[v8burble]

Hello,
My first post on this forum.
I have long wanted to learn to fly and get my licence. Having now saved up enough money to do it (I think), what companies would anyone recommend to get a really good instructor and get some good base experience ?

I live in Cardiff so Cardiff International airport is reasonable close. I had a quick chat to someone at the flying school there who was helpful.

Not sure whether to go PPL or LAPL. My end objective is to be able to fly myself and my family (if they trust me!) to Isles of Scilly or other places on trips as well as flying just for fun.

Is it best to start with the exams or the practical first ?

All advice greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Matt

[leiafee]

If you're in Cardiff anyway I've never heard any negative to speak of there - and you get all the "big airport" experience. There's also a smaller school at St Athan which may be an option.

You shouldn't need to decide straight away between PPL and LAPL the initial training is the same. The LAPL is a Europe-wide license the same as PPL just with a few more restrictions on (mainly) aircraft type and flight conditions. Don't be fooled by the "quicker to get" bit - the skills will take as long as they take regardless of the bit of paper! It's rare for people to be ready for the test and just needing to add up hours...

The exams make most sense when done alongside what you're learning in the air rather than a chunk before or a chunk after.

[Andrew Sinclair]

The LAPL is a Europe-wide license the same as PPL just with a few more restrictions on (mainly) aircraft type and flight conditions.

I looked across the TT in my logbook across all aircraft and flights and all ratings SEP/MEP/FI(A)/IRI etc and night and removing the instrument flying I could have legally conducted over 90% on my flights (not instructing) with a LAPL. Put another way I would wager that LAPL covers the vast proportion of the UK PPL SEP flight profiles in the vast proportion of the types the UK PPL SEP flies. Weather minima are the same in both.

I am a bit of a fan of the LAPL myself...others will have a very different view though

Hours required for licence issue is very much as leiafee says related to competence not hours flown. As regards TK versus practical concurrently would be best as they relate to the practical flight training...Oh and you don't need to have done Air Law to fly a 1st solo which is another old wives tale. You do, however, need a medical, so perhaps getting the medical sorted out will help make your LAPL/PPL or perhaps NPPL decision.

[Paul_Sengupta]

Many of us fly from time to time in the USA which I assume an LAPL won't allow us to do.

[Andrew Sinclair]

Neither will a EASA PPL but I'll take a wild stab in the dark and say you probably knew that!

Either a FAA PPL or a 14 CFR 61.75 issued on the basis on a foreign pilot license (sic). The point being that LAPL is a sub-ICAO licence and CFR 61.75 requires an ICAO compliant licence.

You make a good point Paul, if the OP wishes to fly in the US then (s)he'll need a EASA PPL, but you can do that via LAPL + a couple of exercises and throw in a night course and you have a PPL + Night Qualification. Oh no you can't, oh yes you can, repeat as required for 10 pages or until someone closes the thread...now I really have gone down a rabbit hole...

[GolfHotel]

Can you get an IR or IR(R) on a LAPL?

Never needed to as when I was learning there was no choice, but just wondering from something I heard.

[Andrew Sinclair]

You can only add a night rating/remove the day only restriction on a LAPL, you cannot add any other rating.

But once you have a LAPL with night rating and have done your 10 hrs solo post licence issue, then PPL skills test, apply for a PPL and then train for IR(R), IR, MEP, FI(A) etc etc skies the limit...If I were learning ab initio now I would follow the NPPL(M), NPPL(SSEA),LAPL, PPL route as it seems cost effective to me. Some would argue that there are a lot of skills tests with examiners but with a few ratings on the licence frequent checks are a fact of life. I must have a check for one rating or another every six months or so, definately every year, just part of the game.

[GolfHotel]

@Allan Armadale Thanks. They don't make it simple do they.

[Paul_Sengupta]

Either a FAA PPL or a 14 CFR 61.75 issued on the basis on a foreign pilot license (sic). The point being that LAPL is a sub-ICAO licence and CFR 61.75 requires an ICAO compliant licence.

Yes, I should really have said this but I was pushed for time.

NPPL(M)s aren't of interest to some of us who exceed the seat limit on most microlights by 50%...let alone getting anyone else in the aircraft!

[v8burble]

Many thanks for all the replies folks.

Is there somewhere where you can get a definitive list of what is the requirement for the medical for PPL / LAPL ?

[november romeo]

Back to the original question, I can highly recommend Aeros Cardiff.