Bristol Airport

wys is correct. You have to be 16 or older to fly solo, and 17 to actually get the PPL. I started when I was 14, to go solo shortly after my 16th birthday. So start early if you want to go solo on your 16th! Also, you can take all the exams before youre 17th birthday, which I hadnt realised, but you just cant get the PPL till youre 17.

i may now be coming because the fare of those days has gone up from £198 for 4 people to £388 for four people

I believe these days under JAR you can solo a powered aircraft at 16 but you need to be 17 to get a PPL.

Yeah can anyone get us airside passes?

Bristol airport visit

I would like to come also, if the weather’s okay. I’m also in Swindon. Does this mean you can get us ramp access for photos?

i cant make it now im flying to jersey on flybe from friday 13th – tues 17th wish it was ealier or flying later in week so cud av gone 🙁 can u steal me a seat maybe captains or 1st officers and an engine and maybe the tail lol 😀 :p

what’s this about an a310 at bristol airport?

is it being broken?

is it open to general robbing?

can i have an engine please 😉 !!!! lol

Originally posted by andrewm
Correction Deano!

You can go solo on your 16th Birthday!

Are you sure? I thought that was for gliders only……..I didn’t think you could get your PPL until you’re 17

switch on your mobile Andy 🙂

if u dont get the msg I sent send me one to 07795176009

Dean.

Correction Deano!

You can go solo on your 16th Birthday!

ok coanda no worries mate 😉

Wannabe, yes you are correct in saying you can start your PPL but you cant solo until you are 17, Im pretty sure you can hold a licence at 17 too and not 18.
The good thing about the States schools is the accommodation is inclusive in the price, so all you need to do is time it right to get a cheep schedule to there and pay for food etc, on the continent could be just as good but you will pay a slightly higher price in Europe due to fuel costs etc

Dean

Thanks for all the info Dean! 😮 Quite a lot there!

I think I will speak to my CO at Air Cadets, because he is a flight instructor at Andrewsfield airfield, which is one of the nearest to me. I will find out how much they charge for all the flying and instruction etc. If you said that it took you 2 years, is there any possibilty of starting it soon after I’m 16, so then I can go solo sometime during the year when I’m 17, and have my entire PPL by the age of 18?

I think that getting the flying and licenses is a lot cheaper on the continent aswell, I was looking at a company recently called ‘Aeromed’. The only thing is, you will probably have to pay a lot of the money you save into flights and accomodation.

aww deano, course i do…but you’ll have plenty of (legal amount) fare paying passengers there! maybe next time!

coanda:D

Originally posted by coanda
no offence but i think i’ll stick to the ground that day…should really crack on and finish the required bits to get my licence…..i will prob end up learning at filton…pretty hard to miss the runway there i think…

coanda

:confused:

He doesnt trust me 🙁

😉

Originally posted by wannabe pilot
How much did everything (including flying hours and licenses etc) cost for your PPL? Also, how much time did you have to dedicate?

I would really like to get my PPL as soon as I can, preferably when I’m 17 or 18. But I’m quite short on cash, and the nearest local flying clubs are Stapleford and Andrewsfield which are both around an hour away in the car. I’m just wondering how the best way to go about it might be……

Hmmm, well, its hard to put a figure on it.
Ground Exams – £155
Maps – £30
Headsets x2 – £440
Flight Case – £80
CRP-1 – £45
Pooley’s FLight guides x2 – £60
Thom series – £140
PPL Confuser – £15
Rulers, pens pencils etc £30
40hrs Duel instruction – £4800
16hrs Solo – £1600
CAA Examiner fees £300
Licence issue £147

Total = £7842

I was a tad unlucky with mine as I had 3 tries at the skills test (only failed nav once though)

1st time wx reported VMC up to 10k, when I took off I turned towards Gloucester from Cirencester and could not see a thing so I aborted my skills test, second attempt I did the nav first but it was an awefully bumpy day and I couldnt align the DI with the compass very well as it wouldnt keep still, I couldnt climb out of it due to cloud base and ended up penetrating Boscombe Down MATZ by ½ a mile DOH :rolleyes: (my flightplan took me close to it anyway) and as its sparsly populated down there it was hard to get a fix from the ground, so I failed nav part but breezed through the GH, 3rd attempt (2nd proper attempt) I passed with flying colours, twas a lovely day with vis for miles etc.

I only work a 3 day week so time is on my hands but again sods law states when I was at work the sun shone, when I was at home it rained, this went on for ages and in the 2 years it took me to get my licence I lost about a year of this due to weather, example – ready for skills test at 35hrs but cant take it til 45hrs, reached 45 hrs in Oct 2002, didnt fly again until Jan 3rd 2003 due to weather, and then because of the lengthy lay-off I had to have some refreshers etc as I didnt want to jump into skills test.

Basically there is no telling how long it will take someone, I was ready and felt ready for skills test after 35 hrs but ended up passing with 56hrs, someone else may get theirs dead on 45hrs, someone else may take 90 hrs (I know a pilot who took 110hrs)
I would always say do your budget for 60 hrs, this way there is contingency.
Timewise wasnt a problem for me, but what I did find hard was to fit all the study in for the exam, I was doing Open University at the time too so I got behind with my PPL exams but managed to get them all passed within a 12 month period.
My advice to you if money is tight etc is to go to the States and do your PPL, you can do CAA PPLs over there, i would advise you to undertake all the exams over here first as the 4 weeks course would be pretty intense if doing the exams too, and at least you wont/shouldnt encounter the problems I had with weather etc and I reckon you could get the PPL for about ½ the price I paid, as for headsets etc and study books just keep an eye on Ebay, they do appear every now and again.
Just buying a copy of a GA magazine will reveal a multitude of flying schools in the USA but it may be wise to post here or on Pprune (am I allowed to say that here? lol) about what one is recommended etc

Good luck in whatever you decide

Dean

no offence but i think i’ll stick to the ground that day…should really crack on and finish the required bits to get my licence…..i will prob end up learning at filton…pretty hard to miss the runway there i think…

coanda

How much did everything (including flying hours and licenses etc) cost for your PPL? Also, how much time did you have to dedicate?

I would really like to get my PPL as soon as I can, preferably when I’m 17 or 18. But I’m quite short on cash, and the nearest local flying clubs are Stapleford and Andrewsfield which are both around an hour away in the car. I’m just wondering how the best way to go about it might be……

Originally posted by wannabe pilot
North Weald is quite close to Stansted airport, around 15 miles North East of London City. Do you have the CAA aeronautical chart 1:500,000 of the South-East? If you find London City on there you will see it’s just between LCY and STN. Anyway, enough of my hopes, it’s way too far! It would take atleast an hour, probably 2, in a Pa-28. Not to worry
😀

How long have you had a PPL?

Hi Wannabe yes I have the CAA 1:500,000, yes it is a bit far lol, it would be cheaper for you to fly from STN to BRS hehe.

Ive had my PPL since July last year, passed on 7th July and recieved my licence on the 10th Sept, thats the CAA for ya 😀

Originally posted by andrewm
So thats 25% per person on board so u wud pay 25% then us three wud etc. Right gota 🙂

We all have passports for security etc. Sandy u joining us as then we cud go up a few times to get us all a go!

Deano at least let me buy u a large one AFTERWARDS lol!

As long as you drive me home afterwards LOL

And yes Im not allowed to accept more than 75% if 4 of us fly (and only up to a maximum of 4) etc etc as this constitutes payment for flying, but theres nothing stopping you paying me £5000 expenses LOL 😀

Originally posted by Deano777
I fly a trusty PA-28, it isnt my own I hire it, yes I have a PPL.

Where the hell is North Weald LOL?, if it isnt too far yes picking you up “may” be an option 😉 but at £115 per hr it doesnt come cheap :p

North Weald is quite close to Stansted airport, around 15 miles North East of London City. Do you have the CAA aeronautical chart 1:500,000 of the South-East? If you find London City on there you will see it’s just between LCY and STN. Anyway, enough of my hopes, it’s way too far! It would take atleast an hour, probably 2, in a Pa-28. Not to worry
😀

How long have you had a PPL?