Private pilots licence

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Hi there Anyone on here have a ppl. I have always wanted to learn to fly and just wondering if anyone can shed some light on roughly how much it can or will cost. I am thinking of doing it next couple of years at booker airfield in Wycombe.

Thanks for your help.

[Raize]

5 figures.

[anonymous-user]

as below. my brother looked into it and stopped thinking it was a possibility when he reached £10k. I am sure it could probably be done cheaper but knowing my brother this was doing it properly, keeping the hours up, the costs of club membership and all that entails.

[Simpo Two]

pablo said:

as below.

How did you know what I was going to say?

[eharding]

Raize said:

5 figures.

About that - say an average of 50 hours, and nowadays getting on for £200 an hour dual.

Had a PPL for 8 years now, well and truly into 6 figures spent on flying and related activities - best not to think about it really.

Edited: ...meaning to say best not to dwell on the cost - certainly think about getting your PPL!

Edited by eharding on Thursday 13th October 20:59

[adsvx220]

Cheers for the info guys. I knew it was gona be expensive that's why if I go ahead it will be in the future.

Thanks again.

[jjones]

consiider mircolights, licence from 3k+ (would budget 4k).

train in something like this:
http://www.davidandivy.co.uk/images/ac9_ikarus_c42...

[Triple7]

40 hours flying at about £140/hr for aircraft, plus 20- ish hours dual instruction with a £50/hr instructor Plus all your exams & gear. So call it £10k.

The key to keeping the cost down is frequency of flying. IMHO, save the entire expected cost plus reserve first & do the entire course in an intensive summer. Full time if you can. From years in the system, I found having breaks in training is about as costly as starting the course from scratch each time.

Once qualified, stay current. Don't let your ecency lapse otherwise you will require yet more training (money!).

You can go over to Florida & do the entire CAA PPL cheaper there, but the flying environment is easier & I don't think any novice would be doing themselves any favours blasting across the London CTZ on their first flight outta. Shoreham.

So in a nutshell, if you stump up the cash in the first place and get your PPL, it is not the end of the money leaving your pocket. You must IMHO have a plan to stay flying after you get your licence.

Good luck.

[Aizle]

Have a read here

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[JW911]

Regarding ultralights, there is an ultralight school at Wycombe as well. A quick Google should sort you out. It is quite possible (and easy) to convert your ultralight PPL to a normal one later on if you so desire. It will save you a small fortune.

[Webber3]

If you just want to fly, you could try gliding? Most clubs give free tuition and the costs are cheap as chips compared to powered flight.

[mrloudly]

Ultralights live in America we fly microlights over here

[Fat Albert]

Hi, the average cost is around £5,000, but don't let that stop you starting, please read this fantastic guide by Leia:
http://www.leiafee.flyer.co.uk/Flying-HowTo.pdf

She has more enthusiasm than cash, but that did not hold her back getting her PPL and she is very active in the Youth movement to encourage kids into aviation

Have a browse through the student's section of the Flyer Forum as many people ask the same questions as you have/will want to ask.

http://forums.flyer.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=5&si...

Please join the forum and you can blag RHS rides to the fly-ins and also attend the social events we organise where we get together, talk sloblock and share our "there I was, right on the deck with the clag rolling in....." stories. It certainly helped me get and stay motivated to get my PPL back.

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to give a club cash up front...if they ask for that they may be in trouble...

Edited by Fat Albert on Friday 14th October 09:38

[JW911]

mrloudly said:

Ultralights live in America we fly microlights over here

I was referring to them as "ultralights" to distinguish them from the hang-gliders with motorbikes tied underneath.

[jjones]

JW911 said:

I was referring to them as "ultralights" to distinguish them from the hang-gliders with motorbikes tied underneath.

3-axis microlight (stick and rudder) or flex wing microlight (romper suit required)

[Tallbut Buxomly]

IIRC my brothers cost him itro around 2.5-3k hoewever he did his in south africa.

[mattdaniels]

There's no way that the average cost of a PPL in the UK is 5 grand IMO.

I'd say average is about 7500, 10K is realistic. Even if you take to the flying like a duck to water and get everything right first time and get the same instructor every time so that he/she knows where you're up to flying wise, by the time you've added in landing fees, t+g fees, exam fees, application fees, medical fees, bits of kit like headset you are knocking on the door of 10K even if you start from a conservative 45 hours x 150 wet hire with instructor.

As mentioned above - regularity is the key. Try and aim for one lesson a week. This is not always easy, as the great British weather often intervenes. There is nothing worse than looking forwards all week to your flying lesson, only for the weather to be rubbish and unflyable. And remember that rubbish weather is not just rain and cloud cover - lovely summer days can be unflyable for studes due to haze / poor vis.

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.

Finally, don't forget that the actual flying is only half the story. You've got 8 written exams and a spoken exam for your R/T Licence to pass as well.

[simonej]

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!!)

[mattdaniels]

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.

[simonej]

mattdaniels said:

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

Good point. It seems even the cheap (cowboys to some) OBA has put the price up to £3600 and when you add on your flight to Orlando, accommodation and stuff you're probably up to £5000. Still an option though if you think lack of consistency could be one of your biggest issues.