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

Moderator: AndyR

By TrishP
#1693598
I want to say hello to everyone and also to say what a great forum this is. I turned 50 in December so really interested to read the post by Wicksay. My journey started and faltered last May after I had a trial flight given to me as a gift. I absolutely loved it but the cost of the lessons stopped me going any further. That was until my birthday when I was given vouchers for two more lessons.

After the first one I knew I couldn't go back and having had my second I can't imagine not being able to fly. I don't have the funds to just go for it. At the moment it's going to be one a month, maybe two if I'm lucky but I am looking at ways to get more lessons. I just want to fly. I was feeling really despondent until I found this forum and I now have the attitude that one flight a month is better than none. I will get my PPL....someday :wink:
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By Flyin'Dutch'
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693607
@TrishP

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the journey towards your licence.

Although a lot of people seem to want to rush to get their licence, many others relish the whole path.

You'll find though that the more you fly the more you want to fly. It is very more'ish. A bit like chocolate cake is to many.
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By Morten
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693610
Welcome to the forum - sorry to hear about your new addiction. Luckily you have come to the right place; we're all here to help. "My name is Morten and I've not flown for 9 days"
;)

If you haven't already done so, you should read @leiafee 's blog, linked to here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=34287. Leia gives an excellent account of flying with a limited budget :)

Getting your licence whilst taking your time is entirely feasible - it just makes the fun last longer, as @Flyin'Dutch' said.

You may also find some forumites happy to take you up to scratch that itch on between lessons...

Let us know how you get on!

Morten
By johnm
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693612
Good for you! I started at 52 and I'm now 72 with a full instrument rating and a share in an aeroplane!

I took the view that the learning was an integral part of the fun, an end in itself if you like, rather than a means to an end. I heartily commend that point of view to you and try to enjoy the book and other ground based learning involved too, though it can't be denied that some of that is dry as dust!

If you are anywhere near Gloucester or Kemble you'll be welcome to some right hand seat time, if elsewhere I'm sure others will oblige.
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693613
Leia's now flying a microlight, something much more within her budget. Have you explored that?

Flyin'Dutch' wrote:It is very more'ish. A bit like chocolate cake is to many.


I fly to where they serve chocolate cake.
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By PeterMa
#1693624
Superb - now to find all of the potential reasons for gifts - birthday , anniversary , easter , Christmas , fathers day / mothers day etc etc : ) ) …… and of course the chance to try different forms of flight , microlight , gliding , paramotor etc as ' one off' gift things can be a cheap way to get a fix of something a bit different but equally enjoyable .

Do keep posting with such a big smile which we can all see even through the internet :)
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By Wicksay
#1693837
Hi TrishP,

Glad you enjoying read my thread.. I'm enjoying doing and writing it. Having made the decision to change career my biggest challenge is belief and funding. Those that know me know I've always been a bit faddy.. So those nearest and dearest haven't quite realised my full intention. I'm paying as I go but that includes credit cards. I have 2 jobs both minimum wage and I'm about to get two more. They are flexible to allow me to fly and enjoyable so I have a good life balance. Very fortunately we do not have a mortgage but we do have other commitments. I'm holding my nerve and balancing everything with a bias towards keeping my wife happy and perusing my goal of earning a living as a pilot when I'm 55. And then I can pay off some of the debt with 25% of my pension.

All I can say is... I FEEL ALIVE!!! :-)

Sent from my SNE-LX1 using Tapatalk
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By Steve C64
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693852
55 yrs old and 25 hours in .... and hungry for every minute more.
And that's the great thing : looking forward to the next step, the next assault on your senses and next new thing. Each of which are not generally part of the make-up of our daily lives, not voluntarily anyway!

My flying school is always trying to accomodate and move things around for me when the weather messes up the schedule, but just knowing that I will be flying at some point when the wind is right and the funds are available, is a great thing. Although, after a recent 5 weeks of waiting for that weather window, I was beginning to grind my teeth in my sleep. So watch out for the withdrawal pangs!

When you're not flying then there's all the book work and you tube videos to watch with your headset on! And that time is FOC of course.

Good luck and have fun.

S
By TrishP
#1693894
Thank you all for the welcome and such positive comments. It is really in my blood and over such a short time. If someone had said I would feel like this I would never have believed them. I really am a very grounded (haha) type of person but all I can think about is flying.

I have purchased my first book and am studying during my lunch break, when I'm not looking on here :D and making loads of notes to speak to my instructor about on my next lesson. Still to book that but hoping it will be the end of June. Have viewed a lot of video's too.

@Wicksay, you are more of an inspiration now that I know more about your journey. That's a lot of working. Glad you have time to get in the air!

Thank you @Morten for the link to @leiafee 's. I have read it and its brilliant. Lots of excellent tips.
By t1m80
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1693989
Welcome Trish, there's plenty of us plus 50's knocking about and, if it's any help, I have been fortunate enough to have had both the money [well, Barclay card have :-)]and the time and STILL only managed to get one or two in a month (I've been booking 2 a week for at least the last year). So I'm not sure your one or two month is going to be a barrier.

Sometimes, you just gotta go for it. As an experience, it has been life changing for me. And, having had the pleasure of a coffee with Wicksay last week, I know the same is true of him. He's one determined dude!

I got a couple of hours in yesterday and I'm now 44hrs and 15mins in, so coming towards the end of the initial training. I'm not sure I have much of a plan beyond that other than to see where it takes me. It's definitely the most time and money I've spent on something just for the challenge.

Wouldn't change it for the world! Go for it...
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1694158
Welcome TrishP
I too got the bug after I was bought a trial lesson by my wife when I was 48: The plan was a leisurely stroll through the PPL training in time to buy her lunch at Le Touquet when I was 50.
The reality was a little different: I loved the trial lesson so much I signed up for the course on landing, and thanks to one of the mildest winters for donkeys years I had my PPL in 5 months.

Treat the course as a goal in itself: fly when you can, cadge backseat rides whenever you can and shop at Aldi instead of Waitrose.
Think about the medical sooner rather than later in case there is a surprise: then get on and enjoy it.

I am even older than Johnm and also knocked off the IR in my 7th decade:
But here we are, 25 years on, and my wife never flew with me for the Le Touquet lunch..... :roll:

Peter
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