Learn to fly

An Introduction To The Private Pilot's Licence

The Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) course is designed to train you to handle a light aircraft to a level of competency which will allow you, once qualified, to fly with passengers anywhere.

The course consists of a minimum of 45 hours, of which at least 10 hours are solo flight. You should budget for around 60 hours since this is in our experience an honest estimate of the time required to cover the syllabus thoroughly, taking our British weather into account. Your own ability and application will have a bearing on this figure. If this sounds like a lot of money to you, think of it this way: yes, it requires a certain level of commitment but the enjoyment and satisfaction you gain will be enormous - the more effort you put in, the more you gain.

The course is well structured and follows an internationally recognised syllabus.

The initial part of your training will cover all the basic manoeuvres. Then you will concentrate on learning to take off and fly a circuit and land safely. When you've conquered this phase, your instructor will ask you to do one circuit, by yourself, your first SOLO.

Following this is a period where you will consolidate and expand your skills. Finally you'll learn the art of navigation with a mixture of dual and solo flights.

At the end of your course, you will have to pass a flying test. You can take this as and when you are ready with one of our resident examiners. There are also a number of written exams to be taken, these are multiple choice type papers.

How To Start

If you haven't flown in a light aircraft before, or are not sure if you want to plunge straight into a PPL course we recommend that you come along and have a trial flight. Trial flights are also an ideal gift for someone and for that reason we offer Trial Flight Gift Vouchers.

You can choose half an hour or a one hour lesson which consists of a flight over the local area. You will fly with a qualified flying instructor, who will allow you to handle the controls and enjoy the sensation of flying a light aircraft.

This is an excellent opportunity to meet other instructors and club members, and to ask any questions you may have. You are under no obligation to continue with lessons but should you wish to do so (and be warned - most people do!), your trial lesson becomes the first entry in your logbook and you have started to learn to fly.

The Aircraft You Will Learn In

We operate modern, well equipped Cessna 152, Robin HR200, and Alpha120T aeroplanes; these aircraft are probably the most popular training aircraft in the country. They are easy to learn in and fun to fly. Built and maintained to a very high standard, they have an excellent safety record. All are equipped with various navigation aids together with transponders, which in effect means you will show up on an air traffic controller's radar screen.

We also have a four seat TB10, Cessna 172 and Rockwell Commander 112TC aircraft which are ideal for touring or for flights when you have more than one passenger.

The aircraft are fully insured - details are available on request.

Books And Equipment

You don't need special clothes for flying, our aircraft are modern and comfortable and equipped with heating. You will feel most comfortable in "sensible" clothes. Warm and waterproof clothes are a must, airfields are by their nature exposed to the elements, as you will discover when doing your pre-flight inspection of the aircraft!

We stock all the books and flight equipment you are likely to need during your training. You don't have to purchase all of this to start with; books and items of equipment can be purchased as you need them.

Pre-requisites

You don't need any qualifications to start your course, members come from a wide range of backgrounds and with a wide range of abilities. The ability to write, read and perform simple sums is useful; more important is the ability to use common sense and judgement when flying, and not to be unduly over, or under confident.

As regards to age, there is no upper limit. 17 is the minimum age to hold a licence and 16 is the minimum age for solo flight. Anyone of any age can fly, but the minimum for logging instructed hours towards your PPL is 14 years of age.

Before you can go solo, you must pass a "Class 2" medical conducted by a doctor approved by the Civil Aviation Authority. This is quite simple, and so long as you are generally fit, you should have no problems. Don't worry if you wear glasses or contact lenses both are nearly always acceptable providing you carry a spare pair whilst flying. If you are embarking on a NPPL course, the medical required is less stringent, can be performed by your GP, and is the equivalent medical standard for HGV drivers.

Before you start flying you must become a member of Anglian Flight Centres either on a pro-rata monthly or annual basis.

Radio Telephony (RT) Licence

You are required to obtain a radio telephony licence to operate the radio in the aircraft. The training for this is normally carried out as an adjunct to your PPL course and assessment consists of a written and an aural test. When completed, you will be issued with a CAA RTF Licence, which is proof of your competence to operate the radio.

Co-Pilot's Course

This is designed for people who do not wish to complete a full PPL course for financial, medical or other reasons but would like to take part in flying. All you need is ten hours tuition. No medical or exams are required; we teach you the basic skills needed to fly the aircraft, use the radio and in an emergency, land the aircraft safely.

 

Once You Have Your Pilot's Licence

When you become the proud owner of a pilot's licence you will be eager to find out what you can do with it. During your training you are taken along a structured course, but once you've completed your basic training, you will find all sorts of doors open up for you and you can explore beyond them as much or as little as you like. Your licence is the starting point for a whole range of aerial activities, whether it be gentle trips around the local area or the beginning of a career in aviation, culminating with a job in the airliners.

Our work as instructors doesn't end when you get your licence either. We are there to help you extract the maximum benefit from your flying, either from extra training or by simply encouraging you to venture further afield and explore by yourself. The aircraft you learned to fly in are available for you to hire.

Your first trip as a qualified pilot may well consist of a flight around the local area with a friend or relative, you may have a long queue of people waiting for you to take them up. You can team up with other pilots and fly off to other airfields. Or you may feel like a trip to the continent, for which Earls Colne is ideally situated (only about 45 flying minutes away).

Where you have more than one passenger you can fly one of the four seat aircraft. To be able to fly these you will be required to do conversion training with an instructor who will show you the different systems and handling characteristics.

There are a variety of courses available to you. Most of our members do go on to do further training of some kind with us.

Your Private Pilots Licence may be regarded as a core qualification to which you can attach various "ratings" many of which can be done with our club.  In addition to the "official" ratings, we offer several other short courses to help you gain more experience and to help you become an even safer and more confident pilot, which are shown below.

Night Rating

Flying at night is a completely different experience! With a night rating you can enjoy the freedom of the night sky and dispense with the restrictions that sunset otherwise imposes.

Night take off, landing and navigation techniques are a bit more of a challenge but are soon mastered.

Radio Navigation

You will have been taught the basic radio navigation when doing your PPL. We encourage further training in more advanced techniques, useful in conditions of reduced visibility or when flying over sea.

I.M.C (Instrument Meteorological Conditions)

The IMC rating qualifies you to fly in cloud and in conditions of poor visibility in certain types of airspace., and to do instrument approaches into certain airports. It ends with a test during which you show your proficiency at controlling the aircraft using the various flight instruments and following an "instrument approach procedure" to find your way safely on to the final approach to land. All without looking outside the aircraft.

Aerobatics

Not high G aerobatics, but gentle enjoyable manoeuvres! Done with expert tuition, you can roll, loop and stall turn, improving your handling skills and enjoyment. You don't have to complete a course; you can learn a few manoeuvres and when we feel you can do them safely, you can go off by yourself, or with a passenger, to practise to your hearts content. We teach to the AOPA syllabus and competency tests if required, and you can obtain an Aerobatic Certificate if that's your wish!

Tailwheel Conversions

Your basic training will have been conducted in an aircraft with a conventional "tricycle" undercarriage. Aircraft with a tail wheel take a little more finesse and practice to take off and land. Our expert instructors will lead you through this official conversion process. We currently don't have a tailwheel aircraft available for hire at the club. However, we are pleased to offer training in your own aircraft if required.

Complex Types Conversions

Some aircraft have more advanced systems, and further training and official CAA sign-off is required before you are allowed to fly them. At Anglian Flight Centres, we can qualify you to fly aircraft with retractable undercarriage, variable pitch propellers, turbo or super-chargers, and also those with "glass" cockpits.

Advanced PPL Course

This course was developed by one of our instructors for the discerning tastes of our qualified pilots who are continuously seeking to improve and extend their flying abilities. It is designed to refine those skills acquired during basic training and to explore further airfield into such things as short strip operations, bad weather operations and a revision of all emergency procedures plus a lot lot more! For more details on this course, see the Advanced PPL Course page.

Formation Training

You've always been taught to keep away from other aircraft. Well, now you can be taught how to safely fly in close proximity. Designed and led by instructors in current formation practice, we guarantee you'll thoroughly enjoy yourself, as well as learning something new. Formation flying is more difficult than it looks, and at the end of the course, you'll be a far better pilot all round. For more details on this course, see the Formation Training page.

Finally

The information provided is intended to give you a quick insight into our training courses. It is essential to consult the published syllabus and official CAA documents which lay out in detail the legal requirements for the PPL and additional ratings. These documents are available for your use and inspection in the clubhouse.

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