Too good to be true? south african flight schools

Getting the PPL was a wonderful experience who gave me the freedom to fly as the captain of an aircraft but I agree with comments above in the sense that I loved all the hours spent learning how to do it and having someone to care for the progress.

To push it slightly further, I would say that I still enjoy getting up with an instructor now and then to learn new things: that can be a night rating, an IMC rating, aerobatics or a cross-channel check out, but definitely learning is a significant part of the fun.

Steph

Helpful suggestion #37

Don’t become fixated on the headline figure. *snips other good stuff*
Moggy

Hear hear.

You never actually stop learning. My licence cost me a spit over four grand in 1992 but I have never thought for a moment that I paid too much. I learned at Thruxton and did it tailwheel. It was the best money I ever spent.

Melvyn Hiscock

Helpful suggestion #37

Don’t become fixated on the headline figure. It is only of importance if you intend to get your licence and then stop flying.

Over the next twenty years or whatever you are likely to spend £X,000 a year on flying. If your PPL costs £10,000 or £2,000 makes no difference. You are flying from day 1, you are solo from hour 15 or hour 25. The only change ‘getting’ the PPL makes is in your freedom to terrify your friends and family by taking them flying.

Look upon your training as one of the most enjoyable periods of your flying life. If you choose your school well you’ll never regret it, if you go somewhere based on cost alone and it isn’t fun and well run you’ll be forever resenting the money you are spending.

Moggy

What is it with Cranfield? The comic has Taylor Aviation offering a 45 hour PPL package for £3825 + VAT including exams and ground school. Flyteam are offering a 32 hour NPPL course for £2700 – I expect this is plus VAT as well. I must admit to becoming quite cynical about these prices after listening to the advice on here!

Had a long chat on Saturday with Lucy from Northampton School of Flying – learnt a lot about transitioning between NPPL and JAA PPL either during training or post training. What I didn’t know was that any post NPPL P1 hours count towards a full JAA PPL subject to medical – is this right? I got the impression that with a further 10 hours, medical and GST one can move on from the NPPL. I’m open to correction here! This makes the NPPL a far more attractive proposition to a pauper such as myself….

John C
Put my bike on Ebay last night 🙁
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2483323486

Billins at Cranfield do the NPPL for £2995 I think. 01234 751400

Words of advice

FuturePilot,

As Melvyn said, I’ve done my PPL in South Africa, in Stellenbosch airfield, near Capetown and enjoyed every minute of it. Trouble is that I had never planned it before and so didn’t realise that to enjoy it fully in the UK I would have to convert it to a JAR license – the alternative was to go back to SA every year to renew… which I did once. The conversion itself is not so hard, wouldn’t it be for the 100 hours required (total time). For more info, you can have look at a previous message here:

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=27144

To my knowledge, the actual standards in South Africa are good but that depends on lots of factors of course. But in any case, I would add to Melvyn’s words that 3 weeks to do it all is not just hard but extremely hard as even in South Africa the weather counts too. Sometimes with the best sunshine the wind gets hectic for days. So if you get 4 of these days, that screws up your program a bit.

Also make sure you check what the 3 grands include. Last time I was there it was about £36 for dual on a C152. Now you need 45 hours of these, on top of which you must add the equipment (books, case, maps), the radio license, and the medical, which itself was £80.

Best of luck anyway.
Steph

Hi Future Pilot.

Welcome here, we hope we can help you change that name to ‘Actual Pilot’ 🙂

Can you give us a little more information first please.

1) Is being short of the money to fly a temporary thing, or like most of the rest of us will it remain the case once you’ve qualified?

2) Do you have a prticular urgency in your need to carry passengers (wife / girlfriend / loan shark / whatever)?

3) Do you run a business and find it difficult to take time off?

4) Whereabouts in the country are you?

Moggy

Mr Weaver’s input may well be valid, but it’s only fair that you should be made aware he’s a very young and inexperienced student pilot.

3 Grand? would you be so kind as to tell me where this school is?

I know a school in the UK that does the PPL for 3 grand!

I would consider www.regalair.com

As long as you get your licence, with a good instructor, go for what is cheap, be aware these will be for minimum course times.

Oh dear, Robert strikes again. A little knowledge and a lot of bluff!

Be wary of foreign flight schools. You can learn more cheaply but may have to convert the licence you get when you come back. Even if you get a JAR licence, you may also find that the foriegn conditions, such as weather and airspace, differ so much from the UK that you need a lot of conversion when you get back. Steph the Frenchman has actually done this and so he would be a good person to ask.

There have also been horror stories about paying up front and losing it.

Also, be aware that to do it in three weeks is hard, hard work.

Get your information before your check book.

A rare piece of good advice from young Robert.

Check out all the sources, ask questions on here and on PPrune.

Don’t be hasty.

MH