Passed My PPL SkillsTest // Now A Qualified Private Pilot // Learning To Fly // General Aviation

[@ian757]

Hi Dale. I’m getting close to the skills test having watched all your ground school videos. I’m really impressed with how professional, knowledgable and confident you are in this video and what a difference there is from when you were early on in your training. I am going to copy the meticulous way you prepared for your skills test. I’m sure that the examiner must have been well-impressed by your prep and that would have given you a great start to the test.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Best of luck!

[@Crawford_33]

Hi mate, I’ve watched all of your exam prep videos, and they have helped me tremendously with my ground school! The Radiotelephony and this skills test video were also a huge help! I took my skills test yesterday and passed!! Thankfully, there was a break in the awful weather in Jersey. I just wanted to say thank you so much for the content. I will spread the word at my flight school so students can listen to your tips and advice. I will be buying you a beer, my friend

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Great to hear you passed, massive congratulation, getting your pilots licence is a great achievement. Glad the content helped.

[@ian757]

I didn’t realise that the skills test included an IMC turn nor that every type of PFL and precautionary landing will be tested. I think in further away from this than I thought! Looking forward to seeing your IMC training too.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Yeah they want / need to test everything so they know you are confident in the event something happens when you are in flight. Its also important to still practice these from time to time after you pass to stay competant. IMC will be a while of yet, as don't have the funds. I might try to do my night rating this year or next though.

[@fire_stick]

Congratulations Captain 🫡 ! A real achievement indeed 👍

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Many thanks :)

[@Alex-cu5eu]

Congrats Dale! Been watching the exam videos ahead of all my ppl exams found your experience really helpful to know what to expect going into the exams. Now go out and enjoy the licence 🎉

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Many thanks and best of luck. Regarding the get out there and fly ... if you could help fix the weather that would be great :) I have been out twice since I got my licence and both times weather messed with my plans. Hope to try again this week if the conditions are favourable.

[@Cosm0sis]

Congratulations! all the hard work finally paid off. I'm still working on my mock skills test. Can't wait to be qualify like you soon. See you in the sky.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Best of luck, it really is great to be able to do this. I am STILL waiting for the CAA to issue my licence, so still sat on the ground for now.

[@johnritson3023]

Well done with all these great videos Dale. I’m an instructor and I find all of these videos really helpful and they are really a great informative tutorial for everyone learning out there.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks, appreciate you taking the time to watch and provide feedback.

[@nigelledeux6869]

Many congratulations Dale, so well deserved. I really enjoyed the video. Hope to catch up soon

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Many thanks!

[@ruhenabegum6002]

Congratulations, Captain Dale😊

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks, much appreciated.

[@adama8990]

Oh wow congrats followed your journey all the way, just done my first solo two days ago !! Can’t wait to finish, thanks for the info

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Congrats on the first solo, a massive mile stone in your flying journey. Fly safe and enjoy 🛩

[@johntisbury]

Excellent well done Captain Dale.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Cheers John, hope all is well with you.

[@Vondoodle]

Well done

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks :)

[@RodLittle]

Congratulations Captain !

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Cheers Captain Rod ;)

[@ryanmansell9764]

Congrats mate!! Very well deserved, your videos have really helped me pass all the exams. Thanks for sharing your progess its been interesting to watch. Excited for more flying content

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Great to hear! Happy to help. Thanks for watching and subscribing and best of luck with the rest of your training.

[@Jazzynet100]

Good work 🎉, you could look at a microlight as they are way cheaper than a GA aircraft and some of them look the same. For a real challenge try a sailplane.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Cheers, I have been looking at some larger microlights, like the Eurofox, but need to do more research. In reference to sailplane, do you mean gliders?

[@morbidlyobese2944]

Big congrats 🎉 been finding your PPL training videos really useful for my own training, and look forward to hopefully seeing some videos of the trips you take with your license 👍👍

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Awesome! Thank you, and best of luck with your training. Deffo flying videos to come, just waiting for my licence still, then hope to get up and make new memories.

[@christurner632]

Congratulations, well done and enjoy😊

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thank you!! 😊

[@johnritson3023]

Well done mate.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Cheers, one of the best things I have done.

[@ashubhokare]

Congratulations Dale! It's been a great journey and was quite fun following you. Your videos have helped me and hopefully just like you I'll pass my practical test be the end of this summer! The greatest challenge for me till now has been getting flying hours in since the weather is so bad in this country :-D Even sunny days are too windy etc. How was your experience with cross winds? Any tips?

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Yeah, I stopped counting quite how many cancelled lessons due to weather I had. In terms of cross winds, had a fair few. As for tips I am not sure really, I just feel it and follow my standard landing approach but slowly ease out of the crab approach as I land and then finally kick it down the line with the rudder. I really found landings like when I learnt to snowboard. Doesn't make sense, doesn't make sense, doesn't make sense, click GOT IT! The biggest game changer I think for my approach, was to stop trying to land it, instead transition my eyes to the end of the runway and try and keep it in the air and it will land itself.

[@kevinhughes9801]

Congrats great achievement thanks for sharing. I got my ppl back in 2013 been doing ever since if you ever fancy a meet up and fly in some where let me no I’m based on south coast but guess location could be anywhere?

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks, will deffo let you know in the future about potential meet up. What do you typically fly?

[@kevinhughes9801]

@@SpectrumGeeks mainly pa28 that’s what I learnt in. Done about 5 or 6 hours in 152 and few hours in an arrow but not recently. Yeah be good to meet up so keep me posted.

[@reubengreeph4727]

Congratulations! Thank you so much for your videos, they’ve been so helpful for my own training - I passed my skills test on Sunday! I’m based at Redhill, but grew up in Cheltenham, and so I’m incredibly excited to fly to Staverton as soon as I have my license! Don’t suppose I could buy you a coffee at the Aviator at some point in August?! Also, how long did yours take to come through? I saw you mention the 10 working days, and wonder if it has yet?!

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Brilliant job and well done, glad the videos helped a little :) Welcome a drink at the Aviator if calendars allow. My licence took just over a month to come through sadly, but I do have it now. Only had time for 2 flights since then, and both times I had to turn around due to deterioration in the weather.

[@reubengreeph4727]

@@SpectrumGeeks oh wow a whole month! 😩 Hope you get up again soon, and hope to see you soon!

[@linkup1958]

Well done, so the big question is what next

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Many thanks. My initial plans is just get more flying hours under my belt and enjoy. Then I want to do my instrument rating, and my night rating ... after that I am not yet sure :) Thanks for watching and subscribing.

[@ashubhokare]

Thanks Dale for this video once again! I passed the PPL skills test today and your videos were of great help. How long does it take to actually get the blue booklet after passing?

[@SpectrumGeeks]

They are supposed to turn them around in 10 days, but mine took over a month to come through sadly. Congrats and fly safe.

[@quintesy1949]

Hi mate, jsut wondering how you get notams from nats for a specific area like you have, would be great to take with me on my checkride coming up, Cheers.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

When you log into the NATS you can show NOTAMS for an area or a specific route - nats-uk.ead-it.com/fwf-nats/public/cms/cmscontent.faces?configKey=default.home.page

[@quintesy1949]

@@SpectrumGeeks perfect, I’ll take a look at this, thanks for the help.

[@navabkazemibookie2198]

Hi I’m just wondering have you got the pdf file for wind corrections that you showed on your video please

[@SpectrumGeeks]

I don't have a pdf, just an image. I have shared this on the Spectrum Geeks Community Page - www.youtube.com/@SpectrumGeeks/community

[@michael.piloto]

how long did it take for your license to be delivered? here in belgium it has been a month since I've passed my skill test and still no sign of my license :D I feel like missing all this good weather

[@SpectrumGeeks]

I am still waiting also :) The CAA stat 10 working days, and I sent off my application on the 30th May (I was waiting to apply for the FRTOL at the same time). So in theory, it should be here tomorrow ... we shall see. I am also keen to get airborne again.

[@michael.piloto]

@@SpectrumGeeks I hope you get yours soon, I'm also looking forward to get airborne :)

[@TechboyUK]

Congratulations on becoming a qualified private pilot! 👍 What are your short, medium and long-term goals?

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks and good question :) My short term goals are just to enjoy flying and get some hours under my belt, then I want to do my instrument rating and my night rating. I don't envisage going into anything commercial as the cost of training is very high, but we will see how it goes.

[@BlockCylinder]

I didn't think the jacket was funny. You went out and bought that jacket. You used it in the thumbnail and the intro for this video. You can't do all that and then say "Haha. Just kidding." This is a red flag to this man's future instructors and employers.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

A "Red Flag" wow, seems abit harsh :) As I mentioned in the video, I was purely commenting on the epaulets, not the rest of the clothing. As people often give general aviation pilots a hard time for wearing Captain epaulets as its not part of a formal airline dress code. The jacket is just a pilots jacket I bought at the start of my training, and is nice a warm, perfect for the winter.

[@ian757]

Hi Dale. I’m getting close to the skills test having watched all your ground school videos. I’m really impressed with how professional, knowledgable and confident you are in this video and what a difference there is from when you were early on in your training. I am going to copy the meticulous way you prepared for your skills test. I’m sure that the examiner must have been well-impressed by your prep and that would have given you a great start to the test.

[@SpectrumGeeks]

Thanks Ian, regarding confidence ... I have actually surprised myself with how much knowledge has really sunk in :) A friend is learning now and I know stuff to tell him, makes me feel better knowing its in there, not just enough to pass the test :D Good luck on the skills test, the more you can do to assure the examiner you know what you are doing, are professional and safe the better in my opinion.