06/08/79… yep, last century that was.
The aircraft had no electrics, no starter, GPS wasn’t born yet, we had no headsets, and the charts were stashed, in the office, only to be used for later cross-country flying.
HB-ODC, my logbook entry reads 0:48 as block time and “Introduction Flight” in the remarks… still, I remember the flight vividly, far better than my 1st solo actually.
FI: “hop in and take your seat”
Wannabe pilot: proceeds to climb into the forward seat
FI: “no no, take the rear seat. Solo flying is from the rear seat, so student flying is from the rear seat”
Wannabe pilot: takes the rear seat, and barely manages to fasten the lap only belt by himself
FI: “ok, now put your feet on the brakes whilst I go and swing the prop. I’ll shout my orders”
Wannabe pilot: looks down and the only thing he sees are these two minute metal tongues sticking out of the wooden floor. Stares back at the FI
FI, now with a slightly impatient tone: now, please use your heels to push on those pedals
Wannabe pilot: obeys, all whilst pondering as to the diminutive size and appearance of those brake pedals, the more so when compared to the real brake pedals of the DC-8 and DC-9 airliners he works on as a day job… the firsts of many wonderful surprises to come.
During the PPL course the FI proved himself to be a top notch pilot, whilst always riding on the sharp edge of total exasperation. Thanks to the wannabe pilot.
Said wannabe pilot soloed with 9:24hrs in his fresh logbook, and passed his PPL ride with exactly the minimum required of 35 hours.
Sweet memories 
Very nice thread bringing back beautiful memories of learning to fly in 1986 on the old but reliable ASK 13 glider (the picture shows the one I used to fly, during my time it was plain white though). Unfortunately during the summer camp it was heavily damaged during an unsuccessful landing attempt so I had to do my first solo on the ASK 21, following huge discussions within my flying club if it should be allowed to solo on a (at that time) high performance aircraft. Luckily I did not bend it so it became accepted for other flight students to use.
After the solo I had to „downgrade“ again to the Ka 8 to be allowed to step up to the LS 4 later on. Continued to accumulate hundreds of hours on gliders, later powered gliders with a short look into microlights. When I finally did my SEL in the US in 1998 I started with the funny fact that I had nearly four times the flight hours than my instructor. Looking back I really enjoyed the opportunity to keep on learning during all my flying career and hope to be able to fly for many years to come.
No quite peter.
I can’t remember the exact date but I’d guess about pre 1986 you could instruct and get paid as an FI on a PPL. They then said you had to have a CPL to instruct so the BCPL came into being.
Progress then meant there was 2 types of BCPL
Those that were given to PPL/FI’s purely to meet the requirement to hold a CPL to instruct. If you now send one of these into the CAA you will now be issued with a PPL.
The other subset of BCPL holder were those that passed the CPL theory exams then passed the CPL skill test and were issued with a BCPL which upon gaining 700 hours was a paperwork exercise to upgrade to a CPL. Anyone who held a BCPL via this route who now submits their licence to the CAA will be given a CPL even if they haven’t got 700 hours.
There is actually a third group and these passed the rarely sat BCPL theoretical exams and passed the CPL check ride and were issued with a BCPL which they couldn’t upgrade to a CPL when they got to 700 hours. I have no idea what the CAA would issue if someone submitted such a licence to the today. I did know a BCPL only FI but he stopped flying 20 plus years ago and is now sadly longer with us.
For the record the BCPL never come with inbuilt IMC privileges for life. Although once you got to 700 hours and got the CPL issued then you did gain inbuilt IMC privileges
There is a further twist for those who applied to upgrade their BCPL to a CPL once JAR kicked in. Then the CPL didn’t come with inbuilt privileges for life. But after a few years this was forgotten about probably because the old boys had all left the CAA and then you again got IMC privileges for life.
IIRC, the FIs I knew in 2000 had mostly BCPLs. A BCPL was a grandfathering of an “instructor with a PPL” which was possible in the 1980s but when JAA wanted a CPL the CAA came up with the BCPL. These BCPLs then got grandfathered into a “CPL good enough for PPL training” and you also got a free IMCR because back then a real CPL included IMCR privileges. So one could teach the IMCR without ever having had instrument training and the CFI of the school I was at (he’s dead now) proudly told me so
The person here with a good memory for all this will be @tumbleweed.
Just noticed the wing next to G-BSVW in the photo above seems to have a wing from a different PA38!
Even if they had done an integrated course (~150 hours?), the FI course was still 30 hours. Plus skills tests etc. besides the FI pre-requisite has always been 200 hours minimum if holding a CPL and more if a PPL (but to be paid you’d need a CPL back in JAR days), I can’t remember it being any different in JAR times. Possibly back pre-JAR and pre-BCPL but that was long before I learnt to fly and can’t comment.
My first flight…. seems a common theme. Trial Lesson in Piper Tomahawk G-BSVW on 29th May 1994. I was 17, was bought as a birthday present by my Grandad as a surprise (30 minute TL was £40 back then!). My instructor I’m still in contact with to this day. I remember the take-off, flying over Cardiff and taking control for the first time. It was marvellous! Cemented in my mind I wanted to learn to fly.
Started learning to fly in October ‘97 (first lesson in PA38 G-BTEV) and completed my first solo aboard G-BSVW on 28th March ‘98. Was one of the nicer Tomahawks with a nice smooth trim wheel. Seems to be used as a crash exercise carcass nowadays, which is a shame.
No this isn’t my photo nor is it how I left her after my first solo!!!
Photo obtained from:
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5185568
No.
Although you can become a microlight instructor in the UK with less than 120 hours.
The other thing I remember is that the FI told me he had 150hrs
Is that possible (year 2000)?
My first lesson was in September 2007, in a DR.400/120. It was really a discovery flight where I got to do the flying; I assume it was an aeroclub policy to limit time and effort on potential students who disappear (I want to say ‘time-wasters’ but that’s too strong). The instructor drew horizon lines on the canopy with a drywipe pen with the attitudes for climb, level flight, and descent. I’d done a couple of hours gliding a few years before so the takeoff didn’t have the magic it might have done. The first serious lesson was a week later, in a DR.315 Petit Prince, when I also joined the club and bought the theory book. The aeroclub was very welcoming and that period is probably the happiest of my life. I have fond memories of the DR.315 which I flew until my first solo; after that I did my BB and PPL on a DR.221 Dauphin (identical but tailwheel) which is my favourite plane.
DR.400/120
DR.315
DR.221
Loong time ago. I remember the registration (HB-CSF) but could not find a picture. A Cessna 150G with only very basic instrumentation. Did the first solo in it too, after roughly 9 hours dual as well as my PPL flight test a while later. Year was 1982/3.
She is still registered so probably still flying.
I bought my own C150L shortly before my PPL test and flew it home with a wet-ink PPL a few days later.
As far as I know, she is still around stored in Locarno for some years.
