Learning to fly

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?

If I learn on gliders, will this be any help towards getting a PPL? I
apprecaite that it's all good experience, but I have a feeling that the PPL
only counts hours in a powered plane. Is that right?

Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or unpowered,
near North London?

Finally, I am very overweight (over 18 stone). Does that rule out gliders
unless I lose quite a bit of weight?

Thanks very much.

GB wrote:
40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?

If I learn on gliders, will this be any help towards getting a PPL? I
apprecaite that it's all good experience, but I have a feeling that the PPL
only counts hours in a powered plane. Is that right?

Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or unpowered,
near North London?

Finally, I am very overweight (over 18 stone). Does that rule out gliders
unless I lose quite a bit of weight?

Thanks very much.


Do some thinking up front about your ultimate goals, then pick a path.
Flying in general is costly so you want to put your money where it will
benefit you the most in the long run.
Gliders are fine and will teach you a great deal about flying but not
that much more than you can learn in a powered aircraft with a good
instructor.
252lbs is a lot of weight to go gliding with. It's also a lot of weight
for a light powered airplane. You might want to consider losing some of
it before entering either program.
Dudley Henriques

On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?

The answer to that question depends on what sort of flying you want to
do once you have your airmans certificate, and how much you can afford
to spend on flying. Glider instruction can be very inexpensive if you
join a soaring club, and you will get some fundamental experience in
aerodynamics and meteorology that powered flyers only get a smattering
of. However, you will be mostly limited to summer days, and costs
will be about as low as possible.

Powered flight is less of a sport, and can be useful for air touring,
but the cost of flight instruction and aircraft operation is
significantly more that soaring.

If I learn on gliders, will this be any help towards getting a PPL?

It should make your transition to powered flight significantly easier,
if that's what you meant. Actually there are several private pilot
licenses: Single Engine Land and sea, Multiengine, Glider, Lighter
Than Air, ...

I apprecaite that it's all good experience, but I have a feeling that the PPL
only counts hours in a powered plane. Is that right?

A Private Glider certificate requires instruction in gliders.

Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or unpowered,
near North London?

I'll cross post this follow up article to the uk.rec.aviation and
rec.aviation.soaring newsgroups, and you should receive some replies
from knowledgeable folks in that location.

Finally, I am very overweight (over 18 stone). Does that rule out gliders
unless I lose quite a bit of weight?

I'll leave that question to the airmen in rec.aviation.soaring.

Thanks very much.


You may want to consider inquiring at one of the soaring advocacy
groups like the Soaring Society of America; you'll find a lot of good
information on their web site: http://www.ssa.org/ . I can also
recommend the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association web site for more
power oriented information: http://www.aopa.org/ . Unfortunately, I
unable to provide information for the similar European organizations.

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?

...Also, any recommendations for places to learn to fly, powered or
unpowered,
near North London?


I assume you mean London in the UK and not in Canada or whatever other
contries have cities named "London" :-)

British Gliding Association http://www.gliding.co.uk/

Club locations http://www.gliding.co.uk/findaclub/ukmap.htm

There are more gliding clubs in the UK than you can shake a stick at...

But if you did mean London Canada: http://www.sac.ca/ :-)

--
Geoff
The Sea Hawk at Wow Way d0t Com
remove spaces and make the obvious substitutions to reply by mail
When immigration is outlawed, only outlaws will immigrate.

In rec.aviation.soaring Larry Dighera wrote:
On Sat, 7 Jul 2007 17:23:32 +0100, "GB"
wrote in :

40 years or so ago, I learned to fly, at least a bit. I did some solo
circuits in gliders. I would like to come back to flying, and I was
wondering about whether to learn on powered or unpowered planes?

The answer to that question depends on what sort of flying you want to
do once you have your airmans certificate, and how much you can afford
to spend on flying. Glider instruction can be very inexpensive if you
join a soaring club, and you will get some fundamental experience in
aerodynamics and meteorology that powered flyers only get a smattering
of.

I would say that if you are planning to fly purely for fun, go for
gliders. If you imagine using it for useful things (or if "fun" for you
means using the plane to go on vacation somewhere) then go for powered.
(Full disclosure, I'm a glider pilot.)

However, you will be mostly limited to summer days, and costs
will be about as low as possible.

I must object to this, as some of the most spectacular soaring can happen
in the dead of winter, in the form of ridge and wave soaring. I don't know
how things are in the UK, but here in Virginia even for thermal soaring
the definition of "summer" is pretty loose, and really includes a great
deal of the spring and fall.

But the general theme is still true; gliders are much more
weather-dependent. You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.

--
Michael Ash
Rogue Amoeba Software

On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote in :

You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.

Not to mention the nights. :-)

"Larry Dighera" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 18:34:35 -0500, Michael Ash
wrote in :

You can fly in the same weather as a VFR powered plane,
but you can't *stay up* and therefore make it really fun on a lot of those
days.

Not to mention the nights. :-)

Thanks to all who replied. You have helped me to make my mind up about one
thing. I am only interested in flying 'for fun', so I'll go the gliding
route. You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider. Now to tackle the weight issue.

You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider.


A lot more hanging about waiting to get a launch as well. I have never
really "got" gliding, being a die'd in the wool power chap. Too much down
time for me.

I'd recommend the NPPL M

David

"D" wrote in
:

You seem to get a lot more time in the air for your money with a
glider.

A lot more hanging about waiting to get a launch as well. I have
never really "got" gliding, being a die'd in the wool power chap. Too
much down time for me.

I'd recommend the NPPL M

David

My experience with soaring is that you are always doing something when you
are not flying. Socializing with club members is part of the experience,
and much more common in my experience than in power-plane flying clubs.

Right now I fly my own plane for pleasure, and occasionally for business,
but I look forward to the day when I can return to soaring. Flying to the
soaring club appears to be a good justification for owning a power plane
:-)

Rob

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On Sat, 07 Jul 2007 13:07:03 -0400, Dudley Henriques
wrote:

252lbs is a lot of weight to go gliding with. It's also a lot of weight
for a light powered airplane.

Lately we have been instructed NOT to fuel the Cubs after we are done
with them. It seems that both the instructors and the students are now
each approaching 200 pounds.

Body shape is also a consideration. I had a friend in that weight
range (250 lb) who wanted to take lessons, but the Cub was out of the
question because he couldn't get the stick back to full-stall.



Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942
forthcoming from HarperCollins www.flyingtigersbook.com