Trial Lessons make excellent gifts for special days such as for Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Valentine’s Day and of course wonderful Christmas Presents. They can be an amazing one-off experience, but they also count towards the course of training for the Light Aircraft Pilot’s Licence and the Private Pilot’s Licence. They are a perfect way to start your flight training whether your ambition is to be a private pilot or to go on and become a professional pilot.
You will be greeted on arrival at the airfield and guided to our facilities at Dakota House. After tea or coffee, you will receive a comprehensive briefing from your flying instructor. For a 30-minute Trial Lesson, we will look at the effects of the primary flight controls on an aeroplane in flight and in the 45-minute and 60-minute lessons we will use the extra time to demonstrate the effects of some of the secondary flight controls.
The briefing is very relaxed, informal, and not at all technical but if you want to delve deeper into any subject then please do ask as many questions as you like of your instructor. The briefing will cover some important safety details and focus on what you would like to get out of the flight. This might be to fly over a particular local area or landmark, perhaps your home, and if this can possibly be incorporated into your flight it will be. Sometimes controlled airspace or local weather will prevent this.
After your briefing, you and your instructor will go out to the aeroplane, a Cessna 172, complete the pre-flight checklist, start up the engine and taxi for departure. On your trial lesson your instructor will carry out the take off and landing, but once airborne, and after some in flight demonstrations of what you discussed in the classroom, you will be invited to control the aeroplane yourself. You will be amazed at the beauty of the Warwickshire countryside when seen from the bird’s eye view from the air and when you first take control of the aeroplane yourself you will appreciate the sheer exhilaration of flying an aeroplane. Very few things in life produce such big ear to ear grins, and the memories of this day will stay with you for life.
During your flight you can do as little or as much of the flying as you choose under the very watchful eye and control of your instructor. For some, the experience of being in the air is simply enough and for others they will want to become as immersed in the flying as they can be.
On return to the airfield, your instructor will give you a debrief on how the flight went and again this is your opportunity to ask any questions you like. As the time counts towards a possible future pilot’s licence you will be given a certificate to recognise the day and act as a permanent record of your flying times with us.
Subject to weight and balance limitations we can normally carry an additional in-flight observer. The role of the inflight observer (who should be a close friend or relative of the student pilot) is to provide a second opinion regarding any further training. The observer will of course thoroughly enjoy the experience of being airborne, but they do have a role to play and should attend the pre flight briefing.
To make a booking, please call Tim on 02476 639222 or 07775 715501 where a telephone booking can be made or if the Trial Lesson is going to be a present then we can post an attractive card / flying lesson voucher to be given as a gift. The voucher is valid for one year from the date of purchase.
On the day of your flight do give us a telephone call before setting out to confirm weather suitability. In the event of poor weather, we will simply reschedule your flight for a much nicer day. Do please wear flat-soled shoes so that you can operate the rudder pedals and don’t forget to bring a camera because the views are amazing! Trial Lessons are open to anybody of any age but to count towards licence issue the student must be aged 14 or over.