Background story
It’s been too long again since my last post. And now the topic changes, even though this is in some ways a technical thing 😃
But now it finally happened. I signed up for a Private Plane Licence course - PPL(A), something I’ve been dreaming about for probably 10-15 years. I did some research on the school offerings and ended up getting a course at BF-Lento. I signed the student contracts this weeks wednesday.
I thought I’d keep a little diary of how this process, from zero to pilot, is going. If for nothing else, to see for myself how my studies are progressing. I also keep my own, more personal diary on Obsidian. It’s where I try to write about everything that happens in life anyway.
Private Pilot Licence PPL(A) course.
Aviation is a very strictly regulated hobby. Gaining a Private Pilot Licence PPL(A) is the first step towards becoming a professional pilot. The letters A and H stand for airplane and helicopter. I’m not sure if I’ll ever study for a commercial pilot’s license (CPL), which will allow me to fly and make money doing so.
If you have a PPL licence, you can transport people, but you can’t charge for the ride. Other expenses, including as fuel and aircraft rental, may be shared by passengers.
The private pilot course offered by BF-Lento includes web-based and classroom theoretical studies (100 hours in total) and 45 hours of flight training, including at least 10 hours of solo flying under instructor supervision. In addition to the training, I have to take the theory tests (9 of them) organised by Traficom and fly a separate check ride. I also have to see an aeromedical doctor and get a Class 2 medical certificate.
Home simulator
I currently have a small home simulator rig and plan to expand it in the near future. I might even be crazy (stupid?) enough to try to build a replica of a Cessna 152 cockpit.
The current system contains the following components:
- Logitech G Saitek Pro Flight Yoke System
- This needs to be replaced immediately. The build quality is not terribly good. Everything is just plastic. The plan is to buy a Honeycomb Alpha Flight Controls XPC
- Turtle Beach VelocityOne™ Rudder
- These rudders are really good. No need to change.
These projects have made me dream of having owb cockpit in my home:
- DIY Cessna 152 Home Cockpit
- Really, really good looking set. I don’t have the space to build such a beautiful system :sadpanda:
- Cessna 172 Flight Simulator Instrument Panel
- This is also a really great and maybe even doable system
The next thing I need is at least a new table and a rack to mount all the controllers. I’ve been thinking if I could somehow fit the Next Level Racing’s Flight Simulator or Flight Stand Pro to my “workroom”.
What next
At the moment I’m on extended sick leave as I’ve got my left arm in pretty bad shape. I’ll be able to start my theory studies and hopefully start flying next month.
Before flying a real plane, I think I’ll fly Microsoft Simulator 2020 at home. Some have said that it helps to get through training, while others say that you can learn bad habits and find it hard to get out of them. You’ll never get the same feeling as in the cockpit of a real plane, but I believe there’s no harm in practicing in a home simulator.
Maybe one day a teacher will tell you if it was a good thing or a bad thing. 😃
This was a quick post and hopefully there will be more and the last one will be when I obtain my license 😃
