melipona

I have been lurking around the various UK forums for some time in an effort to get a feel about how best to get started in this sport. The temptation to just buy and fly has been resisted by me, but obviously not by everybody (for reasons that I can maybe understand), I'm just more cautious than that. What I would like is a straight to PPG training course that introduces me to the kit and also provides unbiased advice on what to buy, be it new or used. The equipment is quite expensive and I see many "low hours" stuff for sale which suggests to me that new guys were either sold the wrong stuff, invested in a sport that wasn't for them, were not trained or possibly inadequately trained. Many of the courses I have seen are PG first then graduate to PPG, or buy my stuff and I will teach you to fly it. Thats not really what I want. I would prefer a course about a week in duration, reasonably intensive, equipment provided, pros and cons of various wings, motors and harnesses etc discussed and finish up in a position that I can make an informed choice of equipment and be safe to fly solo. What about cost? A reasonable comparison to me seems to be an intensive car driving course, they cost about £700-900 for a weeks course that provides the kit and insurance and you end up being good enough to pass the test. I am based in the West Midlands and am willing to travel to the right place but B&B will of course impact on the cost and there is a limited budget. The above suggests that I will only consider a professional school, but I have not ruled out a local enthusiast who has the resources skill and enthusiasm to take me under their wing (sic). Thanks