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Was wondering today
I) what’s the sort of cost of getting a pilot’s license (upfront) and having access to a plane or chopper (ongoing) (Is there like a zip plane scheme? Or do they have Boris’s choppers)
And
Ii) how much use it would be to go and see my Nan -I guess you can’t just land one anywhere (assuming chopper so less need for runway space)
No idea why since I’m not going anywhere right now but I figured stw would know the answer to such important questions!!
Fixed wing will be about 5k to get your PPL. Maybe cheaper abroad.
Rotary is v expensive.
For a small single engine aircraft/heli I think it’s around £25-50k. Full commercial license £100k plus.
Was thinking private use only for something small 4 to 7 people say, not commercial.
Is rotary more useful or both need an ‘airport’ and so not much difference. Can you land in your garden assuming it’s big enough for the rotors plus error margin?
The three guys I know who did it in the last twenty years realised they really wanted to do it and went to the States and did it inside a three week holiday over there with the consistent weather being the main reason for going there, not the price, although it did work out cheaper. Thinking about it the last one went and did it ten years ago so that may be well out of date he did say there was a lot of paperwork to do before he went over. I don't know if that was a result of 9-11.
Three weeks ?! Takes longer To learn how to drive a car!
For fixed wing, in the UK, a PPL course is in the region of £7k or there is the Light Aircraft Pilots Licence that is about £5k. Min flight time is 45 hours for a PPL and 30 for the LAPL but it may take a lot more hours (and therefore cost) to gain the licence depending on how often you fly. And your ability of course! Don’t forget you need a medical too and to pass the ground school exams. The medical standard for the LAPL is lower than a PPL. If you want to carry more than 3 passengers you will need a PPL rather than the LAPL. Hiring a 2-4 seat light aircraft is about £150-180/hour+. Otherwise, you could buy a share in an aircraft. For fixed wing you obviously need a runway but depending on the aircraft this could be as basic as a private grass strip. Helicopters are more flexible but much, much more expensive to train on and hire/own. Sorry, that is the end of my helicopter knowledge! There is some great info on the CAA website.
Thanks! Other than being a hobby is it of much use in the uk.
Thanks! Other than being a hobby is it of much use in the uk.
Mostly a hobby I guess, unless you use it as a means of transport too. You can’t do anything for reward/payment unless you have a CPL/ATPL.
No idea on the law/requirements, but when I went in a helicopter as a passenger, we did about 4 passes looking for somewhere to land, before landing on a golf course fairway. Pilot seemed pretty relaxed about it, the hotel/golf club less so...
FIL does the LAPL thing. Learned to fly then eventually lead to being an instructor.
For him it was the learning he enjoyed I think, and now the instruction.
He flies tiny two seaters which are slow (capable of negative ground speed in the wrong winds) but stable and great for short grass strips, of which there are bucket loads around us (Hants/Sussex) so it’s great for ‘popping’ for coffee somewhere. Has done a few longer flights, Cornwall, across Channel, that sort of thing but they were carefully planned with his flying club not ‘on a whim’.
Before he instructed, he used to use one of his flying club’s aircraft and just paid for air time. Wasn’t mega expensive.
I did a flight with him the other year and it was fun but I can see that it’s not as ‘useful’ as a full PPL, unless your main reason to get the license is to fly itself, the PPL gives you bigger aircraft with higher payloads and greater practical range but increased cost and learning time.
How about a glider? Of course you would need someone to drive to your Nan's with a trailer to bring it back.