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What next after PPL

Thanks for all the great advice. Unfortunately I am not going to take any of it

I have booked a plane and an instructor for next week in the hope that I can complete the IMC rating in one block. (15 hours I believe). I have been averaging less than 2 hours per month in the two and a half years it has taken me to get this far and I don’t want to carry on with this sporadic approach. I won’t have another chance to do the IMC before next summer, and beside, it seems I can’t hire a plane on my own until I get the PPL back from the CAA which won’t be before September.

I realise that eventually I will have to get used to flying without an instructor to hold my hand. That will now have to wait until I am in France.

Thanks again

LFMD - Cannes

I guess that people who do those don’t feel as compelled to write

There is so little to report… I do local VFR most of the time, my definition being everything is local that I feel sufficiently acquainted with to have a known visual reference all the time. Some of my common routes are, from my home base EBZH, a largish oval around the Brussels CTR, or the Antwerp CTR, or both. Optional landing at EBHN Hoevenen. If not doing both CTR’s, fly the corridor between Antwerp and Brussels CTR which will neatly bring me over the grandchildrens’ house to wave goodbye at them. But the worst that could be reported is some idiot in that narrow corridor who doesn’t show up on the frequency (yes, THE one and only frequency – in decent places, only one service can serve one given point in three-dimensional airspace!) All of this area so built up, and so full of roads and railways and rivers and canals and broadcast antenna towers and power plants that there’s a plethora of visual references available.

Whenever I fly a bit further off – which requires tremendous reassurance about weather over the next couple of hours, plus a good feeling about the state of my home-brew avionics – I feel inclined to report, some of my little stories have been posted here.

Last Edited by at 12 Aug 17:37
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Unfortunately I am not going to take any of it

Actually, there is a lot to be said for just getting on with collecting all the ratings ASAP.

However, you will need to get on with some flying fairly soon afterwards, to preserve currency.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

As a beginner i would not fly with a “safety pilot” too much. I know more than 5 pilots who never dare to fly alone, one of them the owner of a 1 million $ Cirrus SR22 who will only fly with a FI. And that’s not really where any pilot wants to be …

I have a close friend who i gave my Warrior after he finished his PPL six months ago. He would ask me every day if I’d fly with him – but i refused and told him that now he has to build his confidence. He was somehow reluctant but then he started and now he’s flying to different airfields every weekend and he’s very happy. Soon i’ll go flying with him.

Flyer59 wrote:

As a beginner i would not fly with a “safety pilot” too much.

Yeah. Afterall we did get the license so we could boot out this guy who annoyed the hell out of us during 40+ hours, right?

LFPT, LFPN

Yeah. Afterall we did get the license so we could boot out this guy who annoyed the hell out of us during 40+ hours, right?

The most important emotion on my first solo, and I remember it as if it had been yesterday, was “finally I am alone up there and I can do as I judge right” .

LOAN Wiener Neustadt Ost, Austria

Yes – it was a brilliant feeling to fly solo somewhere.

I also agree that most pilots won’t cost share unless they can log the time. But I never ask for money anyway (not legal in an N-reg in UK airspace) so this has not been a problem for me. Of course the pilot must be insured if he is to log it… a point usually forgotten.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Same feeling here, finally getting rid of this guy on the right seat knowing everything better I remember the first flights after getting my PPL came with a strong feeling of freedom and being in control.

Hello,

Interesting discussion, I also recently passed my PPL…and my taget to get to the South of France by plane as well…

I have no problem for flying in Belgium alone, went to Lille during my training which was not particularly difficult but extending this and going for example to Le Touquet raises a series of questions (routing, what to expect, cruising level, etc…) for which I would like to have someone to share with.
Having another (more experienced) pilot to go along with you and who had some experience is I believe quite valuable go gain confidence as well… I thus do not totally share that “flying alone is better than with someone” statement.

jfw
Belgium: EBGB (Grimbergen, Brussels) - EBNM (Namur), Belgium

jfw wrote:

Interesting discussion, I also recently passed my PPL…

Congratulations!

and my taget to get to the South of France by plane as well…

I heard that Carcassonne is really beautiful in early May 2016.

but extending this and going for example to Le Touquet raises a series of questions

If you have been to Lille, Le Touquet should be easy enough! Just track 270° (or a little south of that) from Lille at 2000" in the Lille class E and get FIS from Lille. Avoid the built-up areas around Béthune. You’ll stay on the Lille frequency all the way to Le Touquet. Underway, pick up the Le Touquet ATIS, enter the Le Touquet frequency as standby on COM1 so it is ready. If you want to go strictly by the book plan entering the CTR at Echo. You will beforehand have familiarised yourself with the fact that the Touquet traffic circuit is NE of the RWY, so left hand for RWY 13 and right hand for RWY 31, and based on the ATIS reported RWY in use, you will have your game plan for the approach and landing.

Avoid a nice summer day between 11 am and 1 pm LT.

It is really an easy area to fly in.

Last Edited by Aviathor at 27 Jan 18:11
LFPT, LFPN
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