Microlights - What's it all about?

There simply isn't a less expensive and easier way to start flying a powered aircraft. You can get a microlight from as little as £2000 or even less. What's more, these minimalist aircraft are similarly inexpensive to operate, can land and take off on short, private grass strips, and are the least afflicted by red tape of any form of powered flight.

There are two different types of microlight:

Weightshift microlights, also called flexwings, are basically hang-gliders with an engine, a seat and wheels-and not much in the way of bodywork and weather protection. Click here to watch a group of weightshift pilots in action.

3-Axis microlights, also called fixed wing, fare a bit better in the comfort stakes but most are still bare-bones machines. Click here to watch two fixed wing pilots in action.

To fly a microlight, you need an NPPL(Microlight)-which is the National Private Pilot's Licence with a Microlight Rating-and a valid medical 'Declaration of Fitness'. This is a form completed by you and countersigned by your GP. Training courses for the microlight licence are on offer at clubs all around the UK and Ireland - you can find school listings on this website. A typical price for an hour's tuition in a microlight is £90. At first glance, it looks expensive - but believe me, its very reasonable! That £90 covers a preflight brief and aircraft check, the lesson in the air, a briefing after the lesson, the fuel, your insurance and use of the Club's facilities and aerodrome. In fact, the instructor makes very little money from this profession, but gains great pride and satisfaction in bringing new pilots to the microlight world.

Ok, now you know what a microlight is and how much the tuition costs - Let's look at how long it takes to get your licence. This is always a difficult question to answer because people vary in great degrees. The minimum hours is 25, of which 10 hours are dual instruction and 15 hours are solo, in order to obtain your full licence. Bear in mind this is the MINIMUM and very rarely would someone complete it in this short period of time. The best way I have found to find out how long it will take a person to fly, is to change their age into hours i.e. A 40 year old man usually requires 40 hours of instruction. So let's add that all up - 40 hours at £90 an hour, totals £3600. Imagine, before you came to this website, if I told you that for £3,600 you could have a private pilot's licence and the ability to take off from your local field as a safe, legal and professional pilot - you probably would have laughed and thought it wasn't possible! It's a very very small price to pay that will give you so much enjoyment for the rest of your life.

When you get your licence you have the option of buying your own microlight or share one within someone else or even a group of pilots. Sharing is very popular in the microlight world. Other costs include: a) Insurance: normally around £250 per year. b) Fuel: A full 50 litre tank of normal unleaded petrol would give you 4 to 5 hours of flight - It all depends on the type of engine you are using. c) Hangar Costs: Can range from £500 to £900 per year - Share your plane with other pilots and this cost is divided up. Like anything else, there maybe other small costs to pay such as yearly permit (same as an MOT for your car), spare parts, Club membership and BMAA membership.

So who is the BMAA? The BMAA stands for the British Microlight Aircraft Association and they look after the interests of microlight owners in the UK. Its aims are to further the sport of microlight aviation, keep flying costs down to a minimum for its members and to represent them in national and international matters relating to our sport. The membership fee is £53 per year which, in my opinion, is pennies for the service you receive. So what do you get for your £53?

1) Friendship and support
2) Reduced flying costs
3) Fly-ins - national and local flying and social events
4) Microlight Flying, a bi-monthly magazine
5) A National Championship series of competitions
6) A National network of engineers, instructors, professionals to give you advice, tuition and help.
7) Flightline - A monthly online magazine
8) Forum - Chat with other BMAA staff, members, instructors, pilots, students.

OK, so you're interested. The best advice I can give you at this stage, is to look for a local school and take a half hour trial flight to see if it's for you or not - I guarantee you when you get up there, the bug will bite you and you'll fall in love with the skies like the rest of us. Also the trial flight will count towards your instructional hours - just make sure you take a trial flight with a CAA authorised flying instructor - Schools are listed on this website.

Let's take a look what's involved in the course by noting the important points of the Syllabus:

• Pre and post flight actions - Checking the aircraft over before flight, booking out etc.
• Ground handling - Learn how to taxi the aircraft safely to the runway.
• Effects of the controls - The primary and secondary effects of each control.
• Straight and level flight - Learning to fly straight at a constant height.
• Climbing and descending - Learning how to gain and loose height.
• Basic Turns - Learn how to turn in a different direction.
• Climbing and descending turns - Carrying out two maneouvres at the same time.
• Take off, circuit and landing - Take off from the runway, fly around the circuit and land (Takes time to master)
• Stall recovery - Nothing to do with the engine cutting out! It occurs when airflow over the wings breakdown.
• Advanced turns - Some exciting steep turns.
• Spiral dive recovery - If something goes wrong you learn to know exactly what to do.
• Recovery from unusual attitudes - Again, learn to recover from unusual aircraft positions that may have been caused by things such as severe turbulence.
• Power failures and emergency procedures - The microlight can glide without an engine. Learn the technique to get safely down to Earth following an engine failure. It's not as dramatic as you may think!

You will also have to pass 5 ground examinations. Don't worry though, they are all multiple choice and with some study and some coaching from your instructor, you won't have any problem. The exams are:

• Aviation Law - This is basically the Highway code of the air.
• Human Performance and Limitations - Covers things like illnesses and first aid.
• Navigation - Using charts to navigate to/from different airfields.
• Meteorology - Study of mother nature!
• Aircraft (General) - The principles of flight and some technical theory.

After you have completed the instruction and the exams you will undergo a GST - General Skills test. This is a flight exam in the air, usually lasting for about an hour. The examiner will ask you to carry out some parts of the syallabus and definetly simulate an emergency situation - normally an engine failure or engine fire. When you get back down to the ground, the examiner will ask you a few questions about the aircraft you have just flown in.

That's basically it! Take a look at the 'Learn to Fly' section on the left-hand side menu where you'll get a bit more in-depth knowledge of what it all involves answering some of the frequently asked questions.

If you want to find out more you can contact your local club or the BMAA (found at www.bmaa.org). You are also more than welcome to ask me questions about microlighting or this website.

I hope you enjoy this website and the hundreds of other sites that offer so much information and support for your new found sport. May you have many happy hours of training and safe flight.

Anthony Campbell.
CAA Authorised Flying Instructor.