Become a Pilot

Learning to fly an aeroplane or helicopter can be one the most enjoyable and rewarding goals that a person can achieve in their adult life. The process from start to finish is full of new discoveries and exciting challenges. 'Finish' is perhaps the wrong word since the learning never ends. Even if, having qualified, the new pilot decides not to pursue any other form of licensing or certification there is always something new to learn and the wise pilot should never be complacent or over confident.

Learning to fly requires diligence, patience, courage, humility and a thirst for knowledge. As well as they practical aspects of handling the aircraft the student pilot must learn to navigate, interpret weather forecasts for local airfields, intended routes and destinations, plan flights taking into account passengers, baggage, and fuel, and ensure that they he/she is and the aircraft are operating with the Law.

If all this sounds like a steep climb then take heart. The path to obtaining a set of wings has been walked many times before and there is plenty of helpful material along the way. All the aspiring student needs to do is follow the steps and tackle each segment of the journey in a dedicated and methodical manner.

Overview

To obtain a JAR-FCL PPL (Private Pilot's Licence) in the UK the required steps are:

1. Obtain Class II medical certificate from a CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) licensed GP

2. Begin studying the various ground school subjects

3. Complete the PPL practical syllabus at an aero club or flying school

4. Pass the seven written ground school exams and one practical radiotelephony exam

5. Pass practical exam (the Skills Test)

6. Apply to the CAA for issue of a licence

Age Requirements

You can start your lessons at any age and there is no upper age limit as long as you still meet the medical requirements. However, only flight time logged at the age of fourteen or older can count towards your total time logged, and a student has to be at least sixteen years old to fly solo and at least seventeen in order to be eligible for a licence.

Medical Requirements

For the full JAR-FCL PPL licence a student will need a valid CAA Class II Medical Certificate. This is valid for five years for students up to the age of forty. Thereafter it has to be renewed every twelve months. If you fail the Class II medical test you can still opt for a National Private Pilot's Licence. There are less stringent medical requirements for this and it allows many people to fly who might otherwise be grounded. However, it has fewer privileges than the PPL and you cannot add additional ratings to this licence.

Groundschool Subjects

The groundschool or theory subjects are:

* Aircraft General Knowledge and Principles of Flight

* Aviation Law and Operational Procedures

* Flight Performance and Planning

* Human Performance and Limitations

* Meteorology

* Navigation and Radio Aids

* Radio Communications

There are plenty of books and courses that provide all the necessary information and exercises in order to become proficient in each of these subjects and to help you pass the exams. You should also receive ground school tuition at your chosen flying club or flight training center.

Flight Training

The CAA flight training syllabus for the issue of a PPL totals a minimum of 45 hours logged consisting of the following:

25 hours dual (with an instructor at your side)

10 hours solo (on your own!)

5 hours solo cross-country flying

5 additional hours flying either solo or dual

However, few people are ready for the final Skills Test with the minimum amount of time in their logbooks. How many hours it takes for you to become proficient will depend on many things e.g. the frequency of lessons, your ability to learn, your Flying Instructor's skills and abilities. When calculating the cost of your course you should factor in and a total flying time of 60-80 hours to be sure that you don't run out of money just before you complete the course.

Where do I begin?

One way to get started is to book a trial lesson or flight experience day. Find your nearest flying school and give them a call. They'll be only too pleased to welcome you in and show you around. If you've never been in a light aircraft before then it will be a very revealing experience. Ask the instructor as many questions as you like and don't be shy. Everyone was a novice once and if he/she is a good instructor he/she will explain everything in a way that you can understand and absorb.

A trial lesson might be enough to get you hooked on the idea of learning to fly or it might put you off for life! If it's not what you expected but you feel sure that you still want to learn then book another trial in a different type of aircraft and perhaps at another airfield. If your first lesson was at a grass field try the second on a hard runway or vice versa. If you were in a high wing aircraft, try a low wing aircraft.

If you've come this far the chances are that you will continue so it's just a matter of finding the right school, instructor, and aircraft for you. In Part II we'll go into more detail about the process of learning to fly from your first lessons to obtaining your wings.

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The world's your oyster

In Part I we covered the study, training and medical requirements for obtaining your Private Pilot's licence in the UK. Here in Part II we'll go into more detail about structuring your studies to make the best use of your time, effort, and money.

Keeping Down the Cost

You'll see many schools offering to bring you up to the required standard for a fixed price based on the minimum number of flying hours in the syllabus, but it's rare for student pilots to become ready for the Skills Test just when they've logged only these flying hours. Most people need more time to practice, to build up confidence and to convince themselves and their flying instructors that they are ready for the CAA Examiner.

One way of keep down the cost of learning to fly is to schedule your training so that you make the best use of the continuity of practice. The ideal way is to book continuous lessons throughout several consecutive weeks so that there are never more than one or two days between lessons. In this way you will undertake each lesson with the previous instructions fresh in your mind and overall you'll need less practice.

If you are in full time employment you could use some of your annual leave to do this, but if that's not possible try instead to book lessons over many continuous weekends and evenings, and keep up with your groundschool studies when you're not flying. Taking into account the UK weather and daylight hours most flying is done during the summer months but this means that the flying clubs are at their busiest from March to September, so book early and be prepared to jump in if any slots suddenly become available.

British Weather or Sunnier Skies

What could be more pleasant than learning to fly in the Sunshine State of Florida with its wide open runways, clear blue skies, and uncluttered airspace? Wouldn't it be less expensive and quicker? Before you reach for your credit card you have to factor in the cost of getting there and back and the cost of your accommodation and food while you're there. You could treat it as a holiday but you might not want your partner or family with you while you're trying to study so it will probably be a solo break away from home for a few weeks.

Also, some pilots have found that on their return to the UK they find the comparatively congested airspace intimidating and they lack the confidence to make decisions about whether or not to fly when the weather is so changeable here. So any money they saved learning to fly abroad is spent on additional training in the UK, which they feel is necessary in order to bring their confidence level back up to a point where they can confidently fly in UK airspace and weather. In the end those cheap lessons in the States can cost a whole lot more than you expect.

However, there are advantages to flying abroad. It's a great way to build up the hours in your log book and of course it's great fun to fly where the skies go on for ever and the overall attitude to general aviation is much more hospitable and friendly. So if you feel the urge and can afford to fly where you please then take advantage of the opportunity.

The First Solo

The major milestone in your journey to becoming a pilot is your first solo. The experience of being alone in an aircraft for the first time is one that you will remember for the rest of your life even if you go on to be a senior Captain flying airliners around the world.

After you've learnt the basic maneuvering schools and aircraft handling techniques i.e. straight and level flight, turns, climbing and descending to name but a few, you will then spend many lessons in and around your home airfield flying circuits. Circuits are rectangular patterns oriented on the runway in use and taking into account any local flying restrictions and procedures.

You'll be circuit bashing for some time, perfecting your climb outs, downwind checks, approaches, and landings. There'll be days in which you seem to land reasonably well and others when you make a complete hash of it. Now and again you'll land like a veteran, but then your instructor will take you round again to check to see if it was fluke.

After a while you'll start to become bored of these repetitive lessons and at some point your instructor will ask you to taxi to a halt while he/she vacates the aircraft. Before you have time to complain you'll be on your way back to the runway for your first solo and within 15-20 minutes you'll be back in the clubhouse feeling as if you've just passed through a barrier into another world.

Radiotelephony

One the skills you will need to develop is the ability to use to ask for information and respond to requests and instructions over the aircraft radio. Many people feel self conscious about this and are reluctant to speak. You must overcome these misgivings as being confident in the use of the radio will not only make flying more enjoyable it will also make it safer for you and your passengers.

Invest in some training software or CDs with which you can interact. Practice the vocabulary of aviation wherever and whenever you can. Start with the phonetic alphabet and proceed from there. One good tip is to learn all the usual requests and responses that relate to your home airfield, and practice using them until you can reply to the Tower without hesitation.

Radiotelephony for aviators follows certain rules and procedures so that information can be passed quickly and accurately. At a busy airfield you need be able to fly the aircraft, keep a good lookout, listen out for your call sign and respond to it when called.

Keep Going - Don't Stop!

By the time you've reached first solo stage you will have spent quite a lot of time, energy and money on your ambition. The important thing now is to keep going. Don't give up and don't let all that expenditure go to waste. Once you've recovered from your first solo celebrations go back to your studies and continue with your lessons.

The next major milestone is your first solo landing away from your home airfield. Find out all you can about the airfield before you fly there. You could even drive to it and have a look around if you think that would help. These days you can make use of Google Earth to examine landmarks that will help you obtain a fix of your position.

The secret to success is planning. It's easy for the novice flyer to stray into the airspace of another airfield (and therefore into the path of other aircraft) if they were aiming for it but had reached it sooner than expected. If you have planned your journey well there should not be any surprises and you will have made your radio call to the airfield when you were several miles away. During the last few miles you will need to identify your position accurately so that your approach and landing is on the correct side follows the procedures for that airfield.

Last Lap

Once you have completed two thirds of the syllabus and you have completed all your written PPL exams it's time to start focusing on the final hurdle - the Skills Test. During this practical exam the Examiner will ask you demonstrate your ability to be a pilot in command of an aircraft. The Examiner will not be expecting perfection but they will be hoping to see a certain degree of confidence, proficiency, and the ability to make quick decisions. All this comes with practice.

It's perfectly understandable that you might be a little nervous before your test (or more than a little!), but try to relax the evening before, get a good night's sleep, and approach the task with as much confidence as you can muster based on the many hours you will by now have added to your logbook. Your Flying Instructor will only put your forward for this final challenge when he/she thinks you are ready, so trust the judgement of your tutor.

Imagine yourself holding your new licence in your hands and very soon it will become a reality.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ben_Lovegrove
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	Microsoft Flight Simulator X for Pilots: Real World Training List Price: £19.99 You save: £9.23 (46%) See Reviews For This Product
	Description Get ready to take flight as two certified flight instructors guide you through the pilot ratings as it is done in the real world, starting with Sport Pilot training, then Private Pilot, followed by the Instrument Rating, Commercial Pilot, and Air Transport Pilot. Features New Mint Condition Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon Guaranteed packaging No quibbles returns

	The Private Pilots License Course: Flying Training (Private Pilots Licence Course) List Price: £21.95 You save: £9.04 (41%) See Reviews For This Product
	Features New Mint Condition Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon Guaranteed packaging No quibbles returns

	Principles of Flight: Aircraft General Knowledge Flight Performance and Planning (Private Pilots Licence Course) List Price: £21.95 You save: £8.27 (38%) See Reviews For This Product