1. At what age can I learn to fly?

You can take lessons from any age but will not be able to 'log' any flying training until you are fourteen years of age. From here, you can train towards your PPL but you will not be able to go solo until you reach the age of sixteen. You can apply for your licence issue when you are seventeen.

2. Can my Trial Lesson be counted towards the hours for my Private Pilot's Licence ?

Yes. Most schools will give you a mini log book which will contain details of your trial lesson and the chocks off - chocks on time can be counted towards the 45 hours.

3. What should I be looking for in a Flying School?

We always suggest that you 'short-list' maybe two or three schools and take a trial lesson with each of them. You'll get a very good idea as to the standard of training even from this short flight. It will also give you an opportunity to meet the staff and other students and to have a look at the facilities and aircraft.

There are numerous flying schools and clubs at Cranfield and it's worth picking a larger school, medium sized school and a club to see what you think.

Please remember that prices will vary but you will need to look past that to the facilities, experience and quality of the training.

Ask the schools what their hours of opening are, some smaller clubs will only open if they have students - not so good if you find yourself with nothing to do one afternoon, the weather is gorgeous and you want to go flying only to find that the school is closed.

The other major factor to look at when selecting your training school is to see how they charge for the flight training. Bear in mind that Cranfield is a very busy airfield and training charged on a "tacho time" (when the aircraft engine is first started to when it is shut down) or "chocks off / chocks on" (when the aircraft first moves to when it comes to a stop) basis will sometimes not be to your benefit as you will be paying for time spent on the ground waiting to take off. Here at Bonus we charge 'airborne time' plus a maximum of .3 (for taxi time).

4. How long will it take to gain by PPL?

This really depends on how frequently you fly. You can train on a full time basis or a part time basis.

Full Time Basis
If you are training full time we would normally suggest booking 2 lessons per day to start with and, depending on how the course is going, these lessons can be increased to three a day. You may think that two lessons will not be enough but there is a lot of information to absorbe and from past experience, most students have had sufficient training after the second flight. There are large amounts of briefings to be covered as well so you must be prepared for lots of classroom work.

Part Time Courses
You may wish to study on a part time basis (maybe you can't afford to fly regularly). We normally suggest flying once a week - at the very least once a fortnight.

Remember, whether you decide to train on either the full time or the part time basis, there will nearly always be weather delays. Normally, if you arrive for your lesson and the weather is not suitable you will find that, initially, there are always briefings and groundschool to be done.

5. What's included in the price?

Every time you book a lesson you will be given a two hour slot. This two hour slot will involve a one hour briefing (which is free of charge) and then an hours flying. The prices stated are inclusive of VAT and landing fees at Cranfield.

6. What medical do I need for a JAR PPL?

You will need a Class Two medical with a CAA approved doctor. Click on the link below to take you to the search page within the CAA website to search for a local medical examiner in your area.

7. What medical do I need for the National PPL?

Under the new NPPL there is no longer a requirement to undertake a medical with a CAA Approved doctor. Instead, students simply have to meet the DVLA medical standards for car driving. Should you only intend to fly solo then DVLA Group 1 will need to be met. If you feel that you will be carrying passengers then you will need to meet DVLA Group 2 requirements and you will need to obtain a certificate of medical fitness from your GP. Your GP will be required to complete a National PPL Medical Certificate. Click on the link below to take you to their website.

8. How many hours realistically does it take to obtain the PPL?

The minimum requirement for the NPPL is 32 hours and for the JAR PPL is 45 hours. So much depends on your own skill and expertise. Obviously, the more often you fly the better to keep the continuity flowing. If you are only flying once a fortnight, say, then you should generally budget for the course hours to run over slightly.

9. What about groundschool?

There are seven written exams that you will be required to take. With the help of the Air PIlot Manuals that we stock at Bonus Aviation, you should have no problem with these multi-choice exams. Should you require extra help though your instructor will be able to give you assistance.

Private one-to-one tuition with your instructor, if you choose to benefit from it, is £ 15.00 per hour inclusive of VAT. We are also in the process of arranging evening classes and will keep you updated via our website.

10. What happens if I need extra lessons for my flight training?

As mentioned previously, we normally say to budget for between 45 and 55 hours for your PPL. If it looks as though you are going to run over the 45 hours your instructor will inform you in good time to allow you to budget for the extra training. Extra hours will be charged on at the published rate.

11. I am leading up to retirement age. Will this stop me from being able to train for my PPL?

No. There is no maximum age limit. Providing you are healthy and able to pass the Class 2 Medical you can obtain your PPL.

12. I where glasses will this prohibit me from getting my medical?

Generally, providing your sight can be corrected by either glasses or contact lenses, you will have no problem obtaining your medical. Plenty of our students, hirers and instructors wear spectacles. The only stipulation that will be made is that you carry two pairs of spectacle when you fly (or, if you wear contact lenses, you carry a pair of spectacles in case).

13. Is flying safe?

Probably safer than driving down the motorway ! General aviation aeroplanes are maintained to the very highest of standards. They are constantly checked and re-checked to ensure that they are both structurally and mechanically sound.

14. My friend is thinking about learning to fly and wants to see what it's like. Am I allowed to bring them along on one of my training flights?

Depending on what training exercise you are doing there should be no problem if you would like to take a friend along. If you are training on the PA38 Tomahawk you will need to do a lesson in the PA28 Archer. Your instructor will be able to let you know whethr this is possible.

You are more than welcome to bring your friend along to sit and wait at Bonus while you have your lesson. They can also go and watch from the spectators gallery on the first floor of the air traffic control tower.

15. During one of my visits to Cranfield am I allowed to go up to the control tower to see what goes on?

We always encourage our students to visit the control tower at least once. Your instructor will take you up to the tower to meet the controllers.

16. Once I have finished my flight training is there a flight test that I need to do?

Towards the end of your training, your instructor will practice a few flights with you in preparation for your flight test(s). For the NPPL you will undertake two flight tests (Navigation and General Handling), for the JAR PPL there is one flight test which covers both Navigation and General Handling.

Once your instructor is satisfied with your flying, he will put you forward for test. Your test with generally be with either Peter Godwin, Andy Granger or Rob Spencer.

Just treat this is another training sortie, you will have practiced all of the manoeuvres and navigation many times before and your instructor will have prepared you thoroughly.

17. What aeroplanes do you have that I can learn to fly on?

As previously mentioned, 90% of our PPL students elect to training on the PA38 Tomahawk but we do also have C150's and PA28's that you can train on. The prices of all aircraft vary with the C150 being the cheapest and the PA28 being the most expensive. If you're not sure which aircraft to choose from then talk to one of our instructors and they will explain the differences between the three aircraft types.

18. Can I hire aircraft from you once I have finished my PPL?

Yes. Once you have your licence you can hire aircraft from us. After you have a few hours under your belt you may like to upgrade to a bigger aircraft so that you can take more than one passenger.

We have three PA28 Archer aircraft which are available for hire subject to a dual check with an instructor and we also have two complex single engined PA28RT201 Arrows for hire (subject to a 5 hour conversion course).

19. Do you have discounted rates for block hours building?

On both the PA38 Tomahawk and the C150 we do do block pre-payment discounts. Please telephone Jo or Simon on 01234 751800 for further information.

20. Can I fly abroad?

Yes. Once you have done a cross channel check with an instructor, you are more than welcome to hire an aircraft and fly to say Le Touquet or Bembridge, for example, with your family.

general

1. What do I need to do to keep my JAR PPL licence current?

Firstly, you need to find your Certificate of Experience page in your licence. This will tell you when your SEP rating is valid from and to. The rating is valid for 24 months.

Basically, you will need to have completed 12 hours in the last 12 months of the 24 month period. The 12 hours must include :

• At least 6 hours pilot in command
  
  
• The other 6 hours can be made up of pilot in command time or dual training (i.e. for a night rating/IMC rating) and at least one hour must be with an instructor (unless you have completed a test with an examiner for something else e.g. an IMC test).
  
  
• 12 take offs and 12 landings.
  
  You will need to bring your log book and licence in to Bonus Aviation and we will help you fill out the renewal form that needs to be completed. This must then be signed by an examiner and your Certificate of Experience will need renewing.
  
  We cannot stress the importance of getting your Certificate of Experience renewed. Do not leave it until the last minute. Failure to get is signed will result in you having to do a flight test with an examiner!
  
  

2. Unfortunately, my Certificate of Experience (SEP Rating) expiry date has passed and I have not met the requirements. What can I do?

You will need to do a test with an examiner. Providing your rating hasn't lapsed by more than 5 years you will just need to do sufficient training to pass the test. The test is similar to a "mini" skills test and will involve a short navigation leg. Expect to do steep turns, stalls, 'emergencies', normal, flapless and glide circuits in the general handling section but it can involve almost anything.

3. I managed to meet the requirements for my Certificate of Experience but didn't get a new CofE signed and the expiry date has passed. What can I do?

You will have to undertake a test with an examiner.

4. What are the rules concerning carrying passengers?

You will need to abide by the '90 day rule'. If you intend to carry passengers you must have completed 3 take-offs and landings as sole manipulator of an aircraft in the preceeding 90 days. Should your flight with passengers include any night flying then one take off and one landing of the three must have been done at night.

Remember that if your flight in the last 90 days has all been in a multi engined aircraft then you will need to have carried out the 3 solo take offs and landings in a single engined aircraft.

questions relating to cpl and i/r courses

1. How long should I allow for the CPL Course?

If you are undertaking the 25 hour CPL Course we normally say to budget for between 3 and 5 weeks (dependant, of course, on the weather). If you are undertaking the 15 hour course then you should budget for between 1 and 3 weeks.

2. How long should I allow for the Instrument Rating Course?

We normally suggest between 4 and 6 weeks (this is on the understanding that you are undertaking the course on a full time basis i.e. 5 days a week).

3. What advantages do Bonus have above the rest of the commercial schools?

• We have at least two of each aircraft that you will be using on your course to ensure continuous, uninterrupted training.
  
  
• At least two on-site examiners which means no expensive re-positioning costs on your test day.
  
  
• Our own engineering division should an aircraft become unserviceable.
  
  
• Commercial instructors working both during the week and at the weekends (should you wish to train at the weekend).
  
  
• Over 21 years of experience teaching the commercial courses
  
  
• Back seat (observer) rides available at no charge to yourself and of great benefit to you.
  
  
• Only one instrument departure to master for your test.
  
  
• No charge for the 170A
  
  
• Only four tests routes to prepare for for your test.
  
  
• Five instructors teaching the CPL and I/R.
  
  
• Simulator, single engine and multi engine aircraft all configured to the same settings.

4. Do I have to pay up front?

No, not if you don't want to. You can pay as you fly. Providing your account remains in credit at all times you can choose whatever method is easier for you.