I started reading my first book, Flying Training, last week on the train. I have a 2 hour commute each day up to London so this is the perfect time for me.

It’s all sinking in which is good. However, I’m finding it hard to visualise some of the manoeuvres mentioned. So I had a brainwave…

I’m going to sound like a nerd now but I used to play MS Flight Sim quite a lot. As you know, ALL ace pilots play Flight Sim. I would regularly fire it up after a long day at work, normally to the groans of my girlfriend. She used to call it “Flight Stimulator”. She got jealous, had an affair, packed her bags and left. It took me 3 weeks to realise she had even moved out.

Once I noticed she had gone, I decided to knock “simming” on the head for a little while.

This was another factor in waiting till I was 30. The cost of her leaving me would have easily covered my entire PPL (and left enough change for the deposit on a Cessna).

Life’s a bitch. Anyway…

So the PC’s not been switched on for well over a year but now I’m back in the game and my brain is thinking about flying again, plus having now started to read the book, I figured it could be a good idea to dust of the joystick and start practicing what I’ve read.

I’ve spoken to various people about whether or not they think training with Flight Sim is a good idea or not. I’m often told that it’s great for IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) but not so good for VFR (Visual Flight Rules). Well, I beg to differ.

Having just read about how to Side Slip in the book, I wanted to give it a try. It wasn’t overly clear to me as to what this meant and I found it hard to visualise. So I loaded up Flight Sim X and gave it a go. It was excellent. Instantly I understood what the book meant and now I could actually see the effects of using “crossed controls”.

I thought this was great, so I figured I’d go through the entire book and practice all the manoeuvres. I had an entire Saturday ahead of me. However my excitement was soon to be short lived.

No sooner had I loaded up my next flight my PC died. Just like that. No warning, no smoke, no nasty noises. It just turned off and now it refuses to switch on again. I can only assume my ex-girlfriend somehow hacked into my PC and made it do this. Kicking it didn’t fix it either.

So now I have to buy a new PC. Great. Actually, I’ve been looking for an excuse to get a new PC for a while so I guess I have to buy one now. Poor me.

After booking my first lesson I thought it was wise to start reading up prior to getting behind the yoke.

I found a good PPL study pack here:

http://shop.pilotwarehouse.co.uk/product6620023.html

For £175 you get the following:

- Air Pilot Manual Volume 1 – Flying Training
- Air Pilot Manual Volume 2 – Aviation Law & Meteorology
- Air Pilot Manual Volume 3 – Air Navigation
- Air Pilot Manual Volume 4 – Aeroplane Technical
- Air Pilot Manual Volume 6 – Human Factors
- CRP Flight Computer
- 16″ Chart Scale
- 5″ Square Protractor
- Pilot’s Logbook
- 1:500,000 Chart of your area
- Double Radio Telephony CD
- Pilot’s Flight Board
- Flight Log Pad
- Pilot’s Flight Case
- Chart Marker Pen Set

Kudos to PilotWareHouse. One day after I ordered the PPL Study Pack it arrived at my work. My first thoughts were “Where the hell is book 5″ until I realised you don’t get book 5.

Perhaps the most amusing item is the CRP Flight Computer. Excuse my naivety here but I have no idea what this does. I’ll ask my instructor during my first lesson.

When I read I would get a computer I kind of expected something to arrive that was made out of plastic, maybe with a screen and possibly with an on/off button. Well, much to my amusement, the CRP is made of cardboard. In all seriousness though, I’m sure it plays a vital part in something-to-do-with-flying.

I hit the big 3-0 last weekend.

All my life, well, as far back as I can remember, I promised myself that one day I would learn to fly. Finally, that time has come.

My mum used to take me down the bottom of the runway at Gatwick when we were young. I say ‘we’ as my brother would be dragged along too, much to his disgust. He hated planes. He spent the entire hour with his arms crossed and his bottom lip protruding. Occasionally he would head butt the car window.

I was never into school. I found it boring and the subjects were never anything I enjoyed and because of this, I knew that it was unlikely I would be an airline pilot. However, 15 years on, I’m doing ok for myself and I finally have some spare cash to do it my way.

So my first lesson is booked for Saturday 3rd May at Redhill Aerodrome with the kind folk down at Cubair School of Flying. I’ll also be helping out there most Sundays. I can’t wait – it’s the next stage in my life and something I’ve been dreaming about for a long long time.

I’ll be paying as I go for the time being and I plan to do at least 2 lessons a month. Weather permitting of course. I’ve heard weather is a problem but I have my fingers crossed for a good summer.

I’m not sure if this is being ambitious but I’m hoping for a first solo by the end of the year.

Watch this space for further updates.