Pilots license
Discussion
Anyone done and got theres, seen one advertised in local paper £3500.
Is there one type of licence of different for differnt size planes.
I have flown a glider a couple of times but been thinking of maybe
getting/doing the it, just wondering if any phers have and if they
could offer any pointers.
BB
Is there one type of licence of different for differnt size planes.
I have flown a glider a couple of times but been thinking of maybe
getting/doing the it, just wondering if any phers have and if they
could offer any pointers.
BB
Huge subject this, there're probably people on here more qualified than I am to talk but if you want to mail me (pre3jwh@leeds.ac.uk) I'll mail you back my phone number and I'll happily chat to you about it.
£3500 is very cheap for a full PPL, it may be the NPPL that's being offered which is a kind of watered down version of the JAR PPL which limits the holder to flying in the UK in relatively simple aircraft with various other restrictions
The basic PPL (private pilot's licence) is obtained by taking 7 theory exams and a practical skills test which can be sat anytime after you've completed 45hrs flying tuition (that's a minimum, an average time is probably more like 60-70hrs before someone's ready, although I did it in 45 so it's far from impossible).
A PPL holder is entitled to fly a single engine aircraft with fixed gear, fixed pitch propellor and normally aspirated engine during daylight hours in good weather (ie not in cloud or low viz conditions. You can then add extra bits to it to allow flight in cloud, in twin engined aircraft, at night etc etc.
As I said, it's a big topic, but keep asking and I'm sure people will explain more!
£3500 is very cheap for a full PPL, it may be the NPPL that's being offered which is a kind of watered down version of the JAR PPL which limits the holder to flying in the UK in relatively simple aircraft with various other restrictions
The basic PPL (private pilot's licence) is obtained by taking 7 theory exams and a practical skills test which can be sat anytime after you've completed 45hrs flying tuition (that's a minimum, an average time is probably more like 60-70hrs before someone's ready, although I did it in 45 so it's far from impossible).
A PPL holder is entitled to fly a single engine aircraft with fixed gear, fixed pitch propellor and normally aspirated engine during daylight hours in good weather (ie not in cloud or low viz conditions. You can then add extra bits to it to allow flight in cloud, in twin engined aircraft, at night etc etc.
As I said, it's a big topic, but keep asking and I'm sure people will explain more!
I understand that a pilot's license isn't like a driving license where you just pass an exam and then get a license for keeps. There are lots of different types of license that entitle you to fly on different types of aircraft under different conditions. For example it's quite hard to get a license to fly at night. Once you have got your license you have to keep it current by putting in enough hours of flying every year, in the right sort of aircraft, under the appropriate conditions. So it takes quite a significant investment of time and money to keep a flying license.
I looked into a few years back but couldn't afford it. The price seems pretty reasonable, my local clubs were about 100 quid an hour at the time, then you gotta add on landing fees etc. It's 40 hours you've gotta do before you can get your ppl I believe. At the time I was looking there were companies in Jersey or Guernsey that were doing short intense courses, I think 2 weeks that were considerably less money. From the few lessons I had the flying was fairly easy it's the navigation that wasn't. I'm still thinking about doing it so I'll keep an eye on this thread.
The cost of a PPL is a variable, but I'd say
3.5k is on the very low side - I reckon from
first lesson to skills test cost me about 6k.
The real thing to decide is...*after* the PPL,
how much do you want (or need) to spend on
flying? If you quote a figure for the amount
a year or month you can spend on flying, it
might be easier to give you some direction you
should looking in.
3.5k is on the very low side - I reckon from
first lesson to skills test cost me about 6k.
The real thing to decide is...*after* the PPL,
how much do you want (or need) to spend on
flying? If you quote a figure for the amount
a year or month you can spend on flying, it
might be easier to give you some direction you
should looking in.
BB
www.flyer.co.uk or www.pprune.co.uk
GA (General Aviation) forum, or the Private Flying
forum on www.pprune.org.uk are great resources.
IMHO there is no such thing as a fixed-price PPL -
it takes as long as it takes, and you pay by the
hour.
90% of *qualified* PPLs give up after 2 years -
which is tragic, but again IMHO the expectation
is that you can use your PPL as a means of fast
A-to-B transit..and are bound to be disappointed.
For me, the PPL has been a passport to aerobatics,
the only *real* reason to get airborne
...but
once you get the bug, forget the sports car.
Edited: BB - I belatedly noted the Griff from
your profile. I didn't know it at the time,
but my 3 years in a Griffith was *excellent*
grounding for Yak-52 ownership. You should
make the upgrade!
>> Edited by eharding on Sunday 27th November 22:29
www.flyer.co.uk or www.pprune.co.uk
GA (General Aviation) forum, or the Private Flying
forum on www.pprune.org.uk are great resources.
IMHO there is no such thing as a fixed-price PPL -
it takes as long as it takes, and you pay by the
hour.
90% of *qualified* PPLs give up after 2 years -
which is tragic, but again IMHO the expectation
is that you can use your PPL as a means of fast
A-to-B transit..and are bound to be disappointed.
For me, the PPL has been a passport to aerobatics,
the only *real* reason to get airborne
...but once you get the bug, forget the sports car.
Edited: BB - I belatedly noted the Griff from
your profile. I didn't know it at the time,
but my 3 years in a Griffith was *excellent*
grounding for Yak-52 ownership. You should
make the upgrade!
>> Edited by eharding on Sunday 27th November 22:29
Eric Mc said:
I thought that those who qualified under FAA regulations had to sit further exams and undergo further tests to get a UK CAA Private Pilot's LICENCE.
Aye - but painting 'N-' as opposed to 'G-' on the
side makes a huge difference
See pprune for the CAA IR / IMC / vs FAA IR debate.
Ballistic Banana
If you want more detail send me an e-mail. I'm a current flying instructor (albeit for the military at the moment), but have trained PPLs in the past for various flying schools (including some of the chaps and chapesses on the Leeds degree course mentioned above!).
ST
If you want more detail send me an e-mail. I'm a current flying instructor (albeit for the military at the moment), but have trained PPLs in the past for various flying schools (including some of the chaps and chapesses on the Leeds degree course mentioned above!).
ST
eharding said:
I thought that those who qualified under FAA regulations had to sit further exams and undergo further tests to get a UK CAA Private Pilot's LICENCE.
Aye - but painting 'N-' as opposed to 'G-' on the
side makes a huge difference
See pprune for the CAA IR / IMC / vs FAA IR debate.
...despair not, Eric, they WILL see the lightGreenV8S said:
For example it's quite hard to get a license to fly at night.
Well, in fact a Night Qualification is probably the easiest addition to
a basic PPL - 5 hours instruction, 1 hour cross-country and 5 full-stop
circuits - you can even do it as part of the initial PPL course. The
CAA will charge you £80 to remove the words "Day only" from your
licenCe (sorry Eric!).
That being said, engine failure in a single at night is no joke - you
basically pick a dark bit and hope for the best - which is why if you
are serious about night flying, a twin is the better (but
eye-wateringly expensive) bet. There's an old adage about forced
landing at night...once you get down to 50 feet, turn the landing
light on; if you don't like what you see, turn it off again.
Flying at night is generally much smoother than by day, and on a clear
night the visibility is amazing. That being said, the last time I did
any night flying was in March, and that evening the wind was all
over the place... 20MB video of a night circuit and a distinctly iffy
approach into White Waltham;
www.plus7minus5.co.uk/video/15-MAR-05/Iffy-Night-Landing-15-MAR-05.avi
>> Edited by eharding on Monday 28th November 10:09
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