FAQ & Terms - Student Advanced Flying Training
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All flying training is offered in our Bulldog, Chipmunk or Extra300 aircraft.
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Do your SEP (PPL) revalidation hour with us and learn a new skill at the same time.
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Not sure if you want to do aerobatics? Come and try a taster hour with us and see how you find it.
We will happily tailor any of our courses for individuals and groups. Please feel free to call us on 01285 771200 to discuss with one of our friendly ex-military instructors.
1. What is included in the price?
2. Payment Terms
3. Course Availability
4. Student competency and course success
5. Flying Time/Operating Hours/No. Trips per day
6. Ground Instruction
7. Instructor Continuity & Availability
8. Solo Flying
9. Accommodation/Ground Transport
10. Flying in to Kemble
11. Personal Fitness
12. Eating & Drinking
13. Weather Guidelines
14. Recommended Reading
15. Gift Vouchers
Student FAQ /Terms - Full Listing
1. What is included in the price?
Our prices are all-inclusive - there are no hidden extras. Unlike other flying schools, we do not work to tight timeslots and you will benefit from considerable briefing time with your instructor on the ground in order to make best use of your time in the air. Students return to fly with us again and again when they realise the high quality instruction and value for money they receive.
The following are included in the price at no additional cost:
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Instructor fees, including substantial ground instruction (as specified)
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VAT
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Club membership
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Landing fees and "touch and goes"
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Loan of Ultimate High military flying suits, parachutes and high quality headsets
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Aircraft Aide Memoire (Checklists/FRCs are additional)
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CD Rom of Pilots Student Study Guide and Cockpit Photos (Bulldog only)
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Copies of your sortie write-ups (if required)
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Tea, Coffee & Filtered Water
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Certificate of Completion
A fuel surcharge may occasionally be applied at times of fluctuating fuel rates.
During April - September inclusive, one-off (ie non-course based) flights on a Saturday are subject to a £30 premium per flight.
2. Payment Terms
Flying by the hour is payable on the day itself, according to time flown.
For courses of 5 hours or more, a deposit of £200 is required in order to reserve course dates. This deposit must be received at least 1 month in advance.
The full balance must be paid on the FIRST DAY of the course. If, for any reason, you are unable to complete the course at a later date, the flying time not flown will be refunded based on the time flown at our standard (ie not discounted) hourly rate.
3. Course Availability
Most courses start on a Monday, and continue through the week, according to course duration and weather. For more details on start days, please refer to each course separately. Occasionally during the winter months we may be able to start courses on a different day, depending on how busy we are.
We are closed on Sundays and Bank Holidays.
During our busiest months (April - September inclusive), one-off (ie non-course based) flights at the weekend are subject to a £30 premium per flight.
Very occasionally, we may need to reschedule or delay some of your course flying for a corporate event. We will do our best to let you know in advance.
4. Student competency and course success
Course and test results are based on student aptitude and are not guaranteed within the times stated. Successful students will be highly motivated and prepared to work hard with us to reach a high standard.
Pre-course study cannot be recommended enough. Many students have realised that their flying experience would definitely have been enhanced by more pre-course study, rather than trying to cram in all the information during the course itself.
If we feel a course may be inappropriate for a student, we reserve the right to ask for an initial flying assessment (charged at our normal rates). Very occasionally, if a student is not progressing at a suitable pace, we may recommend that he/she does not continue with the course or considers alternative training.
Some courses, including the Advanced PPL and AOPA Aerobatics Certificate, require students to demonstrate that they have met the required standard by passing a formal flight test at the end of the course. This is usually at additional cost.
5. Flying Time/Operating Hours/No. Trips per day
Flying hours specified are calculated as airborne plus 10 minutes to allow for variable taxi times.
Ultimate High operates under the Kemble airport licensed hours 0900-1800 BST and 0900-Sunset GMT. Customers should generally plan to arrive by 0930 unless other arrangements have been made. Course students will be expected to be with us from 9.30am - 5.30pm each day, and should normally expect to fly 2-3 trips a day, weather, aircraft serviceability and instructor availability permitting.
Occasionally, factors conspire to delay or prevent the successful completion of your course. The English weather can take a fair amount of blame for this, so please be prepared to either stay a day or so late or to re-schedule to finish at a later date. It is fine to "take a break to consolidate" and it is quite acceptable to book further training - from a few days to a few months later.
In order to maximise the benefit of your training time, and to ensure that you are refreshed, we recommend at least a couple of hours between flights. On courses, there can sometimes be up to 4 hours between flights as instructors may fly other students in between.
6. Ground Instruction
Flying prices include up to 45 minutes of briefing pre-flight, and 30 minutes of debriefing post-flight (and often more). If you would like additional briefing time, this is charged at £40 per hour. Please let us know in advance if you would like more briefing time so that we can plan it into the schedule.
Pre-flight and post-flight briefings are comprehensive and tailored to the student. Pre-flight briefings are often in the form of multimedia presentations.
If you receive full ground briefing for the day but are unable to fly due to weather, we charge a fee of £75 for instructor time. This will be added to your course cost.
7. Instructor Continuity & Availability
We encourage students to fly with different instructors in order to benefit from a range of teaching styles; as our instructors are military trained, the methods of teaching are consistent. Comprehensive notes are written up for each sortie, in order to ensure that there is continuity of instruction. Students have access to these notes which can be copied for you.
As our instructors work for us on a part-time basis, we are unable to guarantee a specific instructor or the same instructor each day. He/she will also normally be teaching other students during the day and we are therefore unable to guarantee you a dedicated instructor all day. We reserve the right to charge an additional £40 per training session on top of our normal hourly rates if you will only fly with a specific instructor.
8. Solo Flying
For those of you who wish to convert onto the Bulldog and go solo, you will need to pass a Bulldog Essential Knowledge Quiz, based on the Aide Memoire and Checklist information.
AOPA Aerobatics course students do not need to know the aircraft to this level, as they will not normally fly solo, but a knowledge of aerobatic manoeuvre entry and limiting speeds is essential, as well as a knowledge of spin recovery actions and techniques. Don't worry - part of OUR job is to teach you these so they become second nature!
9. Accommodation/Ground Transport
We respectively request that you contact the place of your choice and book direct. If you would like us to book accommodation on your behalf, we charges a £25 admin fee for doing this. As there is no accommodation within walking distance of the airfield, we sadly cannot guarantee that our staff will be able to give you a lift to/from your accommodation or elsewhere. We therefore respectfully request that you ensure that you organise your own ground transport (hire car, taxi or bicycle).
We will be happy to book accommodation for you, but please note that there is a £25 admin fee for doing this.
The Thameshead Inn is the closest accommodation to the airfield (within easy cycling distance). The staff are very friendly and the pub serves good food www.thamesheadinn.co.uk tel 01285 770 259.
Many students stay at West Crudwell Farm, Crudwell which is 10 minutes from the airfield, has a beautiful setting (it also has a tennis court and swimming pool) and is very comfortable and reasonably priced. Please note that there are no televisions in the rooms, and that most of the rooms are not en-suite. Telephone: Zandra on 01666 577205, website www.westcrudwellholidaycottages.com.
Also in Crudwell, The Rectory Hotel is an attractive and newly refurbished country hotel - tel 01666 577194 www.therectoryhotel.com.
If you require an excellent but good value "business" hotel with broadband access, we recommend the Priory Inn at Tetbury (tel 01666 502251 www.theprioryinn.co.uk). Also in Tetbury, The Ormond www.theormond.co.uk is a beautifully restored coaching inn with individually designed rooms. Tel 01666 505690.
For a comfortable B&B in Cirencester, try The Leauses - www.theleauses.co.uk. Tel 01285 653643.
The nearest Travel Lodge is in Cirencester - http://www.travelodge.co.uk/travelodge/location.php?hotel_id=86.
10. Flying in to Kemble
As Kemble is a PPR Airport, you will need to contact Air Traffic in advance on 01285 771177 to let them know you are coming. It is helpful to also let us know if you are flying in. If you are flying in from overseas, we respectfully request that you complete GENDEC forms etc yourself.
If you are flying in and staying overnight, you will need to make your own ground transport arrangements as there is no accommodation within walking distance.
We regret that we are unable to offer you a lift to your accommodation or to arrange taxis. Please contact A2B Taxis tel 01285 655651 and request that they collect you from AV8 Restaurant which is adjacent to our crew room.
11. Personal Fitness
Nobody has to be a fitness freak to fly our aircraft, but because of the aircraft's design there are no doors into the cockpit; access is gained by climbing on the wing root and entering through the sliding canopy. During aerobatics and spin training, you will be flying the aircraft under more difficult physical conditions than most PPL holders are used to - 'g' forces require some effort to combat the physiological impact, and lookout tends to be far more active and thorough, so a reasonable level of personal fitness can assist your performance.
12. Eating & Drinking
You will hear different viewpoints on what is best to eat and drink before (and after) flying. Our general advice to you is to "continue as normal" bearing in mind we recommend that you take water before you fly due to the de-hydrating atmosphere in the cockpit. UH facilities include cooled water, tea and coffee, you can bring a packed lunch, or use the facilities of Kemble's excellent "AV8" restaurant nearby.
All our Instructor Pilots (IPs) observe very specific rules about drinking and flying and they ask you to join them! Strictly NO consumption of alcohol at least 12 hours before flying, and only moderate amounts prior to that. Should you wish to deviate from these rules, you will not fly until you are back within them.
13. Weather Guidelines
The Operations Manager or Staff Instructor will make a final weather decision. Please phone us the working day before your course begins to check on the forecast weather, any last-minute changes etc.
Weather guidelines refer to the Bulldog only. Limits are different for the Extra300 and Chipmunk.
Please note that, if you receive full ground briefing for the day but are unable to fly due to weather, we charge a fee of £75 for instructor time. This will be added to your course cost.
Circuits: Cloudbase 1200', crosswind max 20 kts, max gusts 10 kts (Extra x-wind 10 kts, max gust 5kts), Viz>3km
Stalling, UPs, Aeros Minimum: cloudbase 4000' - can generally be lower if suitable gaps up to 4000' available, Viz>3km
Formation: Minimum cloudbase 2500' (3500' for tailchasing), Viz>4km
Spinning: Minimum cloudbase 8000' - can generally be lower if suitable gaps up to 8000' available, Viz>5km
14. Recommended Reading
The following recommended books are available for sale in our crew room:
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"Aerobatics Principles & Practice" by David Robson (Air Pilot Publishing)
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"Better Aerobatics" by Alan Cassidy (signed copy) - excellent, but quite technical and therefore recommended for more experienced pilots
Specific course related reading can be found below:
AOPA Aerobatics - Basic Course
AOPA Aerobatics - Standard Course
AOPA Aerobatics - Intermediate Course
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"Better Aerobatics" - Alan Cassidy (signed copies available in our crew room)
Formation Course
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Formation SOPs - these will be emailed to you separately, and should be committed to memory before your course starts
Tailwheel Conversion
Advanced PPL Course
IMC Training
FI Aerobatics Restriction Removal
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Course Syllabus (will be emailed to you separately)
15. Gift Vouchers
Gift vouchers are available for any monetary amounts/courses and are fully transferrable to different courses or students, if required.
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