The book recounts the experience of the author learning to fly. He began by attending a course in Florida between November 2007 and January 2008, then opted to continue his flight training in the UK in the summer of 2008.
It tracks the highs and lows, exhilaration and fears which went beyond those that any amount of investigation could have prepared him for. It begins with research into the options available for learning to fly and then weeks of self-study at home, organising a VISA and the trip itself.
A brand new fleet of Liberty XL2 aircraft were being touted as the future of training aircraft by the flight school but a closed runway and a lack of instructors hampered progress. Unable to complete within the advertised three weeks timescale the author returned home for Christmas.
A series of accidents suffered by fellow students and a near-miss eroded confidence in the aircraft and school. Forced to return or suffer financial penalties, the author resumed training at the beginning of January aiming to obtain his licence in the proven Piper Warrior 161 aircraft.
Further incidents and acknowledgements by the school instructors and staff confirmed the unsuitability of the Liberty as a training aircraft and the real possibility of a fatal accident occurring. The school was profiting from the difficulties that students were encountering mastering landing the Liberty. Clauses in the training contract which were designed to weed out sub-standard students pre-Liberty, were being invoked to penalise virtually every student. The average flying time to achieve solo flight had risen from fourteen to over twenty hours.
Family life and work pressure again forced the author to return home without the coveted licence. However, the experience gained in the Warrior proved valuable as it was a widely available aircraft in the UK.
Post Florida, the book complements the experience of flight training in the USA with that gained at flying schools in the UK. The differences in cost, airspace, approach and not least the weather are all explored. There is examination of the reality of three week start-to-completion courses advertised in many other countries and comparison with the longer-term approach employed in the UK.
The book is a must read for the thousands of people who learn to fly each year and anyone with an interest in general aviation.
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