PPL Newbie
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PPL Newbie
Just started my PPL.Got 2 hours tomorrow.Last week my instructor said we may visit another airfield.
Thought I would try to be a bit proactive and work out a route ( I have no knowledge yet of restricted airspace).
Should I be doing this or just let things happen as I don't want to appear a smart**s?
Modelman
Thought I would try to be a bit proactive and work out a route ( I have no knowledge yet of restricted airspace).
Should I be doing this or just let things happen as I don't want to appear a smart**s?
Modelman
From someone who's still pre-PPL, I'd say if you have a chart, take a look at it, by all means, but forget the nav for a bit and concentrate on your R/T. If you can get comfortable with that sooner rather than later, you'll have a much less stressful environment to learn all the rest of it in!
A
A
The Original Whirly
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If you're interested, and you have a chart, by all means work out a route. After all, you can't do any flying on the ground. Learning anything about flying will be useful, even if you don't have all the required knowledge and get it wrong. Just getting used to the chart terminology and what everything means will be useful.
As an instructor, I'd be quite happy if a new student did that, unless he made a big deal about it... sort of, "look at me, aren't I wonderful, I worked out a route". I can't see your instructor being upset about that; if he/she is, then change instructor!
As an instructor, I'd be quite happy if a new student did that, unless he made a big deal about it... sort of, "look at me, aren't I wonderful, I worked out a route". I can't see your instructor being upset about that; if he/she is, then change instructor!
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Modelman,
I agree totally with Andy RR and Whirly.
Radio is one of the things most people take some time to learn and have no small difficulty with. It requires frequent practice when you are just learning it to get to know the lingo and get used to planning what you are going to say before you press the PTT button.
I should say, rather than working out routes, you would be better getting to know what each and every marking on the chart means and where to look for the things you are definitely going to need, such as aerodrome frequencies and LARS service frequencies.
Other than that, I suggest you concentrate on learning Aviation Law as you will need to have passed this in the ground exams before you can go solo.
Good luck, Modelman. Enjoy your flying.
Broomstick.
I agree totally with Andy RR and Whirly.
Radio is one of the things most people take some time to learn and have no small difficulty with. It requires frequent practice when you are just learning it to get to know the lingo and get used to planning what you are going to say before you press the PTT button.
I should say, rather than working out routes, you would be better getting to know what each and every marking on the chart means and where to look for the things you are definitely going to need, such as aerodrome frequencies and LARS service frequencies.
Other than that, I suggest you concentrate on learning Aviation Law as you will need to have passed this in the ground exams before you can go solo.
Good luck, Modelman. Enjoy your flying.
Broomstick.
Why do it if it's not fun?
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Modelman,
All good advice so far.
Here's another idea for you, though: ask your instructor why he is taking you to another airfield after 2 hours.
I don't normally take my students to other airfields until much later in the course, but that is at least partly because there aren't all that many airfields near me which are convenient to go to in the time I've got available for most lessons. But if your instructor is planning on taking you somewhere, I would guess he most likely has some learning objective in mind. It might simply be for you to see runways other than that at your home airfield, or it might be because he wants you to become familiar with the layout of the local area including the location of this particular airfield, or it might be because it has a different level of air traffic service to your home airfield (maybe your home airfield doesn't have air traffic control and this one does), or any one of a number of other reasons. Once you know his reason, you can prepare yourself to meet the learning objectives.
Of course it might be that there isn't any specific learning objective. Perhaps the aircraft needs to be taken to another field for some maintenance, and it's convenient to get this done during your lesson, for example. In which case, the advice from previous posters is all good advice. Or perhaps the instructor is just getting bored with his local area, and wants to go somewhere else for a change, at your expense.
Have fun!
FFF
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All good advice so far.
Here's another idea for you, though: ask your instructor why he is taking you to another airfield after 2 hours.
I don't normally take my students to other airfields until much later in the course, but that is at least partly because there aren't all that many airfields near me which are convenient to go to in the time I've got available for most lessons. But if your instructor is planning on taking you somewhere, I would guess he most likely has some learning objective in mind. It might simply be for you to see runways other than that at your home airfield, or it might be because he wants you to become familiar with the layout of the local area including the location of this particular airfield, or it might be because it has a different level of air traffic service to your home airfield (maybe your home airfield doesn't have air traffic control and this one does), or any one of a number of other reasons. Once you know his reason, you can prepare yourself to meet the learning objectives.
Of course it might be that there isn't any specific learning objective. Perhaps the aircraft needs to be taken to another field for some maintenance, and it's convenient to get this done during your lesson, for example. In which case, the advice from previous posters is all good advice. Or perhaps the instructor is just getting bored with his local area, and wants to go somewhere else for a change, at your expense.
Have fun!
FFF
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