[tommydog]

I don’t currently fly, but am thinking of doing my PPL following a few experience flights that I have enjoyed. But I was wondering whether I could pursue flying as a serious mode of transport on a small budget? I live in the far north of Scotland and travel to see family a couple of times a month in South Warwickshire (sometimes more). The trip is a good 600 miles each way and its often very windy in the far north of Scotland. I have used commercial airlines in the past, but I am a good 3 hours from the nearest airport, and when you factor in delays, getting to the airport early etc, I found it less hassle just to drive. I have my own land that I could take off from and a large empty barn that I could store an aircraft in. So that side of things is no problem, but would this really be feasible /practical for such a journey? I guess people have broken all sorts of records at the edge of what is possible, but what I am interested in is whether such a journey would be practical on a regular basis on a small budget? I would only want to spend about 40 thousand pounds on an aircraft in the used market. Is this a silly idea? Is flying on this budget purely for recreation?