We run five-day courses from Monday to Friday on specific weeks throughout the summer. In 2008, the dates are:
Weeks like these are aimed at all levels of ability, and are tailored to the individual. Instruction is mostly practical, and where appropriate there will be blackboard explanations of what you're learning in the air, but few lectures, no bookwork, and absolutely no tests or exams.
A five-day course costs £425, which includes all your flying fees. We guarantee a minimum of three hours in the air, which corresponds to about 20 launches, but we don't limit your time in the air (especially on good soaring days), and our students usually get much longer that three hours. The course fee also includes six months membership of the Club, so you can come and enjoy the rest of the season, flying as a Club member at Club rates.
Please don't expect to fly solo within the week, though. A few people do, but it's exceptional. You'll probably be doing all the flying by Tuesday or Wednesday, but there's a great deal of airmanship to be learnt as well. You need to know how to recognise difficult situations, to learn how to avoid getting into them, and when you (inevitably) have got yourself into trouble, how to get yourself out of it. That sort of judgement takes a while to establish itself. (The organisations that 'guarantee' to get you to solo standard within a week only get you to the stage of flying a circuit. There's much, much, more to flying than that.)
If you can't make the full five days, we can arrange for a shorter course at a pro rata cost. We can also do a one-day course, costing £120, which isn't restricted to the course weeks listed above, but which does depend on how busy we are. We offer a voucher for a one-day course, suitable as a gift, for £120.
We have no accommodation on site. If you like, you can bring a caravan or a tent and stay on the airfield at no charge. Alternatively, there are plenty of B&Bs in Stratford and the surrounding area.
If you do expect or hope to fly solo during the week, we'll need a medical form from you, signed by your GP. The level of fitness is that of DVLA Group 1 (private driving). We can provide you with the appropriate form, or you can download a PDF version of it.
For more information, or to book your place or buy a voucher, contact David Ireland.