Starting out?!
Thread Starter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
From: Derby, Derbyshire
Starting out?!
Afternoon guys,
I have been thinking about following a career in flying for some time now, It has been a hard choice wither to fly helicopters or planes. I decided to choose planes for several reasons, price, choice of training centres and careers, I have a frield who is a pilot who flys helicopters from east Mids to edinburgh and to the continent. I feel because i am still fairly young i can make my way through the ranks to get where i want, which is doing something like my friend. I understand the first stepo is PPL and then all the add ons like flying in advers weather. I was thinking of doing my Microlight NPPL first to get to grips with it all but i am not sure. My pilot friend keeps on telling me to go Helicopter but i strongly lean towards the light aircraft.
Sorry for the essay but can anyone help with some sound advice.
I have been thinking about following a career in flying for some time now, It has been a hard choice wither to fly helicopters or planes. I decided to choose planes for several reasons, price, choice of training centres and careers, I have a frield who is a pilot who flys helicopters from east Mids to edinburgh and to the continent. I feel because i am still fairly young i can make my way through the ranks to get where i want, which is doing something like my friend. I understand the first stepo is PPL and then all the add ons like flying in advers weather. I was thinking of doing my Microlight NPPL first to get to grips with it all but i am not sure. My pilot friend keeps on telling me to go Helicopter but i strongly lean towards the light aircraft.
Sorry for the essay but can anyone help with some sound advice.
Hovering AND talking
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,711
Likes: 1
From: Propping up bars in the Lands of D H Lawrence and Bishop Bonner
You should probably try a test flight for both helicopter and light aircraft and see which one you enjoy the most
However, I can't imagine any helicopter pilot recommending rotary training and career over and above fixed wing; it is, overall, about three times more expensive and does not pay anywhere as much as fixed wing except, maybe, North Sea for which you'd require an Instrument Rating - that alone would set you back about £30k after all the other training.
However, I wouldn't recommend doing a microlight NPPL - just go straight to PPL(A).
Cheers
Whirls
