Rochester Airfield, Kent, United Kingdom
Membership eligibility is based on a broad definition of civil and public service
SO WHAT IS SO GREAT ABOUT HAVING A PPL ?
A Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) enables you to fly yourself and your friends to hundreds of airports/airfields in the UK, plus hundreds more in Europe. The basic PPL covers daytime flights in good weather. In addition you can choose to study for more advanced flying, for example at night or on instruments in bad weather the Instrument Rating (Restricted) or IMC rating, as it used to be called. With an IR(R) rating you can fly in bright sun shine above the clouds, while on the ground it is pouring with rain. Imagine descending through the clouds and there in front of you is your destination runway, just where your instruments indicated it would be.
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Our base is at Rochester Airport which is situated on the A229 near Chatham Kent and easily accessible from the M2/M20/M25. Here, once you have obtained your PPL, you will be able to hire CSFC's own 4-seat touring aircraft, a Cessna 172, at excellent value rates. These are currently from as little as £159.60/ Tacho Hour, fully inclusive of fuel and VAT. Such rates mean it is cost effective to fly yourself and three friends on a day trip to France - a little more than 1 hour flying time each way - as the cost can be divided by 4. You can spend the whole day there, or at some other distant destination, because you pay only for the time the aircraft has the engine running, not for the time it is parked on the ground. You could even spend your holiday touring Europe, as some of our members have done. (Please see our flying rates page for full details of our various rates.)
Most commercial pilots started off with a PPL and then progressed by various routes to get their commercial licence. Some of the pilots now flying passengers around the world in the big jets started off by getting their PPL in a single engine propeller aircraft as members of our club. Even if, like most people, you go no further than obtaining a PPL you will find it a really fascinating and rewarding experience.