learning to fly - private pilots license

harar

i know there are a load of threads about this anyways but thought id start one

im looking to learn to fly- have no experience have never been on a plane apart from commercial airlines and one experience of a helicopter over london

i have recently got it into my head i would like to learn to fly

i live in dublin but have a car so i could travel to a flying school/club however ive heard things about politics in clubs so im wondering would i seem stupid just calling up to chat about it

also the budget: iv seen online about spending upwards of €7000 learning to fly? being a poor student this would require me working numerous jobs...

if you could get back to me that would be great any comments would be appreciated as am completely clueless

Wats_in_a_name

I've learnt to fly in OBA (now flyeasa.com) in Florida and loved it. I have flown out in Weston in Kildare which all 3 of the schools, NFC, skytrace & Flightwise. I found Brian at flightwise really helpful. Might be an idea to drop him an email with any questions.

xflyer

It probably cost the guts of €10k to learn to fly in Ireland. The quickest and less expensive way to get a private licence is to go to America. There is no such word as cheap in aviation. But for that you need the money up front and the time to spend in America.

If you only want a PPL, joining a club and learning to fly with them is good as long as you are not in a hurry. You can learn to fly quicker in a flying school because they have full time Instructors. But they're more expensive.

Another option are microlights. Most modern microlights are essentially conventional aircraft although lighter and with smaller engines. They are considerably cheaper. I don't know much about learning to fly in them. I suggest you check in at the flyinginireland website where they have an appropriate forum. There are clubs that operate them alongside normal Cessnas etc. Ormand Flying Club in Birrr for example.

Once you have your licence you can either buy your own aircraft:rolleyes: or join a club or buy into a group. Which is usually the best option. You then part own and aircraft and it's a lot less expensive.

Minimum hours to a PPL is 40, but it will take about 60 minimum. That has to be budgeted for.

David086

If it's 10k to fly in Ireland how much would it be in the US?

xflyer

Looking up the EASA (OBA) website they quote €5842 all in including accomodation for 3 weeks. Budget for a bit more though and for a week or so longer not including airfares and food etc. That's not a recommendation BTW, it's just they get mentioned a lot because they offer a JAA licence. It might be cheaper again to get an American licence which you can fly on while back here or convert to JAA.

So you can see why people go there.

Wats_in_a_name

If you want any details about OBA give me a shout. I would recommend it. Best 4 weeks of my life!

mlumley

Why not try microlights, the hours are minimum 35 against min 45 ppl. 3 axis micros can be bought in uk from 5k. see www.afors.com. You can do intensive courses in MI, Scotland, Wales and lots of places in UK. You then come back and do the medical and radio permits over here. Hope to do it next year.

harar

xflyer wrote: »

If you only want a PPL, joining a club and learning to fly with them is good as long as you are not in a hurry. You can learn to fly quicker in a flying school because they have full time Instructors. But they're more expensive.

i would be interested in joining a club.. would it be much cheaper? wouldnt be too bothered about how long it would take me.. could i join a club with no experience?

another question i had would be if i hypothetically ever did manage to get my pilots license,,, ballpark how much would it cost to fly a plane for a day lets say or how would it work?

mlumley wrote: »

Why not try microlights, the hours are minimum 35 against min 45 ppl. 3 axis micros can be bought in uk from 5k. see www.afors.com. You can do intensive courses in MI, Scotland, Wales and lots of places in UK. You then come back and do the medical and radio permits over here. Hope to do it next year.

what would the differences be between the two? in terms of flying experience and practicalities (ie can they follow similar flightpaths)-sorry i no nothing about this yet at all!

nag

Would it be possible to get a thread sticky'd entitled, "learning to fly" or "becoming a pilot" or something similar? It seems like there's at least one new thread a week with someone asking the same question/s. I'd be happy to contribute if it was agreed to do this.

harar

whats sticky'd?!

nag

It's a thread that doesn't move from the top of the forum no matter how old it is.

harar

i see...well any help would be amazing anyways

paky

how hard is it to fly a plane? is there much difference between flying and jumbo jet or a small one?

HerrScheisse

I did the PPL in America, in Comair outside Orlando in Florida some years ago. It took a little over a month and was a slick run flight academy with hundreds of active students. You can fly every day with the exception of the afternoon thunderstorms that are of short duration. Its a busy airspace so you learn to handle all aspects. I had the added advantage that I had completed the Irish PPL ground examinations before I left, this saved me an awful lot of study time on the FAA examinations. Of course, if you follow this route you need to do some hours back in Ireland to get used to heavier crosswinds and tailor to passing the Irish flight exam.

In short, there was no way I could have achieved this licence in the same timescale or price range in Ireland.

NUTZZ

paky wrote: »

how hard is it to fly a plane? is there much difference between flying and jumbo jet or a small one?

:eek:

Is there much difference between riding a bike and driving a lorry?!

HerrScheisse

PS Do a couple lessons first before making any final decisions - see that you enjoy it and have the basic aptitude. It would be a shame to spend that money on courses / hours and regret it later.

HerrScheisse

paky wrote: »

how hard is it to fly a plane? is there much difference between flying and jumbo jet or a small one?

About 300 peoples worth of difference :pac:

paky

lol

mlumley

harar wrote: »

i



what would the differences be between the two? in terms of flying experience and practicalities (ie can they follow similar flightpaths)-sorry i no nothing about this yet at all!

They are smaller planes, they have a lower stalling speed, cheaper to learn, cheaper to maintain and cheaper to fly. Some are as good as ppl plains if not better. Look at www.nmai.ie for full details. If you want to go weight shif, you'll have to go to N.I or U.K as far as I can see. Look it up, no harm in looking. Let me know how you get on, I want to do it next year.

mlumley

Also, have a look at www.afors.com to see what is on offer in both ppl planes and microlight, 3 axis and weightshift. Prices are a lot lower.

Wats_in_a_name

NUTZZ wrote: »

:eek:

Is there much difference between riding a bike and driving a lorry?!

Are you speaking from experience? I've heard from quite a lot of Pilots that flying a 767 is basically the same as a cessna just more automated.

NUTZZ

Wats_in_a_name wrote: »

Are you speaking from experience? I've heard from quite a lot of Pilots that flying a 767 is basically the same as a cessna just more automated.

Yes I am actually!

Wats_in_a_name

Ah rite. What you flying atm if you don't mind me asking. Funny the way people see it differently.

donkey balls

NUTZZ wrote: »

:eek:

Is there much difference between riding a bike and driving a lorry?!

Ah sure any moran could/can drive a truck:p

IrishB.ie

donkey balls wrote: »

Ah sure any moran could/can drive a truck:p

Leave Manic out of this...:p

donkey balls

IrishB.ie wrote: »

Leave Manic out of this...:p

Ha Ha I thought he drove a tank:pnot a truck.

Manic Moran

I was behind the wheel of an M43 ambulance, based on the M37 truck, yesterday actually.

It is possible to get your PPL in 40 hours in the US, I'm proof of that. That said, when you are budgeting, you do have to assume that you're going to spend 60 or more.

Personally, I've found flying to be a doddle. Push the stick forward, houses get bigger. Pull the stick back, houses get smaller. It's all the rules and regulations that kill me.

Of course, I only fly simple airplanes, not high tech multi million dollar jets.

I'd get the medical done fairly early on. The chances are that you'll pass, but it's always a chance.

NTM

Monotype

I've been looking into this for a while, but am beginning to get lost in the acronyms, various authorities and legislation. Could anyone provide answers to some of my questions please?

If two countries offer JAA licenses, can someone complete the ground school in one place and the flight training elsewhere?

If you are already holding a PPL(A), how much extra work is needed for a PPL(M)?

Does getting a JAA PPL(A) elsewhere require additional training here to qualify to fly here/for getting an Irish license?

An FAA PPL does not qualify a person to fly here, without additional training and exams (i.e., try to get JAA if possible)?

donkey balls

The schools in the USA that teach JAA PPL/CPL are accredited by both the IAA&CAA to carry out the courses there,As for doing the exams here in Ireland the likes of the CAA accredited schools in the USA don't recognise the exams carried out in Ireland.
You could always pop over the border to do them in the likes of Ards;) once your issued with a JAA licence it is recognised by each JAA member states,Some schools would/will require you to be checked out in their aircraft by doing a few hours one school in particular wanted me to do 20hrs:eek:.