Trial Flight number 2 - Pre-amble
As mentioned in the previous couple of posts, I was not 100% convinced about my trial flight in the PA-28 out of Gloucester Airport. I put a lot of detail in those posts, so will not repeat it all here as to the reasons why.
The net result is that I have decided to have a 2nd trial flight, but this time in a microlight aircraft, to see if it has more of the 'kit car' vibe that I enjoy. I suppose I want to see if it is more 'stripped out' and basic and, therefore, more fun.
After some online research, I decided to go and see GS Aviation who are based at Clench Common Airfield, near Marlborough in Wiltshire. After reading their website, I went ahead and paid for a 1 hour experience flight. It is another £140 spent, but I have to make the right decisions at this stage, and I can't do that without trying this option first.
Although I hadn't got a time booked in for my flight, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the airfield unannounced, to see what the operation was all about and try and get a vibe for the place. I also wanted to see how long the journey there would be, as this has to be a factor in choosing a flying school. It is 45 miles from my house, so not exactly on my doorstep, and it took me just shy of 55 minutes to get there. That does add an extra 2 hours to any flying day and it does have to be taken into consideration.
As with a lot of these country based, grass strip, airfields, GS Aviation is based on a farm. The access is good and there is a concrete road all the way to the clubhouse and hangers.
There was very little activity when I got there as it had been a bit if a dull morning and it was also Mothering Sunday. I was informed that the previous day had been very busy. I initially had a long chat with a chap called Brian who is a club member and owns his own Icarus C42. He was happy to talk about the club and was full of praise for the instructors and how friendly everyone was. He explained that the owner had been running this company for 30 odd years so was well established and 'not going anywhere', which can be a concern. He did warn me about another microlight club nearby that didn't have such a good reputation. I think I know who he means, but I won't mention any names here as this is just his opinion and not based on any facts that I have seen.
After talking to Brian for a while, the owner, Graham Slater (the GS in GS Aviation) appeared in a Gyroplane, or is that Gyrocopter, as he had been away to another airfield. After he had put that to bed, so to speak, I was able to have a chat with him about why I was there and also to book in my trial flight. He spent a while with me talking about the club and some of the options that were available to me.
We talked about the possible time it would take me to obtain my licence, about the method used to spread out the different subjects I needed to study, so they were not onerous in any way. We also talked about the options to buy hours ahead of time at a reduced rate. I also found out that he also owns a Westfield, which is currently 'engine out' but it does mean he is a kit car man as well.
Once I have my licence, if I go this route, GS Aviation also run a non equity share scheme where you can buy a share of a plane to use when you want to fly. This also brings the costs down significantly, possibly to as low as £50 per hour, wet, which means it includes fuel. As GS Aviation tend to update the planes on a daily regular basis (so I was told), it would mean you would always be flying in an up to date aircraft and not one from the 1970's. This is all food for thought later down the line.
After chatting for about 20 minutes, we booked a time in to the diary and I said my goodbyes. I am booked in at 2.00pm on Saturday 6th April. It is a 2 hour slot broken down as a 30 minute pre flight briefing, 1 hour flight and 30 minute de-brief.
Totals
Purchases:
Trial Flight number 2 = £140
Total Costs = £366.14
Total Hours PA-28 = 1.05
Total Hours Icarus C42 = 1.00
The net result is that I have decided to have a 2nd trial flight, but this time in a microlight aircraft, to see if it has more of the 'kit car' vibe that I enjoy. I suppose I want to see if it is more 'stripped out' and basic and, therefore, more fun.
After some online research, I decided to go and see GS Aviation who are based at Clench Common Airfield, near Marlborough in Wiltshire. After reading their website, I went ahead and paid for a 1 hour experience flight. It is another £140 spent, but I have to make the right decisions at this stage, and I can't do that without trying this option first.
Although I hadn't got a time booked in for my flight, I thought it would be a good idea to visit the airfield unannounced, to see what the operation was all about and try and get a vibe for the place. I also wanted to see how long the journey there would be, as this has to be a factor in choosing a flying school. It is 45 miles from my house, so not exactly on my doorstep, and it took me just shy of 55 minutes to get there. That does add an extra 2 hours to any flying day and it does have to be taken into consideration.
As with a lot of these country based, grass strip, airfields, GS Aviation is based on a farm. The access is good and there is a concrete road all the way to the clubhouse and hangers.
There was very little activity when I got there as it had been a bit if a dull morning and it was also Mothering Sunday. I was informed that the previous day had been very busy. I initially had a long chat with a chap called Brian who is a club member and owns his own Icarus C42. He was happy to talk about the club and was full of praise for the instructors and how friendly everyone was. He explained that the owner had been running this company for 30 odd years so was well established and 'not going anywhere', which can be a concern. He did warn me about another microlight club nearby that didn't have such a good reputation. I think I know who he means, but I won't mention any names here as this is just his opinion and not based on any facts that I have seen.
After talking to Brian for a while, the owner, Graham Slater (the GS in GS Aviation) appeared in a Gyroplane, or is that Gyrocopter, as he had been away to another airfield. After he had put that to bed, so to speak, I was able to have a chat with him about why I was there and also to book in my trial flight. He spent a while with me talking about the club and some of the options that were available to me.
We talked about the possible time it would take me to obtain my licence, about the method used to spread out the different subjects I needed to study, so they were not onerous in any way. We also talked about the options to buy hours ahead of time at a reduced rate. I also found out that he also owns a Westfield, which is currently 'engine out' but it does mean he is a kit car man as well.
Once I have my licence, if I go this route, GS Aviation also run a non equity share scheme where you can buy a share of a plane to use when you want to fly. This also brings the costs down significantly, possibly to as low as £50 per hour, wet, which means it includes fuel. As GS Aviation tend to update the planes on a daily regular basis (so I was told), it would mean you would always be flying in an up to date aircraft and not one from the 1970's. This is all food for thought later down the line.
After chatting for about 20 minutes, we booked a time in to the diary and I said my goodbyes. I am booked in at 2.00pm on Saturday 6th April. It is a 2 hour slot broken down as a 30 minute pre flight briefing, 1 hour flight and 30 minute de-brief.
Totals
Purchases:
Trial Flight number 2 = £140
Total Costs = £366.14
Total Hours PA-28 = 1.05
Total Hours Icarus C42 = 1.00
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