This page documents my journey to obtain my Private Pilots Licence, inspired by the forumites at the Flyer web portal.
I'd had a yearning to fly since the age of 13, when I was a cadet in the ATC. I started studying for a group D licence, i.e. microlights, in 1991 and had clocked up less than 4 hours when I suddenly found myself out of a job for around 9 months. In the years that followed, I found another job, moved to the south coast of England, changed jobs again, met the girl who would later become my wife, got a mortgage, had 2 children, etc, etc, etc. Before I knew what was going on, more than 10 years had passed and I had almost forgotten all about flying...
This is how my flying experience stands at present. The full JAA-PPL is just too expensive for me to contemplate at this point, so it's back to microlighting for me! The minimum requirement for a NPPL with microlight rating is 25 hours and very few people manage it in the minimum time. I'll just keep telling myself that...
| Total PuT | Last PuT | Total Flown | Last Flown |
| 8h 40m | 10 JUL 2010 | 11h 15m | 10 JUL 2010 |
| Next lesson booked: n/a | |||
0. Ending a 13 year layoff - May 2nd 2004, where I take a trip in a PA28 for my 40th birthday and get hooked again.
1. Getting serious - October 2nd 2004, where I have my first encounter with an aeroplane that I hope to be getting to know quite intimately over the coming months.
2. Traffic jams at Kilo 1 - October 16th 2004, where I finally have to talk to the man in the control tower, and cause a traffic jam at holding point K1.
3. Needless puppy slaughter - November 14th 2004, where I go round and round in circles and make an annoying faux pas.
4. Remind me again what to do - June 27th 2010, I find that I'd not forgoten as much as I might have expected.
5. Stalls and PFLs - July 3rd 2010, it suddenly gets to be hard work.
6. More stalls, steep turns and hooning - July 10th 2010, I learn a new word and have a revelation.
