get hold of the CPL routes that the examiner is likely to take you on, your CFI should be able to help you out here, if not then make sure your destinations on the routes are not large towns, the examiner is likely to pick the smallest of towns, for instance, if you look West of Shobdon you will see one called Hay On Wye, that is an example, also plan the routes to fly under Controlled Airspace, i.e the Birmingham CTA, plan them so that you have to do some MATZ Penetrations, and even some Class D Transits.
Once you have done this what I did was get a friend to come up with you, pick one of the destinations in your original route triangles, fly there and get your friend to pick a point on the map to divert to.
Whilst doing all this, make sure you concentrate on maintaining altitude, maintaining heading, keep your flight plog up to date during the flight, learn the checklists so you know them like the back of your hand, make sure you are up to speed on fuel planning and monitoring.
Then the general handling, you obviously can't do the IF work unless you have a suitably qualified safety pilot but you can do the rest, PFLs, engine fires, steep turns etc, and get the emergency drills learnt, also a passenger brief, get it rolling off the tongue.
Circuits, practicing circuits, make sure you make them expeditious, i.e. don't extend downwind for 5 miles, don't fly too wide when going crosswind, and practice your glide approaches and low level circuits.
One last thing, make the flights as smooth as possible, examiners like smoothness
D.
Get your VFR Map out, look at your home airfield, then set yourself some routes obviously in a triangle shape, try and get hold of the CPL routes that the examiner is likely to take you on, your CFI should be able to help you out here, if not then make sure your destinations on the routes are not large towns, the examiner is likely to pick the smallest of towns, for instance, if you look West of Shobdon you will see one called Hay On Wye, that is an example, also plan the routes to fly under Controlled Airspace, i.e the Birmingham CTA, plan them so that you have to do some MATZ Penetrations, and even some Class D Transits.
Once you have done this what I did was get a friend to come up with you, pick one of the destinations in your original route triangles, fly there and get your friend to pick a point on the map to divert to.
Whilst doing all this, make sure you concentrate on maintaining altitude, maintaining heading, keep your flight plog up to date during the flight, learn the checklists so you know them like the back of your hand, make sure you are up to speed on fuel planning and monitoring.
Then the general handling, you obviously can't do the IF work unless you have a suitably qualified safety pilot but you can do the rest, PFLs, engine fires, steep turns etc, and get the emergency drills learnt, also a passenger brief, get it rolling off the tongue.
Circuits, practicing circuits, make sure you make them expeditious, i.e. don't extend downwind for 5 miles, don't fly too wide when going crosswind, and practice your glide approaches and low level circuits.
One last thing, make the flights as smooth as possible, examiners like smoothness
D.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was told to plan difficult dead reckoning routes, plan to go through tricky airspace or tricky routes that you need to dog leg around danger areas etc - all in all just get your dead reckoning nav right up to scratch for the CPL. Get your 300nm route done, and choose an actual long route to do, not a load of local beacon hopping or something. Like bluerobin said also, do some flight plans, do some abroad trips and get used to crossing FIRs and difficult airspace etc. Lots of practice at MATZ penetrations is helpful too.
Another good idea if u can get it is fly with some of your instructors on a social level - if they are bored just ask if they wanna go flying and get them lunch or something in return for some free instruction to get you out of any bad habits and it keeps u learning, keeps u making friends and u never know who might get u a job in the future...
One of the biggest nags im getting from my CPL instructor at the mo which is a real point scorer with the examinier (and a possible fail if u dont do it enough) is LOOKOUT LOOKOUT LOOKOUT!
I was lucky enough to do alot of social flying with my instructors including some flying with the old IR instructor at my club - this was really useful as i hadnt done much instrument flying at all so was good for him to show me VOR tracking and intercepts and NDB tracking etc etc - this is really helpful if u havent done any instrument flying. I kept being recommended to do an IMC too as part of my hour building, as you have to do 10hours instrument flying as part of the CPL course, the IMC is a great intro to that and the IR - worth considering and its only 15hrs odd. I didnt do the IMC and i really wish i had to be honest.
Ive just finished my grounschool and im half way through the CPL. I did all that i just wrote above (minus the IMC) and its really helped...
Another good idea if u can get it is fly with some of your instructors on a social level - if they are bored just ask if they wanna go flying and get them lunch or something in return for some free instruction to get you out of any bad habits and it keeps u learning, keeps u making friends and u never know who might get u a job in the future...
One of the biggest nags im getting from my CPL instructor at the mo which is a real point scorer with the examinier (and a possible fail if u dont do it enough) is LOOKOUT LOOKOUT LOOKOUT!
I was lucky enough to do alot of social flying with my instructors including some flying with the old IR instructor at my club - this was really useful as i hadnt done much instrument flying at all so was good for him to show me VOR tracking and intercepts and NDB tracking etc etc - this is really helpful if u havent done any instrument flying. I kept being recommended to do an IMC too as part of my hour building, as you have to do 10hours instrument flying as part of the CPL course, the IMC is a great intro to that and the IR - worth considering and its only 15hrs odd. I didnt do the IMC and i really wish i had to be honest.
Ive just finished my grounschool and im half way through the CPL. I did all that i just wrote above (minus the IMC) and its really helped...
Join Date: May 2003
Location: Somewhere In The South China Sea
Posts: 960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
BR
To answer your question for you, you need the 300nm for CPL license issue, so you can do it before, during or after the CPL, and it only has to be in your log book
Dean
To answer your question for you, you need the 300nm for CPL license issue, so you can do it before, during or after the CPL, and it only has to be in your log book
Dean
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: UK
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yep just need it for issue. so its a good thing to do as part of your hour building really, cracks off a good few hours in a day and its P1 time.
I did however keep the landing receipts at the 2 airfields i went to as proof i went there to go along with the log book entry, and my club runs PPL qualifier forms that the ATCOs have to sign, they edited one for me for the CPL qualifier.
So i have it in my log book, 2 receipts (dated) and a form signed by the two ATC officers at the 2 aerodromes i visited.
Just a piece of adive - make sure its 300nm as the crow flies (direct) as thats the way the CAA measure it.
I did however keep the landing receipts at the 2 airfields i went to as proof i went there to go along with the log book entry, and my club runs PPL qualifier forms that the ATCOs have to sign, they edited one for me for the CPL qualifier.
So i have it in my log book, 2 receipts (dated) and a form signed by the two ATC officers at the 2 aerodromes i visited.
Just a piece of adive - make sure its 300nm as the crow flies (direct) as thats the way the CAA measure it.
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: London
Age: 51
Posts: 99
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Elsewhere
Age: 44
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hour Building in the South East
Friends,
I am planning on doing some hour building (APRX 40 hours) in the south-east from June, I am deciding between Redhill and Shoreham. I am going on to study for the ATPL's at London Met at the end of the summer. As I do not know too many aviation savvy people at the moment I am interested in meeting others who are currently hour building in this area to socialise with and give spare seats to, as i'd hate to see them go to waste! (please note I am not talking about double logging hours here, just not wasting an emty seat!) Is anybody else hour building down here at the moment and where?
I look forward to hearing from you
Daft of the D
I am planning on doing some hour building (APRX 40 hours) in the south-east from June, I am deciding between Redhill and Shoreham. I am going on to study for the ATPL's at London Met at the end of the summer. As I do not know too many aviation savvy people at the moment I am interested in meeting others who are currently hour building in this area to socialise with and give spare seats to, as i'd hate to see them go to waste! (please note I am not talking about double logging hours here, just not wasting an emty seat!) Is anybody else hour building down here at the moment and where?
I look forward to hearing from you
Daft of the D
How long to build hours in UK and how?
I've got to get a further 100 hours in my logbook by September when I start ATPL groundschool, so my question is:
How easily am I going to do those hours in the 8-10 weeks in the UK that I have available?
Has anyone got any suggested strategies/routes/memories of when they did it?
How many hours a week will I have to put in? And, yes, I know that 100 hours divided by 10 weeks equals 10 hours a week, but we all know that you can't trust the weather...So, I'm guessing I'll need to do some long trips to ensure I keep up the momentum!
FYI I'll be based at SFC in Essex, but was thinking about a few weeks in Canada (Vancouver) in August.
Thanks in advance for the helpful suggestions!
How easily am I going to do those hours in the 8-10 weeks in the UK that I have available?
Has anyone got any suggested strategies/routes/memories of when they did it?
How many hours a week will I have to put in? And, yes, I know that 100 hours divided by 10 weeks equals 10 hours a week, but we all know that you can't trust the weather...So, I'm guessing I'll need to do some long trips to ensure I keep up the momentum!
FYI I'll be based at SFC in Essex, but was thinking about a few weeks in Canada (Vancouver) in August.
Thanks in advance for the helpful suggestions!
Hovering AND talking
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Propping up bars in the Lands of D H Lawrence and Bishop Bonner
Age: 59
Posts: 5,705
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I've got to get a further 100 hours in my logbook by September when I start ATPL groundschool
From your post, it sounds as if you already have around 50 hours and have just completed your PPL and are embraking on the modular route.
You cannot start your commercial flying course until you have passed you exams. If you do all your hour building now, before the ground school which could take a year, you'll end up being rusty when it comes to starting your flying training.
You'd be better off keeping current and enjoying your flying whilst studying and then go for a structured programme after you've passed the ATPL exams.
Cheers
Whirls
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Body
Posts: 130
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
If in doubt just go somewhere the sun shines and you can get your hours in the time you have set yourself. Why bugger about with UK weather?
USA is good, you won't need a visum to rent a plane for fun (if you have a FAA licence) so no problem. Hour building is not training so there shouldn't be any objection from the authority. Otherwise try South Africa.
USA is good, you won't need a visum to rent a plane for fun (if you have a FAA licence) so no problem. Hour building is not training so there shouldn't be any objection from the authority. Otherwise try South Africa.
Thanks for the advice chaps. 
My plan is to do the bulk of the hour-building over the summer, keep current by flying every couple of weeks over the winter, then start CPL in the Spring.
I don't want to be spending 3 months hour-building next spring. Time is money un-earned, as it were...I need to be in a position to get work asap when i get my fATPL. And don't worry, I know how difficult it is to get a job
I was hoping someone could suggest trips to the Channel Islands, Ireland or other places where the flying (and landing) is interesting. If I've got to spend £s getting those hours, I want to have fun!!!
My plan is to do the bulk of the hour-building over the summer, keep current by flying every couple of weeks over the winter, then start CPL in the Spring.
I don't want to be spending 3 months hour-building next spring. Time is money un-earned, as it were...I need to be in a position to get work asap when i get my fATPL. And don't worry, I know how difficult it is to get a job
I was hoping someone could suggest trips to the Channel Islands, Ireland or other places where the flying (and landing) is interesting. If I've got to spend £s getting those hours, I want to have fun!!!