We want to become the starting point for learner pilots in the UK. So we’re making every effort to build out our collection of tools & resources — including the Flight School Finder, Aviation Products — and the Resources section that you’re on right now.
The contributors of FlyGA draw from their own aviation experience & knowledge to provide transparent advice on obtaining your first licence — the PPL(A).
Let’s show you around…
The Main Categories Of This Site
1. About Aviation
Starting out as a pilot… I remember it well. It was incredibly confusing. You research it — but there’s far too much jargon for a beginner to decrypt.
If you’re interested in aviation then first thing you’ll do is browse the internet for information on how you can learn to fly. I did this myself, and I recall feeling bombarded with acronyms, rules & regulations, aviation products, aircraft types, student expenses, licence types, ratings, and so on. If I hadn’t been so interested in becoming a pilot I probably would have been put off right there and then!
Part of the issue is that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) website isn’t great. It’s not aimed at the absolute beginner. So a lot of entry-level information you’ll read online comes from flight schools (who want your business).
Flight Schools aren’t aiming to teach you everything about aviation from their website, though. They just want to get you in the door and convince you to start flying with them. So they tend to praise their own methods, products and facilities and so on. They’re biased.
Our About Aviation section is a much-needed, unbiased, third party information source designed to help individuals starting out in aviation. We’ll build on these resources over time.
2. Private Pilot Licence (PPL)
Where can you learn more about what’s involved in the Private Pilot Licence (PPL) course and its 9 subjects?
Well, there’s plenty of aviation forums. But rooting through threads isn’t practical, and the material is often outdated (depending on how active the forum is). It’s much easier if you’re able to read up-to-date information in one place.
We can recommend some PPL blogs. Most of them are written by student pilots that document every step of their own journey — including the biggest challenges they’ve overcome. I enjoy reading the following:
What we’re doing here at FlyGA is a little different to the above list, though. The members of our team already hold PPL licences, so we’re not documenting our progress as a student pilot.
Instead, we’re simply aiming to create a collection of articles for learner pilots, injecting our past experiences where it might be helpful.
3. Beyond the PPL
The ‘Beyond the PPL’ section of the Blog is where I’m currently at myself: extending my PPL(A) licence with additional courses and ratings.
The plan for this section is to:
- Outline what options are available to existing PPL(A) holders. So far we’ve provided basic information on several ratings, with details of a typical course structure.
- Document my post-PPL experiences. Much like other PPL Blogs, I aim to document my own progress in a ‘diary entry’ format. This will enable us to provide tips to our readers.
4. General & Miscellaneous
This section includes information on:
- FlyGA — what we’re currently up to (e.g. aviation product development)
- Aviation Resources — lists of helpful contacts/websites, encompassing all areas of aviation.
We anticipate a lot more material will find its way into this section. So keep posted and subscribe to the Newsletter!
5. Products & Equipment
This section provides an unbiased perspective on what tools student pilots ought to purchase and those that are, in our opinion, expendable. It also provides tutorials on how to use FlyGA products.