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

Moderator: AndyR

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#1820989
IWF wrote:Thanks all

Perhaps I’ve the LAPL wrong then. I’d assumed the 32 hours listed as the requirement for the LAPL includes the 10 hours PIC necessary to carry passengers. I didn’t read as being essentially 32 plus 10. That being the case I now understand why people say it’s not worth difference. Bugger,, back to the drawing board

But thanks for the welcome all the same.

As a matter of interest what generally are the reasons few manage within the minimum hours ? Anything g specific ?


Hi,

I think you are being given some incorrect information here. The minimum requirement for LAPL is 30 hours of instruction. To take passengers requires an additional 10 hours flight time as P1 without passengers.

For NPPL the minimum is 32 hours.

I instruct LAPL and we certainly have no shortage of students. Some will move up in due course to a PPL but most won't. The difference in cost for an abinitio course is around £2000 not a small sum and I think most LAPL students don't find the 10 hours alone onerous, in fact most enjoy having the freedom to fly alone having spent many hours with an instructor next to them.

The instructional exercises a LAPL student carries out are exactly the same as a PPL student with the omission of EX18C - Radio Navigation and EX19 - Basic instrument flight. The Qualifying Cross Country flight is shorter and lands at just one other airfield, however the standard to which a LAPL is examined is the same as for a PPL and the skill test is virtually the same. The instructor teaching you will have qualified on the same FI course as a PPL instructor.

Students do finish LAPL's in minimum hours, some do, some don't, the same is true of PPL's. Everyone is different. I'd advise you to be careful of the mindset that says, "I've taken 45 hours to pass my LAPL. I may as well have done a PPL". Experience has shown it doesn't always work out that way.

Finally have you considered that moving from a LAPL to a PPL has the same amount of training plus an additional skills test? This can be an option. Do a LAPL first, then enjoy your flying and later upgrade to a PPL if you want to. You can do that while carrying on flying on your LAPL and fit in the training for the PPL when it suits you. You only need ten hours of additional training, 4 of which is supervised solo including the PPL QXE and five other hours of flying then a PPL skills test.

Don't forget that you can add a night rating and an aerobatics rating to a LAPL and you can fly some fairly chunky aircraft in the just under 2000kg category so for many pilots LAPL is enough.
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By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1820990
@TLRippon I think the big difference that most folk are thinking about is that since 1st January LAPL holders are effectively confined to the UK and that needs thought and consideration.

While quite a few folk seem happy to bimble about in the UK some of us would find that a major constraint. I'm probably an extreme case but losing instrument capability and foreign travel would almost certainly cause me to hang up my headset.
#1820993
johnm wrote:@TLRippon I think the big difference that most folk are thinking about is that since 1st January LAPL holders are effectively confined to the UK and that needs thought and consideration.

While quite a few folk seem happy to bimble about in the UK some of us would find that a major constraint. I'm probably an extreme case but losing instrument capability and foreign travel would almost certainly cause me to hang up my headset.


Hi John,
It's an interesting one. As you venture further from the south of England there seems to be fewer pilots who find it logistically possible to just take a hop over to France for lunch and in many clubs you find a diminishing number who even though licenced to do so actually venture out of the UK.

Like with yourself there are always exceptions, people who tour regularly, have access to touring aircraft and the ratings/skill set/aircraft to make it achievable. I would suggest those with that ambition go for a PPL.
It never ceases to amaze me though how many PPL's have been happily flying around within the LAPL privileges for many years without realising it.
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By Bathman
#1820996
There’s about 80 aircraft where I am based. And bar one none of the owners flies outside the privileges of a LAPL.

Never count your chickens before your eggs have hatched but I would be surprised if some form of agreement isn’t reached to allow a UK LAPL's to fly in Europe again.

Lets face it there can’t be any safety case
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1820998
Even in the South of England, whilst of course there are regular GA flying visitors to French shores (Where's Grumpy, surely the record holder for UK-based channel crossings amongst hobby pilots, unless someone going to the Ch.Is. can top his numbers?), many hobby pilots were very happy to only have the experience of a "dual" day out. Certainly for the grass roots community, the two airfields on Isle of Wight had become the 'foreign' destination of choice for many in recent years and of course what is happening at Sandown will only increase the flow over the Solent when things relax more generally virus-wise (or indeed, tighten up more customs wise for to/from the EU)
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By Rob P
#1821000
Unless things improve poor old Le Touquet is going to take a big hit in income.

Rob P
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By Rob P
#1821031
Go for a Carbonnade Flamande and take the pastry in the form of Tarte Tatin.

Sorted. :thumleft:

Rob P
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1821033
@Paul_Sengupta It's bbq, spit roast chickens, pizza oven, etc etc at Sandown nowadays. And of course Bembridge has pub on site.
Break-break
Thinking of food and flying, what's the gossip on Cherbourg nowadays?
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1821035
Rob P wrote:Go for a Carbonnade Flamande and take the pastry in the form of Tarte Tatin.


Hmm. Right. I'm not against any of that, but...

Irv Lee wrote:@Paul_Sengupta It's bbq, spit roast chickens, pizza oven, etc etc at Sandown nowadays.


Aye. But also several pubs and other eateries on the IoW!

Irv Lee wrote:And of course Bembridge has pub on site.


:thumright:

Irv Lee wrote:Thinking of food and flying, what's the gossip on Cherbourg nowadays?


I suspect anyone taking on the place would be wise to ride out the Covid storm before setting anything up.
Irv Lee liked this
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By Irv Lee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1821040
Paul_Sengupta wrote:Aye. But also several pubs and other eateries on the IoW!

Yes, there is one up on the (north) eastern cliffs that claimed seafood speciality (or it did on my one visit to that pub) but had a lot of very disappointing barely-defrosted tasteless pre-shelled prawns which spoiled it.
Bembridge is the place which, although air/ground, you will hear pilots calling for "taxi" with 5 miles to run, still airborne and inbound, heading eventually for one of the IoW restaurants ;-)
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