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

Moderator: AndyR

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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1810411
Fellsteruk wrote:Just my 2p...

I’m looking to do similar as yourself and want a four seater. I personally like the idea of a non equity group sure down sides but fix costs, no shocks etc I found one up north for £125 a month and £100/hour wet for a PA28 which is pretty decent from what I’ve seen but ultimately the cost/saving pivots depending on the hours/month you fly.


Yeah that's about the same pricing I've seen down here too for the older, dare I say, "normal" planes of PA28/C172. Pivot point being almost exactly 25 hours compared to renting from the school.

A lot of these answers will come from actually flying post-PPL in the first year and seeing what I end up doing in terms of where/when/who-with :)
By Fellsteruk
#1810423
Yeah very much the older girls :)

My school charge £150/hour for a PA28, they only have one but mostly seems unused so availability is really good.
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By leiafee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1810440
The best of those groups if there’s no other deal breakers is which of the other humans involved in them you’re going to mesh with best...

Do they have similar approaches to yourself to taking the aircraft away for a spell? About maintenance? A similar ‘risk appetite’? About savings? Aboute upgrades?

Do they often fly together? Seem in general to get on? Why is the share available?

Do they have sensible seeming group rules? Can you see them in advance?
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1810475
leiafee wrote:The best of those groups if there’s no other deal breakers is which of the other humans involved in them you’re going to mesh with best...


Yep great questions and I'll definitely be asking or looking for the answers to these.

I've seen one set of terms for a non-equity and it seemed very reasonable and detailed.

~ Scott
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1810564
AndyR wrote:The 152 isn’t that bad.

When I had a share in one I did most of the UK, France, Italy, Corsica, Channel Islands.....


I was looking forward to using it as the most likely option immediately after PPL for some hour-building and staying current on things while I sorted out a group, but unfortunately I found out yesterday that this plane is no longer an option
By OhNoCB
#1810725
As mentioned, try to find a group which involves people that you can see yourself getting on with and share similar views (aviation wise) with.

Aircraft type depends on what you want to do, however from what you have said I honestly don't think it matters all that much. Sure, if you say you want to fly to many different places in Europe every week then something more capable is nicer, but for the UK, France, bordering European countries with the desire to visit different places, you can do this fine in any of the common types.

I personally always prefer 4 seats. It gives more tends to give more useful load to go further with 1/2 people, and allows you to sometimes take a 3rd or 4th if you feel like it.

One thing I would suggest is worth thinking about. With aspirations/interests of further training and development, I would want something IFR capable. Doesn't have to be something really fancy with a full glass cockpit, top of the range autopilot etc, but something that would allow basic A to B IFR flight. Whenever I did my IMC rating (IR(R)) after my PPL I loved flying IFR different places and I would have been really disappointed to not have an aircraft to do that in. It would also allow cheaper routes to getting a 'full' IR in the future if it was ever desired as you can train in your own aircraft with a freelance IRI going down the competency based route.
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1810743
OhNoCB wrote:
One thing I would suggest is worth thinking about. With aspirations/interests of further training and development, I would want something IFR capable. Doesn't have to be something really fancy with a full glass cockpit, top of the range autopilot etc, but something that would allow basic A to B IFR flight. Whenever I did my IMC rating (IR(R)) after my PPL I loved flying IFR different places and I would have been really disappointed to not have an aircraft to do that in. It would also allow cheaper routes to getting a 'full' IR in the future if it was ever desired as you can train in your own aircraft with a freelance IRI going down the competency based route.


Thank you for the post. I also think a four seater would be more useful as I'm not a small guy and neither are my friends so the extra useful load would be... useful.

To avoid me assuming, what is the very minimum to safely and legally perform an IFR flight in a particular plane? In terms of aircraft equipment rather than pilot licencing.

Just so I can look for those in the adverts

Cheers

~ Scott
By OhNoCB
#1810762
I'm sure someone else would be able to give a much better answer, but from NCO.IDE.A:

Aeroplanes operated under IFR shall be equipped with:
(a) a means of measuring and displaying the following:
(1) magnetic heading;
(2) time in hours, minutes and seconds;
(3) barometric altitude;
(4) indicated airspeed;
(5) vertical speed;
(6) turn and slip;
(7) attitude;
(8) stabilised heading;
(9) outside air temperature; and
(10) Mach number, whenever speed limitations are expressed in terms of Mach number;
(b) a means of indicating when the supply of power to the gyroscopic instruments is not adequate; and
(c) a means of preventing malfunction of the airspeed indicating system required in (a)(4) due to condensation or icing.

GM1 NCO.IDE.A.125 Operations under IFR – flight and navigational instruments and associated equipment

ALTERNATE SOURCE OF STATIC PRESSURE
Aeroplanes should be equipped with an alternate source of static pressure.


For radios and nav equipment it's a bit more complicated but essentially boils down to "that which is required by the airspace/airport/approach to be flown".

According to the UK AIP that is basically an 8.33 radio, VOR, DME, ADF (if required for a phase of the flight), ILS, mode S transponder and ideally a panel mount GPS such as a Garmin GNS430 or similar.
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1811221
Thank you, @OhNoCB

Just had an email from my school saying lessons will resume from 9am on 2nd December

So, weather permitting, I'll hopefully be flying on Saturday 5th December

~ Scott
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1811230
T6Harvard wrote:@Nero Enjoy!

I've heard nothing yet from my instructor. I live in what will be tier 2, airfield will be tier 3..... not looking good :(
Probably not. My lot have said no persons from tier 3 to come to the school as it's tier 2

I'm hoping my lessons will be solo nav anyway

~ Scott
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1813921
I text my instructor last night and he mentioned that solo is no longer allowed from Lydd due to them being in Tier 3.....

So my qxc won't be from there. Not sure if he meant it could be used as a stop still. Hopefully I can or it takes away a place I'm very familiar with.

Also, not flown since mid October. Lessons booked today and tomorrow. Weather looks rubbish for both days.

Yay.

~ Scott
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