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15/05/2011, 11:20 AM Michael Joined on 15/05/2011 Hampshire, England Posts 2 Seeking best route to PPL! Seeking best route to PPL! Hi all, I am now mid fifties and have wanted to learn to fly since my twenties. My interest is in fixed wing single engine aircraft. I have now decided time is of the essence and I should bite the bullet. I live in Hampshire in the South of England. Ideally I would love a PPL for single engine recreational flying in UK, hopping across to France occasionally. Like many, my finances are tight and I know that small budgets and aircraft are not ideal bedfellows! Can anyone help with economical routes to learning to fly please? I believe it can be chaeper to go abroad to countries like Africa and America to learn. Is this really feasible and economical? Would I be better biting the bullet and learning in the UK? Also, can anyone recommend learning materials like books and possible software, web sites etc, and sources for these items? I realise that once I have learned I then have the expense of buying and flying an aircraft so I am not naieve in that respect. Any comments or help will be appreciated. Michael     Report

19/05/2011, 10:58 PM Aviator|Chris Joined on 28/01/2009 EGBW Posts 378 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Go out to WH Smith and buy the usual Pilot magazines. These are "Pilot", "Flyer" and "Todays Pilot". In the latest one of these, it came wrapped with an additional magazine all about this topic. Also have a search on this forum - past threads from when i joined are on here. I am at 24 hours currently, solo'd at 21 hours and now moving swiftly through Nav. All I can say is - try three different flying schools and take trial lessons to see what they are like. Then visit Transair Pilot Shop online and get yourself a PPL Study Pack that supplies you with everything you need - it works out cheaper in bulk. I highly recommend the Transair PPL Ground Study DVD set as well - expensive but useful. Please feel free to e-mail me for further info at chris_white85 at hotmail.co.uk.    Report

25/05/2011, 9:55 AM Coxyd Joined on 25/05/2011 Posts 1 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi Michael, i have literally only just started my PPL(only done 4 hours)but i do have some advice, i live in Brighton but do my training in Essex at Stapleford Aerodrome, i phoned around a lot of different training schools and read a lot of reviews, if you do this you will find the cost varies massively, i have paid a package price of around £5900.00, this is for the 45hours(minimum required)landing fees etc, plus around £400 in fuel surcharge :-(, the cheapest i could find after this was around £7500. The differences in price can fall down to things such as landing fees, for example Shoreham near where i live charge a £17 landing fee and £8 for a touch and go, Stapleford don't charge for landing fees if you train there as they own the airfield themselves, because of how many landings and touch and goes you have to do the costs can mount up, it depends if you're happy to travel to learn, way up travelling costs e.t.c, read reviews on different schools, it definately helped me. With regards to books to buy e.t.c, i went on amazon and saved myself a small fortune, once you have met your instructor he will advise you on the books you will require and other bits, you don't have to buy it all at once, he/she will tell you when you need to buy certain bits, other things to consider you have to buy are fuel sampler and tester, also you will eventually have to buy your own headset, again do an internet search, you will save yourself a lot of money. i hope some of this helps, as i progress with my training i'll come back on here and try and give any advice i can, even if it's only a little, i know it all sounds very daunting and expensive but definately worth it in the end. Dave    Report

27/05/2011, 8:55 PM southcoast sb Joined on 27/05/2011 Posts 9 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi Michael and everyone as I am new to the forum!! Like you, finances are tight but I think we can agree that if you've gotta fly, you've gotta fly!! I am now 22.5hrs having soloed at 18 and have, unlike our friend in Brighton, opted to learn to fly at Shoreham where, yes, landing fees and touch and go fees are pricey, as well as Goodwood, but if you find a school you're happy to fly with, then it is one of those costs we must endure - after all we've got to learn to land and fly a decent circuit somehow!! In addition to that, current petrol prices are going to add significantly if you have to travel any distance by ground. I started learning last November so have had the pleasure of flying in the beautiful British winter weather, and to my mind, have learnt a lot more than I think I would have, as opposed to cruising around in CAVOK conditions everyday (I know this is never guaranteed, and can't really comment,  but I think this is the draw to learn abroad). I am trying currently to keep costs down by buying my kit (books (Trevor Thom), flight computer, kneeboard, nav equipment etc) on eBay. There appears to be a good and decent flow of stuff all the time and have bagged me a few 'bargains'! So personally, I think there is a bullet to be bitten, and try to find a busy field (Shoreham always is at the weekend), as that hones those observational skills from the outset. Good luck with whatever you choose and just enjoy it!! Regards    Report

28/05/2011, 1:42 PM Michael Joined on 15/05/2011 Hampshire, England Posts 2 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Some good an useful comments, thank you all! My local airfield is Thruxton. Western Air operate from there and appear to have a good reputation. I have lived in the village for some 20+ years so believe I would have heard otherwise! Their prices seem competetive at £156 inc VAT per hour, dual. Using other airfields would mean I would need to add travelling. There could be significant driving fuel costs to consider that way. With TX I have the option of 'last minute' booking, subject to their availability of course! I can also go on 'standby' if such a thing exists. This could work well if they get a late cancellation. Not really sure weather that happends though. So, I have opted to learn at TX and have just booked my first lesson - 31st May, Tuesday eve! I managed to get a good deal via internet for the 7 'Pooley's' books and a Pilots Log! So, no excuses for the short term, I am ready to go! Michael    Report

28/05/2011, 4:14 PM southcoast sb Joined on 27/05/2011 Posts 9 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi Michael I wish you all the best with it and many happy landings!! I hope you have better weather than today - 19kt gusting 31kt - challenging but good fun all the same!! Regards    Report

02/06/2011, 10:59 AM Aytonace Joined on 17/08/2008 Posts 10 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi I completed my JAR PPL in the UK having considered going abroad. The UK still provides an ideal way of gaining PPL but the downside is perhaps the weather which can be unpredictable at best! This will add additional time to your training as lessons get cancelled due to weather. You will lose roughly a third of your original bookings due to bad weather so the trick is to book a few more each month than you need and it balances out. I did training over 18 months here and cost circa £7k. This was not including equipment and books which I probably spent another £300 or thereabouts buying. As for equipment I used a combination of AFE books and Trevor Thom and was mainly self-taught as thats how I prefer to learn. I only had one ground school lesson which was for radio nav and thats about it. You can also get Oxford Aviaition books and their DVDs are excellent. I only used one of thier DVDs to learn meteorology and it was fantastic. Also why do you have to buy an aircraft? No requirement to do so - just hire or join a syndicate! Buying and running an aircraft can be expensive but if thats the route you chose the Popular Flying Assiociation (PFA) is where you need to look after your PPL. They can offer lots of advice and help. Just based on your comments about being on a budget to fund PPL I would consider purchase of an aircrat very carefully as maintenance, engine replacements, fuel and hangar fees rack up into the thousands. Again PFA can show you ways of saving money like doing your own maintenance etc and which is the best way to fund aircraft ownership. I know people who do own them on a budget and it can be done but it takes some research and planning. For me I'm glad I chose the UK as I am now a competent pilot (although you never stop learning) and can fly in crappy UK weather! Just try and factor in extra costs which may amount to almost another grand such as licence application, cost of test, exam fees, gaps in training, additional lessons needed etc. It all depends on you as an individual really and obviously your instructor. Talking of which find a good one and go on recommendation. I was very lucky in that respect and all my instructors were excellent. For the record I completed the PPL in 50 hours but it isn't a race and it takes as long as it takes, and that includes first solo. I think the average is between 45 and 70 hours. Also if you want to fly to France etc it is wise to go for the JAR-FCL licence rather than the UK NPPL as you will not be restricted to fly in just the UK. The only down side to that is the JAR FCL requires minumum 45 hours whereas the UK NPPL is around 10 hours less but you will have not that restriction. Presuming you are fit and healthy you will need to pass a class 2 medical with a CAA Authorised Medical Examiner (AME) to get the JAR-FCL licence and there are tests for that including ECG, urine tests, eye test (Inc colour blindness etc) which have to take place regularly (age dependant). If you go for the NPPL there is no requirement for a class 2 medical but you need written a declaration of fitness from your doctor (I think!). Probs prudent to get the test done after a couple of lessons before you shell out on the remainder of the course and find out you fail! The most important advice I could ever give you regarding flying schools (which I don't agree with some of the previous posters on here) - NEVER pay the full amount of the flying lessons up front in a bid to save money! Flying schools are notorious for going bust and you will never get your hard-earned back. Just pay as you go. Good luck with your training and I hope you are not confused! There's a lot to learn, more than you first think but keep going and enjoy it. Its one of the most rewarding things you will ever do!    Report

16/06/2011, 12:51 AM Pilots Page Joined on 15/06/2011 Posts 8 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi fellow pilots, I've created a Facebook page for Pilots (both qualified and student) Join in to pass on experience or ask questions. Just Search for 'Pilots Page' on Facebook and add as a friend. See you there! Happy Flying    Report

23/01/2012, 6:45 PM IanG Joined on 06/02/2007 manchester UK Posts 28 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! In case anyone is thread hunting for PPL info there is a factsheet at the link below, has the good bad and the ugly so less of a rose tinted glasses view that most of the flying schools want to sell you ! http://www.targetaviation.co.uk/targetaviation/factsheets/jarpplfactsheet.pdf    Report

18/04/2012, 3:25 PM IMRAN Joined on 18/04/2012 Posts 1 Re: Seeking best route to PPL! Hi I want to do ppl. can some one advise me where i can do the cheap one. i am 26 years old and done masters in business.i researched some of the european countries which are quite cheaper then uk so if i do ppl from any european country is that make any difference. thanks in adnavce Imran    Report

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