Private Pilots Licence
Discussion
It's a while since I instructed but you'll need about 40-50 hours at about £120 an hour. Add on a snazzy headset and some exam fees and you're probably up to about £7000.
If you have the time you could always do one of those crash courses over in the States for half that price, though I'm led to believe the standard of training can vary. Equally, you could get a s
t instructor in this country as well though. Getting a good instructor is key to keeping the costs down, as is consistency and flying regularly.
If you have the time you could always do one of those crash courses over in the States for half that price, though I'm led to believe the standard of training can vary. Equally, you could get a s
t instructor in this country as well though. Getting a good instructor is key to keeping the costs down, as is consistency and flying regularly.Edited by simonej on Thursday 17th June 17:12
Edited by simonej on Thursday 17th June 17:13
You could try purchasing a share in an aircraft first, and then just pay the instructor for their time which usually isn't much (maybe a tenth of what's been quoted), particularly if they're trying to build their hours for an ATPL. Obviously you also have to pay for fuel and your share of the aircraft's expenses, but it's still far more cost effective than paying for a club aircraft, and you can always sell on your share later if you find you want something else or decide you don't enjoy flying after all.
Another alternative is to do an intensive course in the US, which is generally cheaper than doing it in the UK.
Another alternative is to do an intensive course in the US, which is generally cheaper than doing it in the UK.
Or you could do an NPPL on a thre axis microlight. Don't laugh, google Cosmik aviation Eurostar and tell me it doesn't look like a proper aeroplane. Microlights are more like £110 per hour and you need slightly less hours so it is quite a saving.
You can tour europe or even fly to Aus if you are braave enough.
You can tour europe or even fly to Aus if you are braave enough.
Depends what you want to do...
PPL(h) will cost you about £250/hour..
Or... do an NPPL for microlight type aircraft and pay around £80/hour..
As I say, it does depend what you want to do!!
I did the PPL(H) with the plan of going commercial, but at the moment its to hideously expensive, so I dont fly much... which is a shame!! Had I dont the microlight qualification I might still be able to afford to fly lots at weekends.... having said that, you cant just drop into a pub in the same way that a helicopter will
PPL(h) will cost you about £250/hour..
Or... do an NPPL for microlight type aircraft and pay around £80/hour..
As I say, it does depend what you want to do!!
I did the PPL(H) with the plan of going commercial, but at the moment its to hideously expensive, so I dont fly much... which is a shame!! Had I dont the microlight qualification I might still be able to afford to fly lots at weekends.... having said that, you cant just drop into a pub in the same way that a helicopter will
I put together a spreadsheet of my PPL costs back in 2006/7 when I did my PPL.
I did it in minimum hours and on the first flight test which kept the costs down. The spreadsheet does include an expensive headset which you don't necessarily need. I took my lessons at Westernair Thruxton which is still one of the cheapest clubs to hire aircraft & instructors.
See HERE
With all due respect to the poster above, I would argue that buying into an aircraft share at this stage is not the right thing to do. I would get the PPL before deciding whether you want an aircraft share for all sorts of reasons. Cost wise, as a minimum it would be something around £40per month plus about £60 per hour plus the cost of an instructor, club membership fees and any other group costs that 'crop up' i.e after a large maintenance bill.
With regards to the US - with the exchange rate they way it is currently, I doubt there is much in it when you have factored in accommodation and travel (don't forget sales tax too)
In short, a PPL in 2010 will cost you more than £7k which ever way you look at it..
(you might want to look at the NPPL which is less hours and would be cheaper but limits you from doing any additional ratings / qualifications but you could always upgrade to a full PPL later on)
I did it in minimum hours and on the first flight test which kept the costs down. The spreadsheet does include an expensive headset which you don't necessarily need. I took my lessons at Westernair Thruxton which is still one of the cheapest clubs to hire aircraft & instructors.
See HERE
With all due respect to the poster above, I would argue that buying into an aircraft share at this stage is not the right thing to do. I would get the PPL before deciding whether you want an aircraft share for all sorts of reasons. Cost wise, as a minimum it would be something around £40per month plus about £60 per hour plus the cost of an instructor, club membership fees and any other group costs that 'crop up' i.e after a large maintenance bill.
With regards to the US - with the exchange rate they way it is currently, I doubt there is much in it when you have factored in accommodation and travel (don't forget sales tax too)
In short, a PPL in 2010 will cost you more than £7k which ever way you look at it..
(you might want to look at the NPPL which is less hours and would be cheaper but limits you from doing any additional ratings / qualifications but you could always upgrade to a full PPL later on)
Edited by FuzzyLogic on Friday 18th June 08:16
Edited by FuzzyLogic on Friday 18th June 08:18
A few additional points. The hourly rate that the FTO (Flight Training Organisation) advertises may or may not include a landing fee. Make sure you know what is included. Either way, find out what the airfield charges for full stop landings and touch and goes. Once you get in to the course and are flying circuits you can rack up quite a few touch and goes + landings.
Most FTO's offer discount packages eg. 5 lessons or 10 lessons and so on. Be slightly wary of these. FTO do not make a lot of money. They go bust even in the good times, given the current financial climate I would be even more wary of handing over a large amount of cash to an FTO. Pay As You Go is a safer option.
As well as a lot of money you will need a lot of patience. Even if you can do the course in the minimum hours (45) the UK weather is often very unco-operative. Also the studying can be tough. Air Law in particular is an extremely dry subject. Try and get all of the exams out of the way as soon as you can and enjoy the flying.
Most FTO's offer discount packages eg. 5 lessons or 10 lessons and so on. Be slightly wary of these. FTO do not make a lot of money. They go bust even in the good times, given the current financial climate I would be even more wary of handing over a large amount of cash to an FTO. Pay As You Go is a safer option.
As well as a lot of money you will need a lot of patience. Even if you can do the course in the minimum hours (45) the UK weather is often very unco-operative. Also the studying can be tough. Air Law in particular is an extremely dry subject. Try and get all of the exams out of the way as soon as you can and enjoy the flying.
FuzzyLogic said:
With all due respect to the poster above, I would argue that buying into an aircraft share at this stage is not the right thing to do.
I was just suggesting it as an option as I know of several people who have gone this route and have saved themselves a significant amount of money, even one who made the unusual decision to buy a tail-dragger as their first aircraft. 
Obviously the costs are related to the type of aircraft and the size of the share, but however small their share is (and hence inexpensive), it still qualifies them to be trained in their own aircraft.FuzzyLogic said:
With regards to the US - with the exchange rate they way it is currently, I doubt there is much in it when you have factored in accommodation and travel (don't forget sales tax too)
True, but it's still a fair bit cheaper and it usually has the added benefit of better weather too. It really depends on the OP's mentality and circumstances; some people prefer to do things intensively so that they don't forget stuff in between lessons, rather than trying to fit a lesson in a here and there over the course of a year or two.Of course I'd recommend the cheapest option of all - getting the RAF to pay for your training.
welshpool used to advertise their ppl for £3.5k, though I always thought that was optimistic.
there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
shirt said:
welshpool used to advertise their ppl for £3.5k, though I always thought that was optimistic.
there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
that I guess will be the nppl, not much use to be honest. The PPL is min 45 hours of flying time but I guess that is subject to how quick you learn. Dont forget with your PPL you may choose to do your night rating and instrument rating so you can fly at night and bad weather (useful in the UK)there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
Once you've got your licence you'll face the challenge of maintaining it. Easy if you have your own a/c which you can operate from your own property, but otherwise often not very practical in the UK. Abroad you can often operate a light a/c into international airports flying IFR all the way & then you've got good ground transport links. In the UK you'll be contending with air traffic congestion, tiny out-of-the-way airfields with no IFR approaches (so you can only fly in good weather in daylight hours) & poor ground transportation. After a few £1000 sandwiches at foreign Aero Clubs, unless you're financially wealthy AND time rich you may find it too much hassle. I'm not trying to be negative. I'm a kiwi who loved flying in NZ - the glaciers, fjords, mountains etc & I loved aerobatics but won't fly again until I leave the UK & go somewhere else (probably BC, Canada) which is more GA friendly, where the scenery is spectacular, the skies uncrowded & where flying works for me rather than me working for it. In the UK a good number of people get involved in aerobatics as a way of improving their skills & maintaining their licences once "straight & level" cross countries have become a little boring & expensive. But you really do have to think how you'll use your licence if you want to continue with it rather than treat it as an expensive "box-ticking" exercise which ultimately lapses into disuse. Also, you may find that despite the training your friends rib you about your flying & are too nervous to come up. I'm saying "go for it" but bear in mind that it does involve a few hurdles, expenses & a lot of time & these things can mount up if you don't have a clear use for flying. As for the RAF being the cheapest route - on the contrary - signing away ten years of your life is extremely expensive!
528Sport said:
shirt said:
welshpool used to advertise their ppl for £3.5k, though I always thought that was optimistic.
there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
that I guess will be the nppl, not much use to be honest. The PPL is min 45 hours of flying time but I guess that is subject to how quick you learn. Dont forget with your PPL you may choose to do your night rating and instrument rating so you can fly at night and bad weather (useful in the UK)there are companies in florida who you can sit an intensive jaa ppl through, though the cost won't be as attractive as in previous years and you won't get an appreciation of crowded uk airspace and our weather.
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff