PPL Syllabus For Solo Flight

This post is my notes on the flying training syllabus that will take you up to your solo flight.

The exercises are planned in a logical order and develop and build on your skills as you progress. However don't be surprised to find that you don't do everything in the exact order as shown below. For instance, I started my Instrument Flying work very early in my training. It was a miserable day with low cloud so the instructor took us above the cloud and I practiced flying by instruments with the white cloud tops below me giving no indication or bearing or height.

Note that the first exercise listed below is Emergency Drills. Safety is the number one priority when flying and right from the start you need to know what to do when things go badly wrong - which fortunately is extremely rare.

Aircraft familiarisation and emergency drill are part of any pre-flight check before you board any aircraft and so the exercises don't actually form a part of the ground school of your course.

Exercise 1 - Aircraft Familiarisation, and Exercise 2 - Before and After Flight

Which consists of:

• 1. Aircraft Familiarisation
• 1E. Emergency Drills
• 2. Before and After Flight
• 2a. Preparation for Flight
• 2b. Starting and Stopping the Engine
• 2c. Post-Flight Actions

Exercises 1 and 2 are designed to bring you face to face with the aircraft and also to gain some familiarity with the various control surfaces on the outside of the aircraft and the multitude of switches, dials, knobs and levers inside the aircraft.

Once these have been covered and you have a clear understand what is happening at each step, and why, it is time for your first flight.

Exercise 3 - Your First Flight

Which consists of:

• 3. Your First Flight

Your first flight will take approximately one hour and will be your first step in becoming a pilot. If you have never flown before, or only seen a take off through the side view windows of a passenger airplane this is an experience you will never forget.

You will also get the chance to fly the aircraft yourself. Don't worry, everything will be under the control of the instructor, but you will really be flying all by yourself! After touchdown you will have the first hour of dual flying to record in you pilot's log book.

Exercise 4 - The Controls

Which consists of:

• 4. The Controls
• 4a. The Primary Effect of Each Main Flight Control
• 4b. The Further Effect of Each Main Flight Control
• 4c. The Art of Trimming
• 4d. The Effect of Airspeed and Slipstream
• 4e. The Effects of Power Changes
• 4f. The Effect of Using Flaps
• 4g. Carburettor Heat
• 4h. The Mixture Control
• 4i. Using the Radio
• 4j. Cabin Heating and Ventilation

Trimming and carburettor heat might not mean much to you right now, but believe me you will learn to use them on every single flight you make in the future - unless of course you are fortunate enough to enjoy an aircraft with auto-pilot and a fuel injected engine.

Exercise 5 - Taxiing an Aeroplane

Which consists of:

• 5. Taxiing an Aeroplane
• 5E. Taxiing Emergencies

You may find that you actually cover exercise 5 before exercise 4 as you need to taxi the aircraft from the parking area to the runway ready for take off.

The one thing to remember about taxying is that you do not steer an aircraft like a car. Use your feet to change direction, use your hand on the throttle to change speed - this can be nerve wracking and much harder than it appears at first.

There is a great tendency to use the yoke to turn the aircraft as though you are using a steering wheel. At a major airport with busy traffic don't be surprised if the instructor takes over when the tower gives an instruction to expedite the crossing of the active runway!

Exercise 4 in the air will be a doddle after all that on-the-ground manoeuvring.

Learn how to trim early on - it is something that you will use every time you fly from now on. The value of some of the other activities will become more apparent as you progress through the syllabus.

Exercises 4 and 5 will typically be covered off in a couple of lessons, that's another two hours to add to your log book, three hours in total.

Exercise 6 - Straight and Level

Which consists of:

• 6. Straight and Level
• 6a. Flying Straight and Level in Balance at Constant Power
• 6b. Flying Straight and Level in Balance at a Selected Airspeed
• 6c. Cruising with Flap Extended

Straight (i.e. heading in the same direction) and level (i.e. at a constant altitude) flying isn't as easy as it seems. Unless you are fortunate to be flying in perfectly still air you will find that the wind is constantly nudging your aircraft and it is up to you to maintain that straight and level flight.

You will learn about the balance ball and how important it is to efficient flying and then to add more to the mix you will need to maintain straight and level flight at a constant airspeed. By now you will have another hour in your log book and will be confident in your flying ability.

Exercise 7 - Climbing

Which consists of:

• 7. Climbing

Climbing is a key skill in flying. Without it you wouldn't be able to take off.

As it would be difficult to have lessons where you continually climbed and eventually ran out of atmosphere to fly in, you will find that this exercise is taken in conjunction with Exercise 8 - Descending...

Exercise 8 - Descending

Which consists of:

• 8. Descending
• 8a. The Glide
• 8b. The Powered Descent
• 8c. Use of Flap in the Descent
• 8d. The Sideslip

Descending is also a mandatory skill. Remember: take offs are optional, landings are mandatory! So you have to be able to descend in a controlled manner.

You will find that although climbing is quite routine there are a number of different methods for descending. Each has there own uses and characteristics and after another couple of hours in the air you will be confident in being able to climb, flight straight and level, and then descend using a number of different configurations - e.g. flap settings, power settings etc.

Exercise 9 - Turning

Which consists of:

• 9. Turning
• 9a. The Medium Level Turn
• 9b. The Climbing Turn
• 9c. Descending Turns
• 9d. Turning onto Selected Headings

Unless you are flying in sparse open countryside, or desert, where every runway lines up with all the others, you will need to be able to turn.

You will learn by now that there are a number of different types of turn to master and that each has its rules which must be obeyed. Do your background reading here and get a thorough understanding of the effect that turns have on the angle of attack and, therefore, the stall speed. That will be another hour, you will have taken perhaps seven hours to get this far.

Exercise 10 - Stalling and Slow Flight

Which consists of:

• 10. Stalling and Slow Flight
• 10a. Stalling
• 10b. Slow Flying

Stalling was mentioned in the turning exercises. This is a very, very, very important aspect to flying that must be mastered and respected.

In order to apply for your licence you must demonstrate that you have covered at least two hours of stalling, slow flying, and stalls and spin awareness. This is very important stuff to get under your belt.

Note that not all of these two hours have to be completed before you progress, in fact a one hour lesson will suffice at this time. You can complete the hours at any time during your training but you must remember to make a note of this in your log book.

Exercise 11 - Spinning

Which consists of:

• 11. Spinning
• 11a. Full Spins
• 11b. Incipient Spins

You may find that spins are not actually covered in your training plan. There is a viewpoint that spins are so dangerous that more accidents happen during training than are caused by the real thing.

So perhaps this is something to review once you have qualified as a pilot by paying a visit to your local aerobatic flying school.

Exercise 12 - Standard Take-Off and Climb to Downwind Leg

Which consists of:

• 12. Standard Take-Off and Climb to Downwind Leg
• 12E. Emergencies during the Take-Off

The dreaded EFATO - Engine Failure At Take Off. Something you will simulate quite a few times as you learn to master the take off.

This isn't something that you will book a whole lesson to, but something that you will cover time and again as you get into circuit training.

Exercise 13 - Circuits, Approaches and Landings

Which consists of:

• 13. Circuits, Approaches and Landings
• 13a. The Circuit, Powered Approach and Normal Landing
• 13b. The Go-Around
• 13c. Departing and Joining the Circuit
• 13d. The Flap-less Approach and Landing
• 13e. The Glide Approach and Landing
• 13f. Crosswind Operations
• 13g. Short-Field Operations
• 13h. Soft-Field Operations

Circuits, circuits, circuits. The world famous circuit bashing part of the syllabus. You will do dozens of circuits until the procedures are burned into your brain.

This is a great part of the syllabus as all the things you have learned so far come together - albeit very rapidly! As with many aspects of learning to fly you may do things in a different order to the book. I didn't learn about short-field or soft-field operations until my qualifying cross country exercises.

You will have to put in the hours here - perhaps four hours of circuit and EFATO exercises. By now you will have thirteen hours under your belt and everything is falling into place.