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Learn to Fly
 Do
you find yourself constantly dreaming about flying?
Was it a childhood wish to be a fighter-pilot? Or
have you set yourself the challenge to learn to fly?
With a little bit of courage and effort, you can
accomplish your dream and be soaring through the clouds
in no time.
Flying Schools:
It’s not hard to find a flying school
within reach of your home. Of course if you want
to learn to fly a more complex machine – helicopters, or
commercial aircraft, for example – you may need to
travel further a field to find an academy or training
location. Most flying schools are listed in the
directory and probably have a website or friendly
customer-service assistant that can answer any questions
you might have regarding the types of aircraft, pricing
and restrictions there may be for your lessons. It
certainly pays to research – having an instructor you
are comfortable with, and attending a school that has a
good safety record and reputation, is definitely worth
the extra bit of investigation. You might want to
get in contact with the British Aviation Enthusiasts
Society, who can advise you on the best schools to
attend.
Licensing and Restrictions:
There are several kinds of licenses
available in the UK, although most schools offer just
one - the Private Pilot License (P.P.L.), which
allows you to fly single-engine aircraft. It is
taught by the JAR syllabus and is controlled in the U.K.
by the Civil Aviation Authority (C.A.A.). Although
the P.P.L. is quite an involved course and involves
several examinations and practical (take-offs, landings,
plane control, etc) and theoretical situations (aviation
law, meteorology, navigation, radiotelephony and so
forth), the program ensures pilots are trained to a safe
and competent standard. The prices for the courses
vary depending on the type of plane you use, the school
you attend, and the way you pay for the program.
The other varieties of licensing are the
UK National Private Pilot License (N.P.P.L.), which
limits the pilot to flying only UK-registered aircraft
in the UK only, and only during the day. There is
also the Commercial Pilot License (C.P.L.) and the
Airline Transport Pilot License (A.T.P.L.).
If you don’t want to get a full license
but would like the experience of flying a plane, some
schools offer introductory packages that include time in
the air with an instructor. It is also a good idea
to consider gliding, which does n ot
require a license in the UK and is a good introduction
to the sensation of being in the air. For younger
aviation enthusiasts, it is possible to begin flight
training at basically any age – however you cannot
obtain a license until you are seventeen.
If you are an aviation fan or enjoy a
challenge, why not learn to fly? Not only would it
be a great conversation starter and a fantastic skill to
add to your repertoire, it quite literally would give
you an uplifting feeling to know that you can fly like a
bird, soar through the clouds, and look down on earth
from above.
Copyright
2007. theFirst
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