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

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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1836235
Thank's @ROG .

I've clarified my original post because in my haste to plan for a possible diversion I have given the wrong impression. School have said they are trying to arrange my booked hours with a suitably qualified instructor.
I was looking on the bleak side and anticipating being offered fewer hours for a month or 2 due to availability, and therefore wondering whether an alternate was sensible.

Great advice from everyone, much appreciated.
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By leiafee
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1836275
T6Harvard wrote:OMG! Yes! Well, I'm not bothered about anyTop Gun dog fights but the aeros would be amazing!!


Can confirm - the aeros are amazing! :D

For myself I’d be inclined to say the flying is the flying - you’ll almost certainly have emough hours overall by the end anyway and unless you STOP flying immediately after qualifying then any increased money spent during the training phase just sort of blurs away into the overall spend in the end!

If you really need to look at it in terms of hard cash it might be worth a thought as to how much currency “costs”. Will waiting means you’re rustier still, so need extra flying anyway? I’m not convinvced the cost argument holds.

Everywhere is going to struggle with instructor availibilty this spring and summer as everyone, including qualified pilots scramble to get back current. If you like the school and they’re good otherwise I wouldn’t have though the odd hour here or there is a deal breaker.
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1836287
Thanks @leiafee . You have summed it up very well, as ever.

The added demand at my school is also the experience vouchers, all the backlog from xmas!

I really need to be patient and give them time to sort it out if possible :)
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By Rob P
#1836362
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:We obviously are just observers from the outside but it would be my view that a school that prioritises staying solvent has got its priorities spot on.


Fixed it for you FD

Rob P
By Fellsteruk
#1836383
Experience / ppl / lapl. All paying customers and given that most experience flights likely never come back I’d personally be pretty pi##ed if my school told me my money was worth less than another customer regardless I’d be off.

On one hand I guess if your in the same boat as all their other ppl students what can you do but as others have said it does seem odd.

I guess Im lucky my school has an online booking system if it’s free, you book it.

Finding a school you like is important but the instructor is key from my experience so if you’re kept hanging for too long maybe see what else is about.

I hope you get some air time soon :)
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1836387
Fellsteruk wrote:Experience / ppl / lapl. All paying customers and given that most experience flights likely never come back I’d personally be pretty pi##ed if my school told me my money was worth less than another customer regardless I’d be off.

On one hand I guess if your in the same boat as all their other ppl students what can you do but as others have said it does seem odd.

I guess Im lucky my school has an online booking system if it’s free, you book it.

Finding a school you like is important but the instructor is key from my experience so if you’re kept hanging for too long maybe see what else is about.

I hope you get some air time soon :)


Me, too - I was beside myself with excitement at the prospect of flying in less than 2.5 weeks' time. Still hoping for the best :)
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By Rob P
#1836389
Experience flights are very valuable to a school for two reasons.

Firstly it's frequently where their future ppl trainees come from.

Also the vouchers are a great source of income up front, and 7% will never be redeemed. They are a huge cash flow benefit.

Of course the school could totally prioritise trainees at the expense of the vouchers, but then that would probably require the lessons to be more expensive without the subsidy of the one-offs.

Commercial reality I'm afraid. And if you want your school to be there in a year's time it might be best to recognise that and cut them some slack

Rob
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By T6Harvard
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1836391
@Rob P , indeed. I have never criticised my school for offering experience flights. I am sure many of their new students come to it that way. I think I mentioned it as one of the pressures on booking slots atm (esp the backlog from xmas gift vouchers).

Off to spring the clocks forward. Note to self - remember when logging hours in April....UTC is not what my watch says.
By Fellsteruk
#1836392
I support my school 100% and I get that experience flights are a good feeder into full training but the majority ain’t.

But my point remains, they have availability, they have customers wanting to spend money. First come first served just makes sense.

Also if they priorities the redemption of previously purchased vouchers “money which I suspect they have spent” how does that help their cash flow as it’s all OUT and no IN.

Us on the other hand waiving £££ at them why wouldn’t they take it and let us book a slot.

If my school said, hey you can only book X hours /month so everyone gets their fair share, I’d be more than happy to adhere but wait for an unknown time before you can fly with us “no thanks”

I may sound like d##k but it’s my money, I’m the customer and have plenty of choice where I spend my hard earned pennies.
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By JAFO
#1836424
If I'd been visiting the same shop for months, making a big purchase every week and was stood talking to the shop owner when they said:

"Shut up, get out of the way, somebody I've never seen before who might never spend any money here again has just walked in the door. I'm going to serve them first."

I'd be shopping elsewhere.
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By Bathman
#1836438
To me a school that is upfront and honest is a good school.

I can't believe any school would be prioritising a PPL instructor for trial flights over a regular student. They would simply allocate the LAPL FI to the trial lessons.

Near to me is a guy who used to teach integrated EASA CPL/IR courses in Phoenix Arizona and at the time he didn’t even hold an EASA licence. He then moved to the UK got EASA tickets and now all he can now teach for is the LAPL!

I'm not sure this CPL TK is really needed to be an FI.
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