Learning to fly

cheechm · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:19

So in the middle of next March I shall be going to the states to get my private pilot's license. In case any of you are at all interested, my blog will be updated daily once I'm out there. I'll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

jonas123 · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:21

I'd love to do it, but it's too expensive and time consuming as a hobby

KatanaDV20 · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:22

Nice 1 dude! I did exactly the same thing. Got mine in a Katana airplane in California.

IMO its THE best country to fly in and nothing will top the flying experience, the people you will meet and just the whole aviation environment there.

TIP: Finish the written exam ASAP so you can concentrate on flight training & ground school and then prepare for the practical test.

Also American girls go INSANE on our accents. So if youre single: enjoy

ChrisD. · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:23

I thought of the Foo Fighters when I opened this thread lol.

Mate of mine spent 10k or something out of his own pocket to become a pilot. He now earns megabucks flying for some airline so best of luck to you!

Ahleckz · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:30

Interesting. How much is it costing? Is there work for those with a PPL?

PermaBanned · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:31

MilanoChris said:
I thought of the Foo Fighters when I opened this thread lol.

Floyd for me

2StepSteve · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:33

I have a couple of questions!

What qualifications do you need?

Do you have any flying experience or certificates under your belt already?

How much is this going to cost you?

Hyburnate · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:35

Nice. May I ask is this a hobby of yours or is it a career your interested in?

Edit: I need to learn to read xD Sorry

PermaBanned · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:37

I also have a question. How much (if any) time do you spend in sims? Would you say it's useful to become competent in them?

Have you actually been up yet?

Blinkz · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:39

Are you planning on just doing a PPL or are you going all the way to fATPL? If so are you planning on then converting it back to a European licence?

I can also answer any questions any of you guys have!

With a PPL you CANNOT be paid to fly. The only thing you can do is share the cost. I.e your mates can't pay the rent of an aircraft for you to take them flying, you must pay an equal share. So if you take a friend flying you must pay 1/2 of the cost.

You cannot use any time in simulators to put towards a PPL. PPLs are purely just about learning to fly small single piston engined aircraft, which you do by just flying them! Simulators are mainly of benefit to practice instrument flying and then the more complex airliners (which obviously can't be flown with a PPL)

Scuzi · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:42

Congratulations! Any reason you're doing it in the US? Make sure you budget for a few hours when you get back here to get up to UK standards.

Looking forward to hearing about how it went

Blinkz · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:45

Have to say the blog looks great, really nice format and easier to read. Much nicer then most I've seen.

Remember that things will be changing come April when EASA take over the licensing rules....

J-FRO · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:46

Question, what will you say when your mates ask for a lift in the future?

Good luck and congratz though, one of my friends went and done his over there this crimbo.

Blinkz · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:47

MilanoChris said:
I thought of the Foo Fighters when I opened this thread lol.

Mate of mine spent 10k or something out of his own pocket to become a pilot. He now earns megabucks flying for some airline so best of luck to you!

If so he's the ONLY pilot earning megabucks that I know of haha

KatanaDV20 · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:49

I also have a question. How much (if any) time do you spend in sims? Would you say it's useful to become competent in them?

Sims like FSX can help with procedures (learning holds, airways structure etc) but people who spend a LOT of time playing them and then going on to real flying tend to spend a lot of time head-down in the airplane (looking at the instrument panel and not looking outside enough). WHen you train for Sport Pilot or the PPL it is a VISUAL form of flying and you must look out not just to learn basic navigation (GPS etc can fail) but also look out for other planes and hazards like birds. Some students find this a tough habit to break.

@ Scuzi - generally much cheaper to train across the pond. In fact British Airways sends its cadets to UND if Im not mistaken (University of North Dakota). Also the better weather helps you train for licenses like PPL faster. Theres also plenty of schools in America that offer European licenses.

Scuzi · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:55

KatanaDV20 said:
@ Scuzi - generally much cheaper to train across the pond. In fact British Airways sends its cadets to UND if Im not mistaken (University of North Dakota). Also the better weather helps you train for licenses like PPL faster. Theres also plenty of schools in America that offer European licenses.

I do a bit of flying when I'm over there and it doesn't work out that much cheaper, especially when after coming back from the US with the ink still wet on his licence after a grand total of 21 days training, he'll need at least a few hours of flying in the UK to get up to scratch.

It does make sense to have predictable weather - there's nothing more frustrating than waiting weeks in the UK for a break in the weather to get a QXC done.

Blinkz said:
If so he's the ONLY pilot earning megabucks that I know of haha

I was speaking to an E145 FO for a large US airline before xmas. He earns a whopping $28k

KatanaDV20 · 9 Feb 2012 at 23:58

..he'll need at least a few hours of flying in the UK to get up to scratch.

This is true. For me it was hellish cheap. Got a Cessna 150 for $45/hr , Katana was $55/hr. But granted this was a long time ago so not applicable now. I was even told that in parts of Kansas you can rent a 2 seater GA plane for less than a car lol.

And the one massive advantage there is that they dont have landing fees. I was doing touch n goes at San Jose International! Airbuses & B737s on the parallel and me in the toy plane on the other one!

I was speaking to an E145 FO for a large US airline before xmas. He earns a whopping $28k

Pilot pay isnt the greatest there huh. Ive got a buddy whose FO on the E170 making something similar. Definetly one of those professions where it has to be in your blood. You have to love the job. This is not something you go into with the aim of going to the BMW showroom after 4 months employment. That comes later when your are in your 50s and Senior Captain of a 747-800 Intercontinental

But OP: you are gonna have the time of your life. You will not forget this

D.P. · 10 Feb 2012 at 00:06

I may be able to get my new employer to pay for me to get a pilots license next year. Depends on some security clearance issues, military funding changes, and a load of uncontrollable variables so I doubt it will happen which is a shame.

digipeep · 10 Feb 2012 at 00:10

I've bookmarked your blog, I'm interested in getting a PPL licence, gf bought me a tester flight last year and I loved it. Just need to find the £8k to do it.

Good luck with your flying and blog.

cheechm · 10 Feb 2012 at 00:16

Thanks so far for the positive response guys!

For anyone who wants to know how much it is, I can tell you that it'll be roughly £7,500. You never know until you've finished, but you can see the costs I'll incur here.

PermaBanned said:
I also have a question. How much (if any) time do you spend in sims? Would you say it's useful to become competent in them?

Have you actually been up yet?

I've played a lot of Flight Simulator in the past. In fact, many moons ago, it was FS98 that got me interested in flying. I was stuck in my dad's office one day and his colleague set me up with the game on the default settings (at Meigs Airfield with a little Cessna). So from then it's been something that I've always been interested in doing, and a gap year, where I've had time to earn the money is an ideal time.

As KatanaDV20 said, the sim is only so helpful. Without it, I wouldn't know half the stuff I know today (bearing in mind this is pre-PPL). The sim has given me a basic understanding of the instruments you'll find in the cockpit of a light aircraft. Flying on VATSIM (sort of like FS multiplayer) gave me an insight into the radio communications side and things such as circuits. So I wouldn't say that sim has been unhelpful, but as KatanaDV20 was stressing, flying VFR (visual flight rules as opposed to instrument flight rules) requires you to look out the window, and be able to keep the plane straight and level without looking at the roll indicator or the vertical speed indicator.

I have been up in a couple of light aircraft including a C172 (4 seater) which is what I plan to be flying.

Blinkz said:
Are you planning on just doing a PPL or are you going all the way to fATPL? If so are you planning on then converting it back to a European licence?

Although I'm going to the states, I will be completing a European course (therefore ending up with a JAR-FCL PPL).

At the moment, I'm not sure how much further I'll take it. I reckon for now, my PPL will be sufficient. However, I then have the option for any sponsored cadet programs (if any exist in a couple of years). I'm going to uni in October anyway.

Scuzi said:
Congratulations! Any reason you're doing it in the US? Make sure you budget for a few hours when you get back here to get up to UK standards.

As you mention the regularity of which I can fly is a big bonus for me. I mean, look out of your window tomorrow morning (assuming it has snowed like it has in London), and then you'll see my problem. If you look at the page with the cost comparison you'll see that it is in fact a bit cheaper. (If you notice I haven't put flights out there, it's because luckily I get free airmiles flights).

Thanks for you note about budgeting for some hours back here. I've heard the airspace over here isn't quite the same as in the States!