|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Pilot
Many of us are sick of commercial airlines - the tiny packet of peanuts masquerading as lunch, the sanitised version of Adam Sandler's latest comedy, the deep vein thrombosis. You can tell Michael O'Leary, Richard Branson et al to stick it up their cargo holds by procuring a Private Pilot's Licence (PPL)…
Before you even step into a plane, then you will have to pass a medical examination, carried out by a specified doctor. This will include a cardiovascular examination and a test of your haemoglobin. After you have passed the medical, then you can start your flying lessons at a Registered Training Facility (RTF).
Before you commit to a full course of lessons, you will be taken up for a local flight, which lasts up to an hour. You will get a chance to manoeuvre the aircraft for yourself and this time will be credited towards your future PPL, should you decide to continue with your training. Bear in mind that you will have to complete a minimum of 45 hours of flight instruction to gain your licence.
To begin with, flight lessons will get you prepared for your first solo flight. You will learn how to take off, climb, descend, turn and land. When your instructor deems you ready, you will be allowed to take the plane up on your own for a short time. If you don't crash or abscond to Bolivia, then you will complete a total of nine more solo flight hours, staying up for longer and longer each time you go up.
Your next goal is your first cross-country flight. You will have to plan this entire flight yourself - checking the headings, wind direction, weather forecast and fuel requirements. The first journey will cover about 150 miles. You must complete a total of five cross-country hours before you are allowed to take your flight test.
As well as the practical flying lessons, you will have to take ground school classes to prepare for four written exams. The exams cover air law, aircraft general knowledge, flight performance and planning, and human performance and limitations.
The Joint Aviation Requirements Flight Crew Licensing (JAR-FCL) specifies all regulations regarding pilot licensing in Ireland and it is their exams that you must take when you have finished your ground school training. You need to pass all these exams within 12 months of taking the first one. Once you have passed them all, you have 24 months to complete your training and undergo your flight test.
Make no mistake, getting your PPL is an expensive activity. You will have to pay for at least 45 hours of flight training, as well as the cumpulsory medical and all the exams. The overall cost for all this is around €6,600. The process is also quite time-consuming, taking on average 12 to 18 months.
In the past, during wartime, pilots were the ultimate catch - rakish young men, flyboys with white scarves tossed carelessly over one shoulder. Young women with eyebrow-pencil lines drawn up the backs of their legs swooned at the sight of them. They smoked dozens of kippers in the hope that they would be back for breakfast at their place.
To some extent, the image of the pilot as a hero remains. Obviously, the activity is more egalitarian these days - both women and men can take to the skies and provoke sighs of adoration from the public. If you think that you would enjoy basking in such adulation, then fly away!
- Caving
- Gliding
- Life of Leisure
- Mountaineering
- Parachuting
- Skiing
- Survival Skills
Related Articles
