Recent Feedback
 

Hi all, resurrecting an old thread but does anyone have any more recent feedback on Stapleford for CPL & ME IR training?

I'll jump in too. I'm about to start PPL with another school which does not offer night rating or anything beyond PPL. I'm considering going the full length to CPL IR/ME APC MCC.

The only issue with getting to Stapleford is the I'd have to walk along that main road it's based for around a mile on after getting a bus. The bus for that road does not run on weekends and I do not have a car here in London I can use, yet. Anyone been to Stapleford and know if that road would be safe to walk along? I would be coming from the East side of that road. Or is there somewhere that would be practical to get a cab from?

Off the top of my head, that would appear quite difficult to do, from the information you've given. Might it be worth re-thinking that plan?.
It seemed reasonably safe, fairly firm tarmac without any soft sinky bits, not many ferocious animals, mines or highwaymen that I recall seeing, when I was last down that way. As for safety regarding traffic - if that was what you meant - it is probably no safer or less safe than any other similar road. A quick look on Google Earth / street view will show you pretty much everything you need to know so you can make your own judgement, as we all assess relative risk somewhat differently. Did you think to do that before asking?

A road I consider to be safe might put the fear of God into you, yet conversely you might find that a road that terrifies me completely, you are able to put all fear to one side and you are able to take it completely in your stride, so as to speak. You must appreciate it can be so very difficult to adequately describe these finely nuanced judgements on behalf of other people.
Anywhere you can summon an Uber from (or get a decent mobile phone signal for calling a taxi from if you're more old-fashioned, like me) would seem to be the most practical places. If you need to find a working public telephone, then I'd suggest that might take longer to find, and Google might well again prove to be your friend, and indeed an excellent starting place, though I'm reliably informed most of them now are more of a public 'convenience' these days than telephone boxes in the traditional sense.

As for where to ask a cab to pick you up from - again if that was the question you wanted answered - my suggestion would be from somewhere between the place you have managed to get to, by whatever means, and the place you actually want to get to, presumably Stapleford Aerodrome in this instance. The exact place will depend on how far you are prepared to walk. I hope this has helped.

Absolutely 10/10 pprune reply. Loved it haha. I know it sounded like a dumb question, I should've probably added more detail. I'm coming from central London and am curious to hear from anyone who has done the same with public transport and how reliable that has been, otherwise I'll just drive. I usually just go do the journey to see what it's like but I'm out of the country at the minute. Your reply made me chuckle though

Walking to Stapleford
 

Hi SoftwareDev,

I did my PPL at Stapleford 2006-2010 before I had a driver’s licence. I would not walk along the road from Abridge regularly, it is narrow and cars go fast. I used to get the tube to Theydon Bois then walk along the beginning of the road to Abridge, over the bridge and up the hill, down the other side, under the motorway and up another hill, then, on the left before the house there is the beginning of a public footpath and you can walk across the fields popping out about 200m from the airfield entrance. Invest in an 1:25,000 Ordnance Survey map and you’ll be able to see the way. It takes about 40mins from Theydon Bois. You still have to walk along the road a little but it’s much better than for a long stretch. I found the walk really pleasant and a great way to settle yourself and mentally run through the lesson ahead. I have great memories of walking along in the sunshine saying aloud “Brakes are off, Undercarriage is down and fixed, Fuel is on and sufficient for go-around, Landing light is on, DI and compas are aligned, suction is positive and ammeter is charging, T&Ps are green, carb heat out no rough running, after 10, back in no subsequent rise in rpm, hatches and harnesses secure”. In fact every time I do the downwind checks I think of the path through the fields. It really helped to say out loud over and over again. You can take a bike on the tube after Leyton and after 9:30am so I did that a lot too. You could even lock a low value bike up at Theydon and then you don’t need to bring it on the tube every time.

Great you’re going to do the PPL
Matt

I did my PPL at SFC in 1973. I used to catch the train from Newbury Park to Theydon Bois, then get a bus to a stop near the airfield. I met and chatted with actor Milo O’Shea on a few of those bus trips. If I did it again though, I’d ask for Milo’s autograph and wear a yellow Hi Viz for the walk along the road.