Learn to Fly

Any body with the right attitude can become a pilot, no special qualifications are needed and most students come to us knowing next to nothing about aviation. People who have had trial flights generally become very addicted to this amazing hobby, even a couple of people that are afraid of flying have come for a trial lesson and been hooked from then onwards.

Learning to fly will cost between £5000 and £6000, this might seem a lot but you do not have to put any money upfront, you pay as you fly and although you book the aircraft for an hour at a time you only pay for the time you fly. Within these next pages we will talk about the PPL course and what it is you will be learning about if you decide to start training to become a pilot.

Trial Flights

Our trial flights start at a cost of £00 for 30 minutes and £00 for 40 minutes in the air. You will receive a ground briefing, in which the instructor will brief you on the aircraft and what you will be doing. You will then step out of the club house and walk towards the aeroplane you will be flying. The instructor will guide you into the left hand seat for the first time, which is the captain’s seat. He will commence take off and ask you to follow him through on the controls so you can get a feel for what it’s like to take off. You will then most commonly fly out to the north where you will hear for the first time those immortal words “you have control”. All to soon you will head back to the aerodrome, follow the instructor through on the controls for the landing after which they will be happy to answer any questions that you might have.

The PPL Course

There are currently two types of Private Pilots License, the European standard license known as the JAR/FCL and the British national license known as the NPPL. The differences can be explained at the club or via a telephone call. To qualify for a JAR/FCL you must have completed a minimum of 45hours of flying and 35hours for an NPPL under the guidance of a qualified flying instructor. This doesn’t have to be done within a set time limit. You can fly as frequently or infrequently as you want however we do recommend that you fly shorter flights and often rather than longer flights and few. A lesson once a week is a good basis if you are able to manage it. The rate at which it takes you to gain your PPL depends on how frequently you fly with a combination of how quickly you master the skills been taught. Most people take around 18 months to two years to complete the course.

At Sherwood Flying Club we teach students to fly in the previously mentioned Piper Tomahawk, the seating arrangement is side by side and has dual controls so that the instructor always has a way to take control whatever happens. No special clothing need be worn however we do recommend that ladies wear jeans or slacks. As you progress through the course you will be working through a prescribed syllabus of flying manoeuvres and techniques, with special emphasis on safety. Some of the flying manoeuvres you will learn within the first 10 – 15 hours of the course consist of straight and level flight, 30 degree turns, ascending, descending and even landing and taking off.

When you are proficient at these manoeuvres and the great moment comes when the instructor feels you are ready for your first solo flight he will step out of the plane, you will take off and complete a circuit around the airfield and then land. Your first solo will come at a relatively early time in your flight training and before you are able to go for your solo you are required by law to have passed a JAA Medical Class 2 or higher and an Aviation Law exam. Just remember to bring the champagne after your first solo!

After the solo life becomes a lot more interesting (as if it wasn’t already); you will set about doing a mixture of solo flights and those with an instructor. You will start doing navigational work, starting on short cross-country flights. These will lead you up to two qualifying cross-country flights that are a requirement before you can take your PPL skills test. The PPL skills test consists of general handling of the aircraft, showing good airmanship (safe flying) and a navigational exercise; there will also be a ground talk with the examiner during which he will ask you a series of questions. Gaining your PPL is a great achievement, one that you will be very proud of on completion.

Examinations

As part of the PPL course you must have passed a number of ground examinations in the following subjects:

  • Air Law and Operational Procedures
  • Aeroplanes, General and Principles of Flight
  • Flight Performance and Planning
  • Navigation
  • Meteorology
  • Human Performance and Limitations
  • Radio Telephony

This may seem like a lot but don’t panic! The examination questions are of a multiple choice variety, meaning you don’t need to learn lots of long winded answers off by heart. Getting down to studying again might seem like a tedious task but everyone manages to get through it, even if it sometimes means a second try. There are many things out there to help you pass these exams, the club arranges ground schooling throughout the year to help student pilots take on the exams. We also recommend getting the Air Pilots Manual series, which we use at the club and combined with a PPL Confuser we are sure you will pass no problems.

What's next?

After you have obtained your license and been awarded your club ‘wings’ there are various ways of extending your skills, through advanced PPL training, getting a night rating or even taking the next step in becoming a commercial pilot by training towards a commercial pilots license. Many pilots take up the sport of aerobatics and take part in competitions around the UK and Europe!

Most newly qualified students go on to taking a short conversion course to enable them to fly the clubs Piper Warrior, our four seat touring aircraft.