Private pilots licence

[6fire]

I'll echo a couple of points and then add my own.

1) budget for about 10k. If it costs less, that's your first year's flying sorted. I'll stick my neck out and say you won't get a JAR PPL in the uk for less than £7.5k.

2) maintaining your training is the key. You rely on memory to put the aircraft into the correct attitude at various phases of flight. When you're committing those attitudes to memory you struggle to focus on operating the aircraft as your concentration is taken up with flying the airframe. You need to be consistently reminding yourself to fly the airframe until it becomes second nature and you can concentrate on navigation, R/T, emergencies etc - practice makes permanent.

3) Don't crash - people get very upset and it costs a lot of money... Don't ask how I found that out.

4) buy MS flight simulator and learn how to do radio navigation. I found practice on the computer meant if was second nature in the air.

5) draw a runway schematic when you get a landing clearance or make sure you carry the relevant plates. I've seen people try to land on the wrong runway...

6) Rent. It's cheaper than buying and you can always walk away. It might get frustrating with limited availability and the previous pilot over running, but it's worth not having to worry about the CofA.

[Pugsey]

mattdaniels said:

simonej said:

mattdaniels said:

Also as mentioned above I'd not want to go to the US and do the PPL. Their airspace is a lot different to the UK, you need to get some experience of airfields with full ATC, airfields with AFIS and just the simple A/G service. And some appreciation for the dreaded overhead joins.

Possibly, but if you get it done in the States cheaply for sub £3k there's nothing to stop you coming back over here and having an extra set of 4 or 5 lessons learning the airspace and joining procedures etc... Or even better, go up with someone you know and try and learn from them for free (once you've got your license in the States obviously!!)

Possibly but then I don't believe for one minute you can go to the USA and get your PPL for sub 3K.

I didn't do it that way myself but it would seem that it can certainly be done for £5k all in in the US. Never understood the attitude re 'our' airspace v 'theirs'. You'll come back with a full PPL and have £5k to spare which you can then use for a) a few lessons aclimatising to UK airspace/procedures and b) a fair few hours subsequent recreational flying. Sounds sensible to me - although I can't comment on the schools out there. Whole different subject which by coincedence I've just started another thread on.

[mattdaniels]

Unless somewhere is offering a fixed price until you pass (which I've never seen), be very warey about phrases along the lines of "x amount all in". There are too many variables involved. More so if you have to include flights/accomodation/possibly extended stay abroad.