The Private Pilots LicenceFlying is a challenging and rewarding experience. Holding a Private Pilots Licence (PPL) will enable you to enjoy flying to the full. At Abbas Air our Instructors take special care to ensure that the PPL course is tailored to suit individual requirements in such a way that the PPL can be obtained in the most efficient way possible. Compton Abbas Airfield is open seven days a week, operating from 09.00 until 8pm in the summer and sunset in the winter. Lessons can be booked in advance to suit your timetable. The course takes a minimum of 45 hours which can be condensed into a little over a month, or spread out over a year or more. Each lesson begins with a briefing in which the flight content and the principles behind the lesson are explained, that is followed by approximately an hour in the air. The cost of the lesson is calculated on the flight time of the aircraft not on the whole two hours so it is not as expensive as it first may seem as you only pay for the time spent in the air. Our course is carefully structured to build on the skills already learnt and to introduce new ones at an appropriate rate. Before long, you will be responsible for checking the aircraft before flight, making radio calls and increasingly using your own judgement in the running of the sortie. This all leads to the magic moment of your first solo flight. If you took two lessons a week, you could be flying solo in less than two months from now. After this follows a period of consolidation when you do more flying with your instructor and more solo, so that by the time you have finished the course you will have done at least ten hours solo flying, including a cross country navigational flight to two other airfields, often the most awe-inspiring flight of all because you are putting into practice everything that you have been trained to do, confident in your ability to cope with any situation that may arise. You will be talking to air traffic control like a professional while flying over some of the most beautiful countryside in Europe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSDo I need to pay for a complete course? No – you pay for each lesson as you go. Do I need to take exams? Yes – There are 7 ground exams which are:
There is also a Radio Telephony oral examination and a Flight test with JAR examiner. This may all sound a bit daunting but we can supply all the study manuals and extra ground school if required. Do I need a medical? Yes – It must be obtained from a JAR approved doctor before your first solo flight. We of course can provide the names and addresses of approved doctors in your area. What happens in bad weather? If the weather is too bad to fly, the lesson is deferred to another day. If however you wish to come in and have some personal ground-school bad weather days are some of the best times. Is it a summer only pastime? No – Some of the best flying weather can occur during the winter, aircraft actually perform better in cold air. If you wish to expand your skills we could train you up to IMC rating which teaches you to fly using the aircrafts instruments so you could fly in just about any weather conditions. Where do I sit my exams? Here at Compton Abbas airfield. When you feel that you are ready to sit an exam our examiner will set you a paper, you will be given your mark the same day. How many hours am I likely to need to pass? The JAR minimum requirement for the issue of a licence is forty five hours, most people do however need a few more hours training to reach the required standard for the Skills Test. Once you have gained your PPL – CONGRATULATIONS your licence is valid in 31 C.A.O. countries you are qualified to fly in any of them. Once I have my PPL what then? There are many ways your PPL can be enjoyed, whether flying for business or pleasure. You are advised to get in plenty of practice all the time gaining more confidence in the air, we even offer a five percent discount to licence holders who fly our aircraft regularly. In order to keep your licence valid apart from keeping your medical up to date, you will have to fly at least twelve hours bi-annually making at least twelve take-offs and landings, one of those hours being with a flying instructor. Our examiner will check your log book and issue you a certificate (free of charge). Is there anything else I need to know? This is a brief description detailing the main components of the course. If you have any further questions please see a member of staff on the operations desk who will be more than happy to help. The best way forward is probably to ask them to book you a trial lesson with an Instructor so you can get some hands-on experience of the freedom of flight.
If you wish to contact us, you can reach us by: |
Frequently Asked Questions |
