I had my first lesson on the 30th August 2022 when I had initially started a PPL. I had started flying out of White Waltham airfield and this photo was from when I had lessons there. Due to me starting at Virgin about a year after this I couldn't continue to complete my PPL due to the uncertainty of my rosters. However by this point I had already decided this is what I wanted to do because I enjoyed flying so much and learning the physical skill of flying a plane. I was really lucky to have a couple of amazing instructors at White Waltham which definitely encouraged me to continue pursuing this as a career. 

Over the course of my first few lessons we covered the basics of how each surface of the aircraft performs such as the ailerons and elevator and how my input changes the way in which these control surfaces move. My instructors at White Waltham were so lovely and patient and made sure I was enjoying the process along the way. I am really grateful I started this before I commited to a flying school full time as it allowed me to have a basic understanding and more importantly to make sure I definitely wanted to do this for a career, before paying £90,000 for a full time course.

Fast forward to February 2026 when I moved to Spain for the flying phase of my Integrated ATPL course. This was the first time I had flown in about 3 years so I definitely needed to get back into it and to regain my confidence flying. Having 27 hours previously is helpful, although it doesn't contribute towards my final license. I have found the flying to be higher pressure out in Spain, I think because it is in a school and so there is an expectation that I didn't have before, which is another reason I am grateful to have a small bit of past experience. The other major difference for me coming from a flying club to a school is the amount of ownership you take over your flight. So even though you will be on flight 2 or 3 the instructor expects you to have prepped for the flight and done the correct documentation beforehand because they are preparing you to be in the flight deck in the right hand seat.

Even though I have previous experience I still found it overwhelming coming out to Spain and it felt like I was learning from the beginning all over again. Obviously there are certain aspects of flying that will constantly change and be new, such as the ATC procedures or the way you fly a circuit pattern and so for me the biggest things that I have had to learn are the radio comms as this is all new to me and done very differently to what I was used to.