The Private Pilots License PPL is the first step in becoming a commercial pilot. It is completed in a small single engine airplane.

It allows you to fly a single engine airplane with passengers as long as you are not doing so for profit.

The PPL we were signed up for by PTC was completed in Flight Safety Academy located in Vero Beach Florida which entitled us to hold a FAA PPL license.

Week 1 Waterford PTC 4th February 2008

Started the Airline Induction Program in Pilot Training College Ireland (PTC).

Sunday night before the course I arrived in Waterford where I was sharing a 3 bedroomed apartment with 2 other guys from the course. The apartments were comfortable with one bedroom ensuite and the other two sharing a bathroom. There was cable TV and internet. Kitchen was well equipped. It was a bit odd that there was no one from PTC there to meet us as the apartments were difficult to find and the fact none of us had met before.

Monday Morning we arrived in PTC which is currently in the upper floor of Waterford Airport but rumour has it they are moving to a stand alone building in the Airport extension soon.

After a brief introduction we went straight into lectures. We spent the day in lectures with short breaks in between and a team building exercise in the middle of the day. The lectures were on Centre of Gravity, Aircraft Loading, Effects of Stability, Wind Effect, Pressure and Density Altitude and Performance Charts. We were told at the end of the day there would be a progress exam Wednesday and a final exam Friday which would determine if we could progress to Vero Beach. This was a bit of a surprise to say the least. We initially took it that once the assessment course was passed and the money was paid up then that guaranteed us a place in the flight school in Vero Beach. After all I had already handed in my notice to my previous employer.

Tuesday morning I arrived in PTC at 07:45 as I was scheduled for flight instruction at 8:30.

Flight was great. We went through the checklist and took off for the west. We travelled to Dungarvan but unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worst and we diverted up to Carrick-on-Suir and then home. I was given the controls for most of the in-air flight and was asked to perform a few simple manoeuvres. We were up for an hour in total.

The rest of the day was spent in class studying. There was help whenever needed to answer any questions throughout the day.

Wednesday morning we had an exam on what we had already covered and afterward we got the results and had an exam brief. The pass marks for the exams was set at 80% so there was not much room for error. We all passed on this occasion.

The rest of the day was filled with lectures on Aircraft construction, Pre-flight inspection, checklists, Meteorology and Radiotelephony. It was a long day and everything that was covered was coming up in the Friday exam.

Thursday was Flight training day but since I had already flown on Tuesday I had the day to study. I was glad of this as most of the stuff covered on Wednesday did not register as it was a long day.

I spent the day studying and also that evening back in the apartment.

Friday morning we had our final exam. We were given a few clues on what was coming up the day before so it helped us prepare. I found the exam OK.

We were given the results at lunch time. Unfortunately two out of the class failed the 80% pass mark so they were told they would have to come back next week for extra tuition for them to progress to Vero Beach.

All in all I would consider the week very educational and enjoyable. The lecturers were very professional and seemed to really enjoy what they were teaching. I was a bit sceptical before I started as there is so much money involved but after the week all my fears were put to rest.

The weekend after the course I spent with my family and friends relaxing. I was signing up to being away from home for 3 months which is a long time when you are married. I had a lot of loose ends to tie up around the house including all the DIY jobs I had been promising for months.

 

Week 2 Ireland 11th February 2008

Monday morning I had to get up at 05:30 to catch a train to Dublin. The day was spent sorting out my M1 visa with the US embassy in Ballsbridge. It was a long day waiting around and a lot of paperwork was needed. Eventually at 3pm I received my Visa and headed home.

Wednesday I said my goodbyes and headed off on the train to Dublin Airport. Flight was the following morning but to be safe I went up the night before.

Thursday 14th February …… Not a good date to leave your wife but I suppose I will be reminded every valentines day in the future !

Anyway got to Dublin Airport and spent the night in a ‘basic’ B&B for the night (cutbacks already) and the following morning met the rest of the guys in the class for out trip to the US. 

 

Week 3 Vero Beach 18th February

Monday we started the course in Flight Safety International Academy Vero Beach Florida. I won’t bore you with the details of the trip from Dublin Airport to Vero Beach. Suffice to say be ready for a long paperwork exercise.

When we finally reached Vero Beach we found our apartments which were to be our homes for the following three months. They were to the standard of most ‘basic’ sun holiday apartments with 2 cooker rings, microwave, fridge/freezer and coffee machine. No ovens were allowed ………. And no alcohol allowed on the premises. Linen and towels were supplied and the apartment was cleaned twice a week.

The first week was all ground school covering systems, Aerodynamics, Performance, Weight and Balance, Aim and FAR. I’ve already started using abbreviations ….. sorry but life as a pilot involves using many of these. Classes started at 8am and finished at 3pm. It wouldn’t be such a long day if it wasn’t for the fact that we had to spend the evening and night studying what we briskly went over during the day. Having said that there was always time for a quick dip in the campus pool to freshen the body before the study started. The pool wasn’t the cleanest but we took our chances.

Friday after a week of ground school we were told we had an exam on Monday morning 8am. Our lecturer gave us a good indication of what we were to expect on exam day. Our entire class went to the local hotspot of Vero namely ‘The Riverside’ which is a disco bar and Restaurant on the banks of the River. It was good to meet the guys for a beer and get to know everyone a bit better.

The rest of the weekend was spent studying for the Monday morning exam.

 

Week 4 Vero Beach  26th February

Monday morning exam time and I was as nervous as hell. It suddenly dawned on me I spent a lot of my hard earned money on a course I did not know too much about and I had left a job as an Electronic Engineer in the process. We were told at the beginning of the week if we failed the exam a 2nd chance was granted but if you failed a second time we were sent home……Could you imagine how we felt after hearing this ?

Anyway completed the exam nervously ….. I had a total mental block for 30 minutes. Luckily we had two hours to complete a 60 minute exam so once I got my thoughts together I got on fine.

An hour after the exam and we received the results and all 7 of us passed.

Besides Monday morning (exam) the rest of the week was spent as follows:

05:15 wake up call. Quick shower and shave followed by breakfast in the apartment. Made our way down to flight line and either did theory with our flight instructor or got some flying time. This week not much flying was accomplished as our instructor signed us up to a radio communications course.

11:30 – 13:00 Lunch time. Besides eating the time was normally spent getting stuff ready for ground school and writing up notes from flight school.

13:00 to 17:00 ground school covering FAR/AIM, NDB/VOR and Flight Computer.

Rest of the evening was spent studying, phoning friends on Skype and preparing and eating supper.

Saturday I was up again at 5:30 for a Gemini flight (back seat passenger) got out of there at 11:30 which meant I had the rest of the weekend for study. I didn’t get much done Saturday as I was tired from the long days during the week. Saturday night we hosted a BBQ in the apartment. Sunday I spent studying all day for the Monday exam.

By the end of week two I had only 1.2 hours flying completed.

 

Week 5 Vero Beach started 3rd March

Monday Morning exam 08:00 for 2 hours. This time I was not as nervous as at least I passed the first one. Got through the exam alright but with less time to spare this time. Again it was 50 multiple choice questions with a pass mark set at 80%.

We got the results back at 10:30 and the news was not good. Luckily for me I passed but 4 out of our group of 7 failed and had to redo the test the following day.

The rest of the week was spent getting up at 05:15 for flight school until 11:30 and then ground school 13:00 to 17:00. Ground school this week covered FAR/AIM, Meteorology and Navigation.

By Thursday I was absolutely wrecked as the days were so long. I decided to have a chat with my instructor and he agreed to decrease my flight school time until after the written exams. I was originally doing Gemini with another guy which basically meant I sat in the back seat of the plane for an hour and a half while he was flying and then roles were reversed. It is a good learning experience but adds a lot onto your day.

I didn’t go out all weekend as we had another exam Monday which was on everything we covered thus far.

 

Week 6 Vero Beach started 10th March

Monday morning exam 08:00 for 2 hours. There were 60 questions to be answered in 2 hours. We got a lot of questions that needed map reading which made the time a bit tight. The questions were on everything we covered over the past 3 weeks. 6 out of 7 of our class passed.

I had no flight school for Monday which meant I had the rest of the day off. Unfortunately though I could not relax as our final FAA written exam was scheduled for 09:00 Wednesday. All exams previous to this were internal FSI exams.

Tuesday I was scheduled to fly and started lesson six.

Wednesday 09:00 we had our final written PPL FAA exam. All of us passed the 70% mark. It is a computer multiple choice test with 60 questions and 2.5 hours.

Thursday I was scheduled to fly and continued with lesson 6 which I still did not manage to complete.

Friday I wasn’t scheduled to fly so I spent time in the cockpit in the morning and in the evening I Gemini’d with another guy on the course. I had a word with my course co-ordinator as I was not happy with having no flying lesson from Thursday to Monday. Now that my exams are over I would prefer to be flying 6 days a week to get home as soon as possible.

The weekend was long I spent most of it cockpit training and studying for my Monday flight. At least most of the study was carried out by the poolside under the 30 degree sun rays. Wednesday of week 4 I moved out of the dorms and into a bungalow beside the pool. It costs $6 extra per day but they are far more luxurious and roomy than the dorms.

 

Week 7 Vero Beach started 17th March

Monday morning I was scheduled to fly but my instructor phoned me up to cancel as he needed the space for another guy with higher priority. I went Gemining instead.

I wasn’t happy with the current situation as I had only been flying twice in 10 days. I had a chat with my course co-ordinator again and she decided to take me flying herself Monday afternoon and promised to have a word with my instructor to give me more flight time. I was already falling behind the others in my class due to the reduced flight time.

Tuesday I was scheduled to fly and I finished lesson 6 and 7 together.

Wednesday the weather was too windy to fly so our instructor instead decided to ground brief us for 3.2 hours. I thought the brief time was not necessary but we didn’t seem to have much choice in the matter. To me it looks like a money making exercise by our instructor.

Thursday I was scheduled to fly but I did not complete lesson eight.

Saturday again I was scheduled to fly and did simulated IFR and 7 unassisted take off and landings. All went well so I completed lesson eight with 15 hours of flight time. Lesson eight included Slow flight, power off stall, power on stall, steep turns, take off and landings. I was told I was getting a new instructor next week. My current instructor was assigned to new students. He was a very good instructor but I wasn’t getting much flight time. Hopefully the new instructor has more time to take me flying.

 

Week 8 Vero Beach started 24th March

Monday I was at the flight line for 11:30. I met my new instructor and went over my experience to date. The wind was 20kts gusting 27kts with a crosswind factor of 17 kts. Nobody else was flying and my instructor did not seem too keen but I decided to go ahead with lesson nine and at least get the flight manoeuvres out of the way. Everything went well until I tried landing. I needed 2 unassisted landings to pass lesson nine. The winds proved too strong so I did not complete the lesson. I was not very happy with the way the instructor came across he was very abrupt and had no patience. I was already wishing I had my old instructor despite the fact I was getting limited hours flying.

Tuesday I was scheduled to fly. Winds were still strong and my landings were not up to scratch. I lost some of the confidence I had gained with my landings partly due to the winds and partly due to the change in instructor. Each instructor seems to have a different technique so I would advise not changing if at all possible. I’m still not passed lesson nine. I‘ve decided not to fly until the winds weaken.

Wednesday I was scheduled to fly at 17:00. Winds were negligible so I took advantage and practised my landings. They were much improved and my confidence was back. However my instructor advised doing another day before finishing with lesson nine.

Thursday winds again were negligible and I continued with lesson nine. I practiced more slow flight, power on and power off stalls. Then I went to Sabastian Aiport and did three pattern landings including two power off landings. Everything went well so we headed back for another landing in Vero Beach. This time my instructor passed me for lesson nine and put me forward for a solo check flight. It was a tough week trying to finish lesson nine.
 

Week 9 Vero Beach started 31st March

Monday morning I had my solo check ride. It consisted of an oral exam lasting 45 minutes followed by a flight for 1.5 hours. The check ride is lesson 10 and if you pass it means you are ready for your first solo flight. The oral went well but I was very nervous doing the flying especially my landings. However I passed and was ready for my first solo.

We purchased 2 cars today from a group of Germans who were leaving for home. We paid 650 dollars which was quiet a deal as one of the cars was a people carrier and in very good condition. At least now we are not dependant on bicycles and taxis.

Wednesday morning I had my solo. This is a big day in the life of a pilot. It is where you are given the keys of an airplane to fly by yourself with no instructor by your side.

Before this happened I was taken up for some flight manoeuvres and landings. When the instructor was happy with my landings we went back to the ramp and he left the airplane. It was a bit scary taxiing down to the run-up area and waiting to taxi onto the runway but once I put the engine to full power I went into auto drive completing my checklists etc. and without even thinking about the fact there was no one beside me I was in the air.

I did 3 take offs and landings and came back in one piece to receive my first stripe for doing a solo. It was a great feeling……. a feeling of progress.

Thursday I had a 2 hour brief on cross country navigation planning and Friday I started and completed lesson 13 which introduced soft field take-offs, short field landings and the usual stall manoeuvres.

Saturday I drove down to Palm beach with my wife in the new (1988) car we purchased. It’s a nice city with a lot more going on than Vero Beach. My wife came over to Vero Beach on a two week holiday.

 

Week 10 Vero Beach started 7th April

Monday I was scheduled to fly with my instructor and fellow student from Vero beach to Okeechobee. I practiced a few touch and go’s using short field and soft field landings.

Tuesday I did not fly due to high winds. I was due to do another solo in the practice area.

Wednesday I was scheduled to fly and did my cross country flight with my instructor from Vero Beach to Pehokee to Okeechobee and back to Vero Beach. It was my first time flying cross country using pilotage and dead reckoning so I was a bit disorganised. My instructor gave me a hard time and I didn’t enjoy the trip too much but I suppose the next time it’ll be easier.

Wednesday evening I spent getting organised for my cross country flight.

Thursday morning I was up at 05:00 to get ready for the cross country flight at 07:00 to St Augustine (north Florida) with my instructor. This time I felt more prepared and my dead reckoning was a lot more accurate. My radio calls to and from the ‘flight following’ need improvement but like everything in flying with a bit of practice it’ll be fine.

Friday I had a 2 hour solo flight. This involved taking off from Vero beach and going to the practice areas to practice manoeuvres and back again to Vero beach. I found it difficult to relax out in the practice area as I was constantly on the look out for other planes in the area to avoid collision. It’s easier when there are two in the plane. It was a great feeling to finally touch down back in Vero beach after completing the 2 hour solo flight.

 

Week 11 Vero Beach started 14th April

Monday I flew with my instructor on a night cross country flight. Firstly I had to carry out 10 take off and landings in Vero Beach. The wind was very gusty and along with the fact it was the first time flying at night I was pretty nervous but the landings went Ok. At times it was difficult to get my bearings but I got used to it after a while. Once the landings were complete we flew to Melbourne Airport which is 50 miles away. It is a class D airport but Class E at night which means it is unmanned. Flight went OK but when I finally landed at Vero I was glad to get on firm ground safely. I think night flying needs a bit of getting used to !

Tuesday and Wednesday I did not fly due to high winds.

Thursday morning I was scheduled to fly with my instructor. We went over the usual manoeuvres slow flight, power on and power off stalls and steep turns. Thursday evening I went on a one hour solo out in the Vero Beach practice area.

Friday morning I went on my first solo cross country to the so called ‘Irish Triangle’ which is a 110 mile round trip from Vero Beach to Pahokee to Okeechobee and back to Vero. This was accomplished using a combination of Dead Reckoning, Pilotage and the use of VORs.

There is a lot of paperwork involved when flying a cross country. A flight plan has to be calculated and then filed with a flight safety centre FSS before taking off.

My landing in Pehokee was good but when I got to Okeechobee there was a stiff cross wind which meant I needed a lot of rudder coming in to land. Unfortunately for me I kept my leg on the rudder after touching down and the plane did a speed wobble down the runway. It was the first fright I got and I think it will stay with me for a long while. At least I stayed on the runway!

Friday we were also given our itinerary for our flight home to Ireland. We are due to leave May 9th. It was originally thought we were to have our PPL license and hours building complete (175 hours) before leaving but at this stage I would be happy to have my PPL. I currently have 40 hours complete.

I had a chat with our course coordinator and asked for a change in instructor. I felt my current instructor didn’t have much interest in what he was doing but was only instructing as a means of hours building.

 

Week 12 Vero Beach started 21st April

Monday I did lesson 21 which was a dual lesson and basically went over everything we’d completed to date. Unfortunately I didn’t pass it as my soft field landings and take offs weren’t up to scratch. It was the first time in 12 lessons I had failed a lesson so it was disappointing. He said he’d try and get me flying tomorrow even though I was not on the schedule.

Tuesday I waited for the call from my instructor but it never came. I spent the day studying for my oral exam which will be coming up next week along with my PPL check ride all going well.

Wednesday we were scheduled for a 3 hour brief which is preparation for the Oral part of the PPL check ride.

Thursday I was scheduled for lesson 21 but my landings still weren’t up to scratch. I was very frustrated as I was due to fly back to Ireland  on the 9th May and I was now thinking time will run out before completing the PPL.

Friday I continued with lesson 21. All my manoeuvres were OK but my landings were still not to PTS standard. I had a chat with the course coordinator again since she never got back to me after our previous discussion the week before. She advised me to stick with my current instructor as there were only a couple of lessons left before the PPL exam. I reluctantly agreed but was not happy with the current situation.

Overall this was my worst week in Vero Beach. I was looking forward to going home but I spent a whole week on lesson 21 and it still wasn’t complete. I had an instructor that I thought very little of due to his attitude. I am now worried I won’t get the PPL finished before 9th May.

Others in my class are in a worse position and will definitely be staying after May 9th. The main reason for this is due to the lack of instructors in Vero Beach. The situation there seems to change on a month to month basis. Only 6 months ago we were told there were plenty of instructors and the PPL could be completed in 6 weeks.

We went kayaking Saturday to take our minds off flying. This was a great experience and I’d recommend it. It’s hard to beat fresh air and a bit of exercise to take your mind off things.

 

Week 13 Vero Beach started 28th April

Monday I was not scheduled to fly again to my disappointment but I was not surprised. At this stage I was resigned to the fact I wouldn’t finish before the 9th. I spent the day looking over weather charts for the Oral. I also went Gemini with another student in my class which was also good experience.

Tuesday I was scheduled to fly with a new instructor. The new instructor was only stepping in for one day as my usual instructor had a check ride of his own. It turned out he was doing multi engine training which may explain his lack of interest in instructing. The flight went very well with the new instructor and I learned a lot. We went over all the manoeuvres slow flight, power off and power on stalls. My soft field landings were also perfected and so at last I passed lesson 21. I felt if I had this instructor full time I would have passed my PPL a long time ago. He was very patient and had a really good attitude.

Wednesday I was not scheduled to fly. I spent the morning studying. Then I got the news that I was not scheduled to fly Thursday either. I got on the phone immediately to my instructor and he explained he was busy with his own multi engine check ride but eventually he agreed to let me fly with the instructor I had the previous day.

Wednesday evening the new instructor took me for lesson 24 which is the final lesson before the PPL mock check ride. Everything went great and I passed first time. I learned more in the last 2 days than I did in the previous 2-3 weeks.

Friday I met my instructor to go over the paperwork necessary for the PPL exam. It took 1.5 hours to finish. I was now at last in the official queue for the mock check ride.

Saturday I went Gemini with another student who was completing lesson 21. The rest of the weekend was spent studying for the check ride.

 

Week 14 Vero Beach started 5th May

Monday I was not on the schedule. I spent the day studying for the mock check ride. The mock check ride is basically the same as the Private Pilot License (PPL) check ride exam. There is an oral exam followed by a flight exam. If the mock exam is failed remedial lessons have to be carried out before you repeat the exam. After the mock exam is passed you continue to the actual PPL check ride exam where the same rules apply.

Tuesday I was on the schedule for my mock check ride. When I got to the flight line I discovered I was only scheduled for the oral part of the mock exam. I was a bit disappointed as I had the flight plan complete and ready with the days weather. It meant 2 hours work for nothing. On the other hand it was good to concentrate only on the oral. The oral went well but I expected as much as I don’t have problems with theory but at times lack confidence with flying.

The oral exam was just over 2 hours long so he basically went over everything in the PTS booklet.

Wednesday I was scheduled for the check ride.

I started with the cross country using pilotage and dead reckoning along with the help of the local VOR. The cross country flight was planned for the route Vero Beach to Williston. After 2 checkpoints the examiner issued me an unplanned divert to an alternative airport called Okeechobee. I was a bit disorganised at first while trying to calculate my new distances, fuel, time and wind corrections while trying to hold a sectional map and flight computer in my hand. Eventually I got everything calculated while keeping an eye out for collision avoidance.

We reached Okeechobee close to my calculated time. At times throughout the journey I felt a bit lost but then to my relief I would spot something I recognised from previous flights. I was also a bit slow making my initial radio call and changing the frequencies to AWOS and CTAF. This meant I was unsure of the correct runway in use until approaching the airfield which was far from perfect but at least I got it correct !

At Okeechobee I was asked to land several times using the soft field and short field techniques. I was also asked to take off with the same techniques and finally I had to do a slide slip approach to landing. All landings were satisfactory but could have been a lot better. I returned to Vero while wearing foggles for some instrument time where I had to recover from unusual attitudes.

I did a normal landing at Vero Beach and afterwards I was taken in for my debrief. To my relief I was told I passed the exam and was ready for the PPL check ride exam.

Thursday 8th May I was scheduled for my final PPL check ride. I was due to fly home to Ireland on Friday 9th so to say I was under pressure to do well would have been an understatement.

First I had my Oral exam. It was very detailed even more so than the mock exam but I thought I did well. Then I briefed the examiner on the weather. Unfortunately the winds were severe which meant we had to postpone the flight part of the exam.

At that stage I resigned myself to the fact I would not be going home on my scheduled flight on Friday. However the examiner and course coordinator got together and changed the schedule to allow me to do the flight exam at 7am the following morning which was the morning of my flight home. If I passed the exam it might be still possible to make it to the airport on time for my flight.

Friday came and I was up at 04:30 getting my flight plan ready with the days weather. The winds had died down but the temperature and dew point were very close which meant the possibility of fog or low lying cloud. I briefed my examiner at 07:00 and we decided to give it a go.

Firstly I was asked to do a soft field take off from Vero Beach. Then I was on my pre planned cross country route to Williston. The cloud cover started to increase but still wasn’t a factor. I went through 3 check points and all were fairly accurate. On the 3rd check point I was diverted to Okeechobee airport. This was good news as it was the same airport I was diverted to in my mock. I turned to the south west and did my calculations of fuel time and distance. On the way to Okeechobee the cloud cover started to increase significantly. I had to increase altitude to 4500 feet to stay within cloud clearance minimums. It was very difficult to use pilotage to get my bearings as I could not see the surface. However at one point after travelling 25 minutes the clouds broke and I saw the familiar prison grounds below which I knew were 10 miles north east of the airport. When I arrived in Okeechobee and descended to the traffic pattern height I found that the cloud cover was at 1000 feet and scattered. I had to continually change course to keep the necessary cloud clearances. Eventually I said to the examiner I had to abort the landing and travel back to Vero Beach for safety reasons. The examiner was glad of my decision as it was truly unsafe to land. He mentioned he would probably have failed me if I attempted to land.

On the way back to Vero I did some air manoeuvres and ground manoeuvres. Both were satisfactory but could have been better. He also pulled the throttle on me to simulate an emergency landing. I picked a long flat field as the landing area but he resumed the throttle after a minute or so once I had my emergency checklists complete.

Once I reached Vero Beach I knew what was coming next as at that stage I had no landings complete. Unfortunately the airport was starting to cloud up and the winds changed just as I entered the airspace. There was a little confusion in the control tower for a while when I was switched from one runway to another. When I eventually entered the pattern for runway 4 I had to remain at 800 feet instead of 1000 feet to keep clear of clouds. I started with the soft field landing followed by short field, normal and a landing without flaps using side slipping technique. All the landings went great to my surprise. In fact they were probably the best landings I performed to date. The soft field landing was truly soft, the short field landing was exactly on the 1000 footers without hitting the surface hard and the side slip was ok also.

Once back in the ramp the examiner shook my hand and said congratulations. What a feeling ….. it was a tough experience and I was glad to have finished but it was a great sense of achievement. I don’t think I sweated as much in my life. I was debriefed on the flight which was mostly good. I then received my knew PPL stripes and wings and ran out of the place to pack my bags for home. I had only 50 minutes before the taxi picked me up for the airport in Orlando. I said my good byes to all the lads in my class and went on my way.

It took me 50 hours of flying and 3 months to complete the PPL (private pilots license)

In summary the training program is top class but there is a serious lack of instructors. There were parts of the course near the start where we were completely overloaded but then for the rest of the course we were only flying twice a week. If it was organised properly and if there were sufficient number of instructors we could have easily completed 50 hours in one month. Instead it took us three !