What do people do with a PPL?

What do people do with a PPL?

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Condi

Original Poster:

17,085 posts

170 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
I had a first flying lesson today, go up, fly around, learn what the aircraft does etc. Good fun, really enjoyed it. Wondering what to do next. Im not sure I can really justify the money and hours to get my licence, to do nothing with it? As much as flying might be an enjoyable career, at 29 and without enough money to fund a commercial licence that door is kinda closed. In heinsight then joining the forces at 22 would have been more sensible, but whatever, all your choices are half chance.


So, people with PPL's - what the hell do you do with them?! Do you have to buy a plane, or just rent one and go pottering around in the sky for a while visiting different places? Or is there something Im missing? A mates dad flew as a passenger to Scotland in a few hours rather than driving for 6, but that is hardly an excuse to spend £7k in the first place!

LimaDelta

6,507 posts

217 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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Rent from a flying school/club and continue adding ratings/courses (night, mountain, tailwheel, aerobatic, IR(R) etc.) until I finish building my RV8 smile

I also plan to join the local Jet Provost group to tick that box and there is a place in South Africa which do bush flying safaris and I will be throwing some money their way in a couple of years.

My old man flew his microlight to Spain and the Orkneys (not the same trip!) and a friend of his crossed the Atlantic via Greenland in a microlight.




Or just eat lots of £100 burgers.

renmure

4,212 posts

223 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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I fly flexwing microlights on my PPL. That type of flying is perfect for what I want to do. I almost treat it in the same way that I might go on a car run with a bunch of mates that ends up at a chip shop carpark and involves chatting and kicking tyres. The only difference is that the destination might be a field 30 miles away, a beach 100 miles a way or an airfield somewhere down in the south of France.

I enjoy the physicality of it all and can hurl myself and a passenger around the sky at over 100 mph, can buzz along empty beaches at 10ft or soar over mountains at 10,000ft. I can take off on the east coast of Scotland and land on a beach or in a field on a west coast island in about 90 mins for a BBQ or picnic. Modern flexwings are equipped with transponders, radios and all the electronic gubbins that mean you can go anywhere, do (almost) anything and speak to anyone that conventional aircraft can do but the essence of it all is just enjoying the thrill of flying for not-a-lot of money.

I also did my PPL(H) thinking I would get a similar sort of buzz from that, but never felt nearly so comfortable and of course the cost was on a different level.

fishermanpaul

132 posts

106 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
Buy a share in a 'plane rather than a whole one to yourself (I had a 1/13th in a PA28 for £1500 and now have a 1/8 in a F172 for £1200 - both £100p/m standing charge and £100 p/h wet).

You can do the £100 burger thing (fly somewhere with a mate/gf, have lunch, fly back) and there are some great places to go (I of Wight, Channel Isles and Le Touquet being a few you wouldn't do on a day trip in a car). Or you can take it for a few days and plan a trip around Ireland, Scottish Islands, France or further into Europe as you want.

It's also fun, if you have a share, to pull the aircraft out of the hangar on a summer's evening after work and make £100 worth of holes in the sky for an hour.

fp



Condi

Original Poster:

17,085 posts

170 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
fishermanpaul said:
Buy a share in a 'plane rather than a whole one to yourself (I had a 1/13th in a PA28 for £1500 and now have a 1/8 in a F172 for £1200 - both £100p/m standing charge and £100 p/h wet).

You can do the £100 burger thing (fly somewhere with a mate/gf, have lunch, fly back) and there are some great places to go (I of Wight, Channel Isles and Le Touquet being a few you wouldn't do on a day trip in a car). Or you can take it for a few days and plan a trip around Ireland, Scottish Islands, France or further into Europe as you want.

It's also fun, if you have a share, to pull the aircraft out of the hangar on a summer's evening after work and make £100 worth of holes in the sky for an hour.

fp
I dont think I have that many £100 hehe


But thank You, some interesting responses

Dr Jekyll

23,820 posts

260 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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Most people who get a PPL do so just for interest and satisfaction, not for the sake of saving time on future journeys. After that they fall into 2 groups. Those who buy a share and make aviation part of their social circle as well as their hobby. And the rather larger group that hires aircraft from the club for a year or two before jacking it in.

Incidentally you aren't too old at 29 to make it a career, a lot of people get commercial licences well into their 30s.

CAPP0

19,530 posts

202 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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Condi said:
In heinsight then joining the forces at 22 would have been more sensible
Do the Germans accept foreign nationals into their forces then? tongue out

Actually my experience was similar. I got about 20 hours in my logbook but with the multiple weather-related cancellations and other setbacks I just didn't take it any further.

I did think about going the vintage route and had a few lessons in a Piper Cub but I came very close to stacking that on takeoff one windy day, and that was the final nail.

I still think that if I had a decent "spare" sum of money and didn't have to work for a living, (i.e. had lots of time to spare), I might have another go.

Edited by CAPP0 on Sunday 10th September 19:31

kurt535

3,559 posts

116 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
- if commercial not on the cards, just do the LAPL; less hours to pass
- cheaper still? go gliding but more difficult with uk wx
- find a group once passed BUT avoid any aeroplane that is on a C of A. Keep to LAA Permit aeroplanes

lee_fr200

5,475 posts

189 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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We fly different places or use an aircraft for work to get around to different places,

Dad owns a rans aircraft that and the jabiru he used to have seem to be the most cost effective ways of flying and bacon Sarnies,

Also works out quicker and cheaper than driving to some of the places we go,

From our place to Bristol takes just over an hour n half whereas in a car it takes 4hrs plus

Wobbegong

15,077 posts

168 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
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Go NPPL instead. Three axis and flexwing microlights are a lot more fun than 'group A' aircraft and cheaper to run.

http://www.bmaa.org

fishermanpaul

132 posts

106 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
I've noticed there is quite a large cross-over between the flyers and the pistonheads... wavey

When I started my PPL I found a certain Flyer Forum had a Students sections that has a "no flaming" rule which I found very helpful. I've subsequently lurked on PH and spotted a few familiar faces.

Some great advice on this thread. There is a saying "the two things needed to take off are airspeed and money" - The greater the airspeed the more money is required. If you want to do Manchester to Paris for lunch you need way more £££ than Oban to Glenforsa. You can get a lot of flying over a lot of years in an 3-axis or a flexwing and go a lot of places you'd never have gone for the cost of a kitchen/bathroom/dull 2nd car/boat/caravan. Or you could have a new kitchen/bathroom etc.



Condi

Original Poster:

17,085 posts

170 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
fishermanpaul said:
Buy a share in a 'plane rather than a whole one to yourself (I had a 1/13th in a PA28 for £1500 and now have a 1/8 in a F172 for £1200 - both £100p/m standing charge and £100 p/h wet).
When you say wet - does that mean fuel included presumably? So if you fly somewhere and need to refuel, do you pay for that or is it all somehow covered by the hire charge even at away airports.



Also - how would one go about going commercial at 29, and ideally not having to finance the whole £100k myself!


kurt535

3,559 posts

116 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
Condi said:
fishermanpaul said:
Buy a share in a 'plane rather than a whole one to yourself (I had a 1/13th in a PA28 for £1500 and now have a 1/8 in a F172 for £1200 - both £100p/m standing charge and £100 p/h wet).
When you say wet - does that mean fuel included presumably? So if you fly somewhere and need to refuel, do you pay for that or is it all somehow covered by the hire charge even at away airports.



Also - how would one go about going commercial at 29, and ideally not having to finance the whole £100k myself!
go talk to CTC. buddy got through easyjet selection and is now in NZ. but he had a guarantor for the 110k-ish course ezy then pay back in his wages - eventually

lee_fr200

5,475 posts

189 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
Unless you're female or fresh out the military I think you've left it late to go for a commercial if I'm honest!

I have 3 friends all younger than yourself who now fly with easyJet as first officers and I have a female friend who's 33 who's got her ppl and wanting a commercial to be an airline pilot, whilst they want female pilots she's left it late herself!

For you first of all you need a ppl then you need to build your hours do the Imc, night rating, commercial then atpl but the quick way to build the hours once you have enough is being an instructor then go for the commercial and dabble in bush flying abroad or ferry piloting (again I know a guy who was a regular at sandtoft who did ferry flying) that's a good way to network yourself then go for the atpl

You might get to the first officer seat within 10-12yrs!

It took my mate who works for easyJet from 16 and he's 29 now and he went and worked abroad to build his hours in Africa as a bush pilot

Wobbegong

15,077 posts

168 months

Sunday 10th September 2017
quotequote all
Condi said:
Also - how would one go about going commercial at 29, and ideally not having to finance the whole £100k myself!
A sex change hehe

Unfortunately you're at a bit of a disadvantage if you're male, especially if you're male and near or over 30.

TheDrBrian

5,444 posts

221 months

Monday 11th September 2017
quotequote all
kurt535 said:
Condi said:
fishermanpaul said:
Buy a share in a 'plane rather than a whole one to yourself (I had a 1/13th in a PA28 for £1500 and now have a 1/8 in a F172 for £1200 - both £100p/m standing charge and £100 p/h wet).
When you say wet - does that mean fuel included presumably? So if you fly somewhere and need to refuel, do you pay for that or is it all somehow covered by the hire charge even at away airports.



Also - how would one go about going commercial at 29, and ideally not having to finance the whole £100k myself!
go talk to CTC. buddy got through easyjet selection and is now in NZ. but he had a guarantor for the 110k-ish course ezy then pay back in his wages - eventually
Or the modular ATPL but then you'll need type ratings and the like.

EDIT and the modular will be "frozen" as you will have done all of the tests but won't have enough hours in command/etc.

Edited by TheDrBrian on Monday 11th September 01:16

Chuck328

1,580 posts

166 months

Monday 11th September 2017
quotequote all
lee_fr200 said:
Unless you're female or fresh out the military I think you've left it late to go for a commercial if I'm honest!

I have 3 friends all younger than yourself who now fly with easyJet as first officers and I have a female friend who's 33 who's got her ppl and wanting a commercial to be an airline pilot, whilst they want female pilots she's left it late herself!

For you first of all you need a ppl then you need to build your hours do the Imc, night rating, commercial then atpl but the quick way to build the hours once you have enough is being an instructor then go for the commercial and dabble in bush flying abroad or ferry piloting (again I know a guy who was a regular at sandtoft who did ferry flying) that's a good way to network yourself then go for the atpl

You might get to the first officer seat within 10-12yrs!

It took my mate who works for easyJet from 16 and he's 29 now and he went and worked abroad to build his hours in Africa as a bush pilot
Ignore this crap.

Plenty of people in their 30's - 40's starting out are not too late.

Whilst it might be bit harder to get a shiny jet first job, there are plenty of turboprop positions out there that can lead to jet jobs.

Chuck328

1,580 posts

166 months

Monday 11th September 2017
quotequote all
Oh and if you ask why I say you talk rubbish... I flew with a new First Officer who previously worked 9-5 office not too long ago, In his 40's. Always wanted to fly, got his head down, now on the A320.

It;s not that uncommon.

lee_fr200

5,475 posts

189 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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I do believe if you're serious virgin Atlantic do a sort of scholarship

https://careersuk.virgin-atlantic.com/future-flyer...

5150

685 posts

254 months

Monday 11th September 2017
quotequote all
He's 29 FFS! Whatever your ambition in civil aviation, 29 is nowhere near an age that would start to limit your career options.

No idea how Lee came up with that conclusion, but I'm guessing he's been drinking the water from Ryanair's toilets!

Either way, a PPL is a great way to start. Do it at your leisure and you'll soon find out whether you've got the bug for it.

If you do decide to take the commercial route, do get yourself a Class I medical first, as without that, your options will be much narrower.