First Flying Lesson with TG Aviation | Lydd, Kent

When was the last time you did something for the first time? Last year I decided that I needed to do more things to push myself out of my comfort zone. I have always wanted to have a go at flying and knew it would be something that I ‘never get around to’. In one moment of spontaneity, I booked a 1-hour lesson.

DISCLAIMER: This post is not sponsored. I am not affiliated with TG Aviation. I paid for the lesson with my own money.

Why TG Aviation?

I chose to book my lesson with TG Aviation because my dad learned to fly with them years ago. They used to operate from Manston Airport but moved to Lydd (London Ashford) Aiport after it closed. TG Aviation allow you to book experience flights or start your Private Pilot License training. They don’t expect you to have any prior flying experience and your initial flight counts towards your license if you wish to continue.

Preparing For Takeoff

Upon arrival at Lydd, Airport I had a little bit of paperwork to fill in. I met with my instructor, who was really friendly. We went into a briefing room where he explained the basic controls of the aircraft. I have never flown a real plane but I was familiar with controls from flying on flight sim. I was quite nervous before the lesson anyway, but at this moment I started to worry about how much I needed to know and understand about the plane’s controls. My instructor gave a quick explanation on the yoke and the rudder pedals and then we were off outside. In case you are interested, I flew a four seater Piper Warrior.

Cleared For Departure

We went out to the plane and my instructor helped us get in, my dad came along too. It’s so strange climbing up on the wing of the plane to get to your seat. We sat down and got comfortable, put on our headsets, tested the microphones and ran through the start-up checks. I was worried that the plane would feel small and flimsy (having only ever flown on passenger jets) but as we started to taxi out to the runway, these fears went away. I got to have a go at using the rudders on a straight stretch of the taxiway. Luckily, I managed to keep the plane in a straight line and not veer off!

Takeoff

My instructor handled taking off and landing (as you would expect). Upon taking off he flew the plane until a certain altitude then levelled off and passed me the controls. It is such a strange feeling, knowing that you are in control of a plane! I flew from Lydd to Ramsgate and my instructor took over so that we could fly over my house. It was really cool, we got such a good view. It’s strange to see your home town from the air. Once I had taken over again we headed back to Lydd. On the way there I got to have a go at 360 (circles not upside down) turns to the left and right. I love rollercoasters and doing these turns produced a similar feeling. On our approach to Lydd my instructor flew us over Port Lymne zoo, this was really interesting – I could see a Giraffe!

Overall Thoughts

I am so glad that I decided to book this lesson, it was amazing. TG Aviation were great – my instructor made me feel at ease and did things to make the flight more enjoyable rather than just a lesson. Sue at TG Aviation was really helpful in scheduling my flight. She was kind enough to give me the choice on which day I wanted to fly, we ended up postponing a couple of times (English weather for you). I knew I wanted to do the lesson when it was fairly clear to get the most from the experience. I enjoyed it so much and would love to have another go one day. It would be amazing to pursue my PPL, maybe someday in the future – you never know!

Should You Book A Lesson?

YES! If you are thinking about it – honestly, don’t put it off, just go and do it. You will have a great time. I recommend booking the 4 Seater and taking someone up with you (they can take your pictures!) and it’s an enjoyable experience. I would also recommend going for the hour lesson if you don’t mind normal flights you should be okay with this! The pre brief didnt deduct flight time so you still got a whole one hour to fly.

If you are interested in learning to fly or just having a go at it – check out more information from TG Aviation here.

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”

If there are things that you have always wanted to do, but never get around to. You just need to book it. Make it a priority and go and do it. The feeling you get from accomplishing something like is, is so fulfilling. It can be so easy to get into a mundane routine – don’t forget to live your life! Do the things that you always dream about because one day you won’t have any more time to do them.

Have you ever flown a plane before or interested in trying? What other things are on your bucket list?

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