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So You Want To Learn To Fly?
If you are looking to learn to fly and acquire your Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) then you have come to the right place. To start from the very beginning please visit my Learning To Fly page.This page is the index page for all my learning to fly pages. It is your one-stop-shop to get you right to where you want to be in a single click.
When I wrote all of my Learning To Fly pages they naturally fell into one of these five sections:
- Preparation - where we learn about the syllabus and ground school
- Part One - which covers the basics of flying
- Part Two - circuit flying and going solo
- Part Three - cross country navigation
- Part Four - leads up to the General Flying Test
The pages can be read in any order, there are no dependencies between them. To get the most from the diary, and to get a thorough understanding of what it takes to qualify as a pilot I strongly recommend that you read the pages in the order they are presented here.
The photo is of a T-6 Texan/SNJ/Harvard trainer aircraft at Sandtoft Airfield, UK where I did my first solo flight.
Sherwood Forest - No sign of Robin Hood from up here.
Preparation
On your marks, get set, go!
- Learning To Fly
- The introduction page, where it all begins
- Preparation
- This page is all about the preparation that you need to undertake in order to become a qualified pilot.
- Syllabus 1
- This page is all about the flying training syllabus that will take you up to your solo flight.
- Syllabus 2
- This page is all about the second part of the training syllabus that takes you through to the end of your private pilot's training course.
- Ground School
- This page is all about ground school and what you will have to learn in order to complete your training.
- Examinations
- This page is all about the ground school examinations that you will have to pass before you can even start to think of becoming a qualified pilot.
Flying above the clouds over the English Channel to France
Part One
Covers the basics of flying
- My First Flying Lesson
- This page is all about my first flying lesson where I take to the skies for the very first time and experience flying an aircraft with me at the controls.
- Cancellations #1
- This page is all about the first set of cancellations that came to blight my training schedule. The weather in the UK is notoriously unpredictable and generally quite poor. But it does mean that trainee pilots get to experience all kinds of atmospheric conditions.
- First Take Off
- This page is all about taking off for the first time with me at the controls and gently pulling back the yolk and lifting gracefully from the solid Earth to the high skies.
- Cancellations #2
- This page is all about the frustrating weather cancellations that prevented me from getting airbourne and learning to fly. At times I did wonder if I would ever be at the controls again.
- FREDA PATs The CAT
- This page is all about the mysterious FREDA and her CAT. Where we learn that patting the cat isn't just something we do with Freda's pet but is also a drill that you will become very familiar with.
- Cancellations #3
- This page is all about gusty, hazy and foggy cancellations that impacted my flight training during the summer months. Surely things cannot get much worse?
- Climbing And Descending
- This page is all about climbs and descents that will enable you to leave the ground in an orderly manner, and more importantly get back to Earth without a bump.
- Cancellations #4
- This page is all about the continual cancellations that are preventing me from progressing in my flight training. It is all part and parcel of the learning process though. Patience is a virtue!
- Descending With Flaps
- This page is all about the use of flaps and the various configurations you might use in different scenarios and the reasons why flaps are a good thing
- Exams And Receiver
- This page is all about the ground school exams and an airband receiver that I find out about when passing the time after yet another cancellation.
- Medium Level Turns
- This page is all about medium level turns which are those that are at a bit of a steeper angle, but where you do don't gain or lose altitude.
- Stalling And Orbits
- This page is all about the stalls that you will encounter when flying - and what to do to recognise them and to recover from them.
Scarborough, Yorkshire, England from the air.
Part Two
Flying the circuit and going solo
- Circuit Ground School
- This page is all about circuit ground school where you learn to bring together everything you've learned so far to allow you to take off, climb, turn and come back into land.
- Approach And Circuits
- This page is all about flying circuits for real and applying all that learning that I took from the briefing in the previous diary entry. Fingers crossed!
- Heathrow ATC
- This page is all about listening to ATC at an extremely busy airport and trying hard just to keep up, never mind understand what is going on!
- Medical
- This page is all about the medical that you have to undertake in order to prove that you are fit to take the controls of an aircraft and fly solo.
- Instrument Flying
- This page is all about instrument flying and how you can start to use the instruments in your cockpit to get you to and from places. No more looking out of the window at the wonderful views.
- Steep Level Turns
- This page is all about steep level turns that add a great deal of fun to your flying and also enable you to turn really quite rapidly.
- Cancellations #5
- This page is all about the snow and gusty wind that conspire to force me to the ground and keep me there for a little while longer as I continue my training programme.
- Circuits At Gamston
- This page is all about the circuits that I flew at Gamston which was great practice for honing my approach and landing skills.
- CAVOK At Sandtoft
- This page is all about flying in clear skies to Sandtoft to practice my circuits and do more landings, EFATO drills and making use, or not, of flaps on approach.
- Slow Flying
- This page is all about the slow flying practice that you need to get under your belt in order to qualify as a pilot. Being in control at slow speeds is a skill in its own right and has to be mastered.
- Crosswind Landings
- This page is all about the crosswind landings that really spice up your approaches and touchdown. Great fun once you've mastered them, but a bit hair-raising when you are just starting out.
- Fog And PFL Theory
- This page is all about the practiced forced landings that you will do periodically during your training, and that you should be doing every now and then when flying regularly. It is useful to know what to do when your engine cuts out in mid-air!
- Solo!
- This page is all about the first solo that you will fly once your instructor is assured that you are a safe and competent pilot. This is the moment when you become a pilot. Just you, your aeroplane and the open sky. Enjoy it!
Taking off at Sheffield City Airport
Part Three
Navigation exercises culminating in the qualifying cross country exercise.
- SKC?
- This page is all about flying in SKC conditions in the UK, which is incredibly rare and so you should make the best use of the opportunity and get some great flying in.
- Wind Vectors
- This page is all about the wind vectors that have to be applied to a flight plan so that headings will be adjusted to account for drift and you will still arrive at your destination.
- The Vale Of York
- This page is all about flying the Vale of York, and taking in the wonderful scenery as my ability to plan and to navigate a flight started to really improve.
- Over The Tops
- This page is all about flying over the tops of the Pennine hills in the North of England. It makes for quite different terrain than I've been used to and so really hones those navigation skills.
- Flying In The Haze
- This page is all about flying in hazy conditions and having to really concentrate hard on identifying landmarks, navigating by them, and always knowing exactly where you are.
- Whiz Wheel Review And A Cold
- This page is all about the whiz wheel and the dangers of flying with a cold. Believe me, flying with a cold as can really impact your sinuses, hearing and balance and doesn't make for a very comfortable experience at all.
- Cross Country Solo
- This page is all about flying solo beyond the confines of the airfield and out to the great blue yonder in the skies above Yorkshire.
- CAVOK Cross Country
- This page is all about flying in CAVOK skies with zero wind over Yorkshire. Ideal conditions for my first truely solo flying expedition where I was responsible for everything.
- Cancellations #6
- This page is all about flying with an audience, my parents in this case, and having the misfortune to have a faulty airplane that let me down and they didn't get to see me fly.
- Practical Radio Telephony
- This page is all about the practical R/T exam that you have to sit to demonstrate that you can operate a radio competently and that you understand the protocols used in aviation radio telephony.
- Leeds Circuits
- This page is all about getting some more circuit practice in. As taking off, approaching and landing are such important phases of a flight you really need to be 100% confident in your abilities. Practice makes perfect.
- Vortex Wake
- This page is all about the dangers of vortex wake that you read about in the training manuals, and you've seen evidence of on video, but you don't really know that much about it - until you experience it!
- Cessna C150 Conversion
- This page is all about flying in a Cessa C150 Aerobat from a different airport. Variety is the spice of life and it was fun to take up the opportunity to fly a completely different small aircraft and to get some experience at another international airport.
- Dual QXC
- This page is all about the dual QXC flight that I undertake with my instructor to ensure that I know the route and the routine for the qualifying cross country flight that I'll take soon.
- Cherbourg On Saturday
- This page is all about the trip to Cherbourg that I took with pilots from my new flying school as a way of getting introduced to them and for them to experience my flying skills.
- Cherbourg On Sunday
- This page is all about the flight back from Cherbourg to Sheffield. Calling in at Kemble first and then me flying our group of pilots all the way back to Sheffield.
- QXC In The Bag
- This page is all about the qualifying cross country (QXC) flight that cemented the final part of my flight training. From now on I just had some more revision and practice to get in, then it would be time for the General Flying Test.
Cockpit view of a YAK-52 - It's all Russian to me!
Part Four
Consolidation of all the exercises and on to the General Flying Test
- Circuit Revision
- This page is all about more circuit bashing. You just can't do too much circuit bashing when you are learning to fly. Keep at it, keep practicing, keep a steady approach, and make every landing a greaser.
- Ground School Revision
- This page is all about the opportunity to review some ground school topics due to a weather cancellation. It was good use of my time with the instructor to finally sharpen up on planning and navigation.
- Stalls, Slow Flying, VOR
- This page is all about handling stalls, flying slowly and tracking VORs which finalised my training programme. I then went off to fly solo to clock up enough hours for my General Flying Test.
- VOR And Hour Building
- This page is all about the solo hour building that I had to do in order to build the requisite 10 hours of solo flying before I was eligible to be considered for my General Flying Test. I spent the time tracking VORs and generally flying about.
- General Flying Test Part 1
- This page is all about the first part of my General Flying Test. The test isn't formally in different parts, but it is easier to think of it as a planning exercise, a navigation exercise and a flying skills test all in one.
- General Flying Test Part 2
- This page is all about the second part of the General Flying Test where I demonstrate to the examiner that I can navigate in the sky using my charts, landmarks on the ground and my instruments.
- General Flying Test Part 3
- This page is all about the final part of my General Flying Test where I demonstrate to the examiner that I can actually fly an aeroplane and also handle emergency situations in a cool, calm, manner.
Find Out More
Amazon titles you might be interested in - hover over the words to see more...
CafePress Flying Fun
I'd rather be flying, but if you can't be in the air you can have a smile on the ground
Fly fishing wall calendar
Fly fishing oil paintings. A scenic trout fishing calendar set near Goulburn Valley Fishing Centre, Thornton, Australia. Great gift for lovers of fishing art. Four seasons on a mountain stream.
Your thoughts, comments and suggestions are appreciated...
P.S. If you are a Squidoo Lensmaster, or have your own web site, have you thought about using AllPosters to place fantastic photos on your site and to earn revenue from them?
Squidoo Lensmasters and Webmasters Make $$$
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- Mickie_G Mickie_G Feb 26, 2009 @ 9:20 am
- Nice lensography! Your title makes me sing Tom Petty!
by Liam_Tohms
From somewhere in deepest England. Treating every day like a school day, always looking to learn something new and to share ideas.
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