Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

#1565722
Hi

So last weekend I finally did my first experience in a Cessna 172 3 months after it was bought for me (I was scared of flying and wanted to face my fear)

Absolutely amazing experience and now I want to do it again and look to earn my license

I am going to phone a few places but wondered I am based in South East london and drive - (I did experience at headcorn but wonder if I would be better off aiming for somewhere nearer)

What should I look for in a flying school?

Would you recommend any specific?

When I look at rate they vary based on the plane - as a newbie why would I choose one plane over another (particulary if it is more expensive)

Thanks in advance..
celenafern liked this
#1565771
First off - Welcome.

This is the student forum, the place where you can ask the most basic of questions and nobody will flame you or belittle you, we all had to learn and we all remember what it was like.

Next: Read Leia's piece at the start of this thread, there is no better starting point. viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34287

What is normally recommended for finding a flying school is

1.) Nearer is better. You will have lessons cancelled because of weather and tech reasons. A long fruitless drive is a pain.

2.) You will be spending huge sums of money, you need to be really comfortable at the school you choose.

to achieve this

3.) Buy a logbook. http://www.afeonline.com/shop/afe-ppl-l ... 7c51fa085b (Other suppliers are available)

4.) Research the schools near you and visit each of them. Explain that you want to learn to PPL level and see what your 'gut feeling' is about them each. Make notes.

5.) When you have narrowed it down to three or four contact each of them for a 'trial lesson'. Explain you want the instructor and aircraft you are most likely to have for a PPL course. Half an hour should do it. At the end of the lesson enter it in your logbook so you don't 'lose' the time you have paid for. Ask about the costs, and be sure you compare like with like. Are landing fees included in the lesson cost or charged on top? If extra, how much? When you reach the circuit training you might be doing eight or nine circuits in a lesson, a £10 landing fee for each does add up.

6.) At the end of this process you should have a feel of which is the best package of distance, price, aircraft and instructor.

7.) Come back here and ask for opinions on your chosen one or two, just as a check.

8.) PAY NOTHING UP FRONT UNLESS BY CREDIT CARD.

Enough to be going on with?

8b) Enjoy yourself! It's meant to be fun.

Rob P

As a general rule, unless you are overly familiar with Greggs or McDonalds where a school has a number of aircraft chose the cheapest available to learn on. It makes no difference at the training stage, you can progress to different types once qualified.
johnm liked this
#1565795
No major issue. You might find some aircraft a tight fit, or even unavailable to you and it might limit your choice of instructor. The school will guide you.

Certainly there would be no problem in a C172 or PA28

Forgot to add, get the schools you do trial lessons with to countersign your entry in the logbook. Taking your logbook with you demonstrates you are a serious prospect, not just a joyrider.

Rob P
#1565844
Ooh, something I can help answer for a change!! I'm 6'5" and also 16 stone. But I'm not a lump, it's just a manly physique OK?

Rob P has got all the important stuff covered as always. I learned in a PA28 (Warrior) at Stapleford, and really liked them. The seat will go back further than you need, you aren't pressed up shoulder to shoulder with your instructor, and I actually needed a cushion to be able to see properly over the coaming. An instructor did get me to try getting into a Cessna 152 once, and it really was a "you are having a joke aren't you?" moment ...

So as Rob says: PA28 or Cessna 172 will work well for you, and mean that there are no issues with amounts of fuel and/or size of instructor you can carry.

You might find some of the advice I was given at the initial stages useful:
https://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=93730

Best of luck with the training. If there is anything else I can help with in terms of the practicalities of being a sensibly-sized pilot just yell.
Rob P liked this
#1565853
Rob P wrote:Ask about the costs, and be sure you compare like with like. Are landing fees included in the lesson cost or charged on top? If extra, how much? When you reach the circuit training you might be doing eight or nine circuits in a lesson, a £10 landing fee for each does add up.


One thing to expand on here - you also need to check how you get charged for an "hour". For instance, at Stapleford where I learned you pay for an extra 5 mins before and 5 mins after the flight (takeoff to landing) to cover taxiing, fuelling, holding etc. Always seemed to be a very fair arrangement to me. Landing fees were also included in their hourly rates, so their costs were very transparent. Other schools will charge in different ways, so if you end up sitting waiting for 15 minutes for a stream of incoming aircraft on a busy Saturday you might find you are paying £3 per minute for the privilege of making small-talk with the instructor ...

In terms of aircraft also don't worry about the equipment on board. For PPL all you need are the very basics, and there is no point at all paying more for a beautifully equipped aircraft with all the latest all-singing all-dancing electronics when you won't be using any of it for your training.
Rob P liked this
#1566103
kingy99 wrote:So last weekend I finally did my first experience in a Cessna 172 3 months after it was bought for me

Pronouns, in this case "it", that can refer to several thing can be tricky: I first thought somebody bought you a Cessna 172! :lol:

As for advice on training, you'll find a lot in this forum. And you already got some good answers. :thumright: Good luck with your training and welcome to a new and wonderful hobby.

/Peter
#1566106
kingy99 wrote:Missed off my question - re the above - if I started Rochester and then wanted to switch airfields/instructers etc

Is there any real issues with this - does it matter to have consistency of instructer?

Consistency does matter: if you switch instructors all the time your training will take longer. The occasional pinch-hitter instructor can be good to get a new perspective, particularly when practicing landings, but the base rule is to try and find an instructor you can work effectively with and stick with her. Or him, whichever the case may be.

Having said that, if you have compelling reasons to switch school or airfield altogether, don't let the base rule stop you. Expect that it will "cost" you an extra lesson or two for the new instructor to get to know you and put you back on track. It's all flying, after all, and the lessons should not only be a means to an end. Training is as much a part of the hobby as later flights will be.

Edited to add that I believe there is some mandatory paperwork involved in transferring a student from one school to another. Your first school may charge for that.
#1566153
kingy99 wrote:Thanks appreciate all the replys so far

Ive noticed Rochester do a bundle of 5 hours for around 1k with a number of extras and in a 172 which sounds good


If you want any info on Rochester (Skytrek) I'm happy to discuss. I've been a student there for the past year. Just waiting for some nice weather to get my skills test out of the way :-)
celenafern liked this
#1566199
Hi there - I'm in the same boat as you - starting out on the PPL and checking out schools. I've had a few single sessions at Rochester, really loved it but haven't committed yet to full PPL there, primarily because the distance - it's about an hour each way for me, given traffic.

I actually live much closer to Biggin Hill ( about25 mins) so I'm checking out schools there and have signed up for a trial with Alouette. It's tough though, Biggin Hill has more touch and go charges so I'm trying to weigh up three things: travel time; fees and 'fit'. If I get on well at Biggin I'll probably swallow the extra fees for the sake of proximity. Happy to share notes!
#1570457
Definitely look around schools but Redhill is a great place to learn as you get used to the atc environment (same as biggin I suspect) but slightly cheaper.

Key is making sure you feel comfortable with the club- I still ask basic questions and everyone's very helpful! (I'm at Cubair too). I've also tried to help out with things like refuelling, oil etc to better understand the planes and that's helped a lot!

I'm nearing the end of my PPL there and happy to talk through what it's been like if you want to PM me :thumleft: