[Cessna57]

Oh aye, all horses for courses.

I think OP is best in a share if he has £600 a month and can find time to fly.



Just trying to mention sometimes harder to find time to fly than it is to find the money.

I have 3 months flying budget saved up for April, due to the lousy weather so far. I'm wondering if I can fit that many hours in

[Akak]

Really interesting responses, thanks all.

Now to decide where to learn, living in South West London i have a few options but think the most likely choices are Airfirst at Blackbushe or Flysynergy at Fairoaks. The former being 20 mins further away...

I will organise a trial at each and see how i get on!

With the medical - can I simply get my GP to do it or does it have to be a specific doctor?

Thanks

[FlyingNorth]

What is the average monthly flying time a PPL holder actually flies?

Can you be competent and current if you average 1 hour a week over a year?

[rikur_]

What is the average monthly flying time a PPL holder actually flies?

Can you be competent and current if you average 1 hour a week over a year?

Yes - averaging an hour per week is more than adequate.
I've averaged around 50 hours per year since qualifying. I aim to fly once a week, but don't achieve that in winter (but i sense that i am more persistant than most for flying 12 months of the year). When i do fly it tends to be a mix of 1 hour local flights squeezed into the working day or i will have a short day trip somewhere ~ 60 - 90 minutes away (i.e. 2-3 hr round trip).
I'm at the wrong stage of family life/parental taxi service for weekends away and some of the longer trips.
There are all sorts of different flying patterns to fit different lifestyles and motives for flying

[Rob P]

With the medical - can I simply get my GP to do it or does it have to be a specific doctor?

Thanks

For the PPL it has to be an AME

https://publicapps.caa.co.uk/modalappli ... x?appid=21

Rob P

[FlyingNorth]

There are all sorts of different flying patterns to fit different lifestyles and motives for flying

That makes for reassuring reading. I suppose the real question is how much you need to scratch the flying itch successfully!

[Paul_Sengupta]

the most likely choices are Airfirst at Blackbushe or Flysynergy at Fairoaks.
I will organise a trial at each and see how i get on!

Also check out the London Transport Flying Club at Fairoaks.

With the medical - can I simply get my GP to do it or does it have to be a specific doctor?

Depends on the type of licence you want. As Rob says, for a full EASA licence you need a full AME Class 2 medical. Other licences (LAPL, NPPL SSEA) have different requirements.

Can you be competent and current if you average 1 hour a week over a year?

I think the average is about 23 hours a year I heard somewhere.

But yes, with the caveat that "it depends", 50 hours a year will be more than enough. If you're an IR pilot flying down to cloud and visibility minima, a few sightseeing strips in good weather isn't going to keep you current. But if you just want to go places in fine weather, or have a sightseeing trip around the block, then you don't need that many hours a year to keep current. But it also goes with experience - the more experience you have, generally the less you need to stay current. Life's funny like that!

[Charles Hunt]

As Paul has siad, do look at the LTFC at Fairoaks.

I am considering a share, but a down side has struck me, what happens if another member inflicts moderate damage to the a/c? Repairs can take ages, and presumably you will still be paying monthlies, without anything to fly!

[Highland Park]

With the amount of time I'm able to fly, arguably it would be more cost effective for me to rent but....one of the things that convinced me to join The Shiny Colt syndicate was that it's an aeroplane full of character and great fun to fly, rather than a safe, but less interesting PA-28, which would've been the alternative. I've always wanted to fly older aircraft and the Colt for me was a great introduction.

A huge plus too was (and is) the other syndicate members past and present, who are a very sociable bunch, plus the easy availability and booking system, which I guess with renting may be less flexible.

You pay your money and take your choice. No regrets from me on the route I've taken...

Ian

[Paul_Sengupta]

Also I don't think you mentioned Steve Morley's lot at Blackbushe.

http://www.blackbusheaviation.com/

That's the one isn't it?

[Akak]

Would it be silly to have trials at 3/4 different club? I am struggling to shortlist...!

Would the trials count towards the PPL collectively or only at the club I choose?

[Morten]

I did 3 and would have done more if I weren't sold on my third

In theory any flying you do with an instructor can count towards your 45 minimum hours if you get them signed off in the logbook. But in practice, most people don't finish on the 45 hours anyway, so it becomes a bit ... theoretical. Ultimately, it will be your chosen school which tells you that you are ready for the skills test, and although I am sure no decent school would 'fudge' it to make sure you fly at least 45 hours with them... it becomes a bit theoretical.

However, in the bigger picture, an hour flown is an hour flown and counts towards your experience and overall hours

Morten