a***@yahoo.com
2006-11-27 12:55:48 UTC
Hi,
I'm a first time poster (browsed a fair bit).
My background is that I'm a UK expat living in North Africa and I want
to gain my PPL.
Due to language difficulities (i.e. over here PPL is taken in French)
and a host of other issues, I'd prefer to take my PPL in the UK.
Where I live though, flying is pretty cheap, and from my perspective a
whole lot more enjoyable than it would be in the UK (the airspace is
pretty empty and weather is almost always nice - also the scenary is
spectacular !)
Now (don't laugh !) I haven't had much experience in flying real single
engine planes (apart from my Microsoft Flight Simulator even though I
do have and use on it a 'proper' CH Yoke, Rudder Pedals and 'real'
weather etc).
I've been up in a real Cessna twice.
I have purchased the Trevor Thom series of books, the Q&A Confuser, and
have ordered UK maps, flight computers, Plotters etc (which should be
with me shortly).
My questions are;
1) Where do I start ?? By that I mean, I want to get my licence in
2007 - that's my goal.
I have a fair bit of free time over the next 3 to 4 months and would
like to get some of the exams out of the way before I spend a lot of
time actual flying (I'd like to get at most 3 of them out of the way by
March 2007). But, I'm finding all of the studying a bit overwhelming
(there's just too many books!). Which exams would you say I should
tackle first ?? (the ones I find the most boring is the Air Law. The
one I find the next most difficult is the Meteorology). The others I
think I'll have no problem with. Do you think I should put all of the
books away and only study one ??
2) Second question, is that I've yet to choose my flying school (in the
UK). I think I've nailed it down to a couple, but my actual question
is which plane to learn in ?? I know it may sound a bit silly, but I
don't like the look of a Cessna. I prefer the look of a low-wing
aircraft. That usually only leaves the Piper Warrior. I also don't
like the Cessna from the point of view of visibility when doing turns
(this I only have experience of in my Simulation sessions, i.e. when
you bank from Downwind only base leg, or from Base onto Final, in a
Cessna you can't always see the runway). But on the other hand I get
the impression that a Cessna is real easy to fly. Also, from where I'm
living the problem is that they don't have any Piper aircraft (they do
have Socata TB-9s though as well as Cessnas). Any advice here ?? i.e.
do I learn in an aircraft that is most popular (from the point of view
of hiring once passed, i.e. the Cessna) or do I go for what will
'please' me to learn in even though the chances are that I'll have to
hire something else once I've passed (ie. the Piper) ??
My intentions are to then later on have my own plane in my host county
(as it'd be a much more pleasant a speedier way of travel than taking
the car) - in which case it'll be a Cirrus... (only joking !).
Any pointers/advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks.
I'm a first time poster (browsed a fair bit).
My background is that I'm a UK expat living in North Africa and I want
to gain my PPL.
Due to language difficulities (i.e. over here PPL is taken in French)
and a host of other issues, I'd prefer to take my PPL in the UK.
Where I live though, flying is pretty cheap, and from my perspective a
whole lot more enjoyable than it would be in the UK (the airspace is
pretty empty and weather is almost always nice - also the scenary is
spectacular !)
Now (don't laugh !) I haven't had much experience in flying real single
engine planes (apart from my Microsoft Flight Simulator even though I
do have and use on it a 'proper' CH Yoke, Rudder Pedals and 'real'
weather etc).
I've been up in a real Cessna twice.
I have purchased the Trevor Thom series of books, the Q&A Confuser, and
have ordered UK maps, flight computers, Plotters etc (which should be
with me shortly).
My questions are;
1) Where do I start ?? By that I mean, I want to get my licence in
2007 - that's my goal.
I have a fair bit of free time over the next 3 to 4 months and would
like to get some of the exams out of the way before I spend a lot of
time actual flying (I'd like to get at most 3 of them out of the way by
March 2007). But, I'm finding all of the studying a bit overwhelming
(there's just too many books!). Which exams would you say I should
tackle first ?? (the ones I find the most boring is the Air Law. The
one I find the next most difficult is the Meteorology). The others I
think I'll have no problem with. Do you think I should put all of the
books away and only study one ??
2) Second question, is that I've yet to choose my flying school (in the
UK). I think I've nailed it down to a couple, but my actual question
is which plane to learn in ?? I know it may sound a bit silly, but I
don't like the look of a Cessna. I prefer the look of a low-wing
aircraft. That usually only leaves the Piper Warrior. I also don't
like the Cessna from the point of view of visibility when doing turns
(this I only have experience of in my Simulation sessions, i.e. when
you bank from Downwind only base leg, or from Base onto Final, in a
Cessna you can't always see the runway). But on the other hand I get
the impression that a Cessna is real easy to fly. Also, from where I'm
living the problem is that they don't have any Piper aircraft (they do
have Socata TB-9s though as well as Cessnas). Any advice here ?? i.e.
do I learn in an aircraft that is most popular (from the point of view
of hiring once passed, i.e. the Cessna) or do I go for what will
'please' me to learn in even though the chances are that I'll have to
hire something else once I've passed (ie. the Piper) ??
My intentions are to then later on have my own plane in my host county
(as it'd be a much more pleasant a speedier way of travel than taking
the car) - in which case it'll be a Cirrus... (only joking !).
Any pointers/advice would be really appreciated.
Thanks.