Enstone Young Pilots
Enstone Young Pilots
Fly a plane Solo on your 16th Birthday!
Yes you can fly a plane on your own (solo) at age 16! How old must I be to start learning to fly?
You can start learning to fly at any age, our youngest, Simon was 12 years old when he started. It's a challenge and a great confidence booster for any young person. The information below is based on our young pilots program, our young pilots come from the counties of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire Northamptonshire and further afield, in some cases from the other side of the world, you can ask us any questions wherever you live we are happy to help.
What Aircraft will I fly?
G-BODO
The cessna 152 is one of the best training aircraft in the world, easy to fly with great views from the cockpit, G-BODO has been with us for many years and has helped hundreds of people just like you become pilots, if her airframe could talk what tales she could tell? Here she is about to land on runway 08 at Enstone airfield EGTN with our main hangar and clubhouse in the background.
How will I know if I like being a pilot and do I get to fly the plane?
You can start with a trial lesson sometimes called a flight experience , taster flight, or Exercise 3 of the 19 exercises you will need to complete to gain your full licence. This experience will give you an idea of what is like flying a plane and to confirm that would you really like being a pilot, you get to fly the plane with your instructor sat next to you, they will demonstrate first and you repeat what you have just been shown. If you like it this lesson it will be written up in your Pilots log book and will count towards the hours required to gain your pilots licence.
Your log book of all your flights, a most valuable book that you should always keep safe.
These are some testimonials from our young pilots and their parents
"The trial lesson was a fantastic opportunity to get a feeling for flying an aircraft on your own and Anton loved it from that moment on.
Enstone Flying Club provides a very flexible teaching schedule, the trainers are very professional, very friendly and very adaptive to individual preferences.The environment is very relaxed, almost family like, yet professional and aircraft are always available."
Hi, I'm Simon
I started flying at EFC when I was only 12 because of my sheer amazement for aircraft as a younger child. I slowly but surely completed all the necessary practical and theoretical components required in good time, achieving my PPL a month after my 17th birthday. The quality of instruction and personalised support was great. Now I am considering a career in Commercial aviation thanks to the team at EFC.
Sebastian
When he was 11, instead of a conventional present, Sebastian opted to “do something fun” and chose a trial flight at Enstone. He loved it and, at 14, started on the PPL flight training course at Enstone Flying Club. As he cannot get his licence until he is 17, there is no urgency and he fits in his lessons during school holidays. His instructor and the team at Enstone have been incredibly friendly and encouraging and he not only loves the flying itself but also the whole process of learning to be a pilot. Apart from the sheer joy of flying a plane, learning to fly safely requires technical skills, organisation, attention to detail, observation, calmness and the ability to make informed decisions. From a parent’s perspective, these are important life skills whatever career he chooses.
Flying school
You can join one of our school holiday intensive courses or at any time during the year. You can book in everyday of your holidays or any day of the week with a maximum of two sorties a day. Our goal is to get you flying solo on or around your 16th Birthday. This is a part of your journey to gaining a pilots licence which you could attain on your 17th birthday.
Your first steps in your future aviation career
Will a pilots licence help me in my future aviation career ?
YES absolutely Holding a pilots licence is a huge plus if the military or the commercial sector is your dream. Many of our former young pilots have gone on the careers in both the commercial and military sectors.
If you want to fly solo on your 16th birthday you will focus on actual flying
On the run up to your 16th Birthday you will concentrate on the practical side of learning to fly, understanding the theory is interesting and will help you but, the practical side is much more fun, but you will need to pass the Air law exam and hold an aviation medical if you want to fly solo on your 16th birthday.
The theory of flight
You can spend as much time as you like learning about the theory of flight using our online course, each of these subjects can be done anywhere in the world at your own pace and time. Our online course covers the 9 subjects required to hold a Pilots licence in the UK. The online training has mock test papers which will prepare you to pass these tests after you have flown solo. There is no requirement to pass all the theory tests before you fly solo, however if you want your licence on your 17th birthday the 9 subjects have to be completed in the 18 months leading up to your 17th birthday. The 18 months is the validity period for the theoretical tests, once these are all passed then you have 24 months to complete your licence.
Pass only one theoretical subject and hold an Aviation medical
For you to fly solo on your 16th birthday we and most other flying schools will expect you to have passed your theoretical Air law test and you must hold a aviation medical (you can find the list of CAA medical examiners by clicking here) . A class 2 or LAPL medical will allow you to fly solo. All the other subjects can be taken in the year leading up to your 17th birthday or can be spread over a maximum of 18 months from your first attempt at any test. You can have maximum of 4 attempts at any theory test, after this it all gets very messy, you should not get to this stage without intervention, if you are struggling help is at hand.
When will I be ready to fly Solo?
Your challenge is that by the time of your 16th birthday you must have completed and mastered sufficient practical training to take off, fly a circuit of the airfield and land on your own for the very first time or SOLO! There are no guarantees as to the number of hours you will need to reach the required experience but with hard work you could reasonably expect this to be between 15 to 20 hours of flying time.
How soon can I start flying?
There is no better time of year to start your flying training, as you know the summers can be awful and the winters fabulous in the UK or visa versa.
You can book up in advance for your school holidays and we can guarantee that if the weather is suitable on the day of your booking you will fly on that day, you can work it out for yourself what happens if you don't book in advance!
If you are of school age this can be during your school holidays or at any weekend during the year, or you can fly on any day of the week as we are open 360 days a year for training flights.
Weather
Your lessons are only carried out in suitable weather conditions for your flight, you will never fly in conditions outside the minimum requirements.
Approved, licenced and certified Professionals?
All flying instructors have to be Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) approved, your training is carried out in a (CAA) certified aircraft , your aircraft is maintained by licenced engineers that are approved by the CAA. As your training organisation we are also CAA approved and have regular inspections to maintain our Declared Training Organisation (DTO) status. you can find us listed as DTO 0259 Enstone Sales & Services Ltd
A Guide to the costs
The getting you solo for your 16th birthday is the first part of gaining your licence, you can view a complete breakdown guide to of all the costs in gaining your licence can be found by clicking here these will be similar to other schools if you are not local to Enstone in Oxfordshire.
If you would like to know more call us on 01608 678204 or complete the form below and we will contact you if you prefer?
