Testimonials for Aircraft Differences Training
I offer one to one flight instruction for Complex aircraft, tail wheel conversions (now in the Super Cub), short field/farm strip training and the IMC rating.
"Our grateful thanks to all our clients, especially those who have taken the time to write such glowing reviews"		 Based at Gloucester Airport United Kingdom
James Peplow flying services
UK Mobile 07855 409 512
jamespeplow1@aol.co.uk

I have just completed my 'tailwheel differences' training with James in his Super Cub, flying into grass farm strips in and around Bosbury in rural Herefordshire.
Unlike the more modern tricycle undercarriage aircraft that I am used to flying, the Cub requires a purer application and understanding of the 'stick and rudder', which James explains clearly and which is a great way to hone your flying skills.It's challenging to fly the aircraft well, but great fun and I loved it.

James has a real passion for flying and being the only airship pilot I have ever met, has a fund of stories for filling those moments spent trying to guess what the weather is going to do next!
Thoroughly recommended. Chris August 2024

I just want to put on record my sincere thanks for your hard work, patience and professionalism you displayed last week, you certainly pushed me and made the course very enjoyable. As an instructor you have a friendly relaxed manner and bags of enthusiasm which makes for a good learning environment, I have encountered many types of instructors over the years and you are among the best of them, something I don’t say lightly.
 P Tucker BA Captain April 2022

 I just wanted to say a massive thank you for doing my tail wheel training.
I thoroughly enjoyed flying with you and had a really great, enjoyable couple of days. It was some of the best and most challenging flying I have ever done.
I will never forget the Bosbury international approach and look forward to flying with you again, and learning more.
Thank you for your patience and sharing a little of your knowledge with me.
Pete April 2021

I just wanted to say a very big thank you for helping me take the first steps back to SEPs and introducing me to tail dragging.
I wasn't entirely sure I had done the right thing by going for the tail wheel RV14 ( as opposed to the tricycle) but I now have no doubt. For sure I've still got much to learn and practice but that's the great thing I love about flying.......there is always something to learn!
I very much appreciated your pragmatism and the contribution of Phil. I shall be in touch with him in due course to get my IR renewed and I was very impressed generally by Staverton.....which I think will probably be the best place for finishing my build off and getting it into the air.
Many thanks and my very best wishes James
Bill (23/1/18)
Greetings,
I would just like to thank yourself and James for organising my fantastic flight in the Super Cub yesterday.
It was so enjoyable to get airborne and see the local sites (including the Weston's Cider Mill) and the touch and go at 'Dymock International' was an extra treat.
 
I really enjoyed flying with James and look forward to flying again and maybe doing a 'land away' later in the spring/summer.
Once again, many thanks for getting me airborne.
 
Ryan 

Feb 2020
 


“Having flown fixed-wing Microlights for some six years (mostly “around the windsock”), a combination of circumstances found me Microlight-less but having agreed in principle to buy a tailwheel Group A plane (long story –don’t ask!). So, I found myself in a position where I had to convert to both an SSEA licence and tailwheel type rating – under a tight timescale.

I’d previously seen the advert for Aircraft Differences Training in the Microlight Flying magazine and had already noted James’ approach of one student at a time and as concentrated a course as possible. This appealed to me as, due to instructor availability, weather suitability and my availability, it had taken some 2 years (and probably twice as many hours as necessary) to gain my Microlight licence; the fact that James teaches in a tailwheel Citabria seemed like a good omen too!

To keep this brief, just six weeks in the depths of Winter and 14 hours of instruction later (it would have been quicker and fewer hours without a couple of things conspiring against me), I had passed both my NST and GST at the first attempt, the ground exams having been polished off right at the
beginning. Taildragger flying - or more correctly, taking off & landing – is challenging but immensely satisfying when you get it right.

 I unhesitatingly and absolutely recommend James as an instructor; his technique is relaxed, and without seeming to he pushes his student hard – it wasn’t until after each lesson that I realised just how much he heaps the workload on to just before the point of student overload. Additional benefits are that you get to fly from the busiest GA airport in the UK; you get to visit tiny farm strips and larger airfields and as a result of these you have to use the radio extensively – all of this being particularly valuable to me in building confidence since, like a lot of GA pilots, I had previously been very hesitant about talking to the professionals and had therefore limited my flights to smaller airfields.

James also gives you as much groundschool and briefing time as you want & need; safety is of course paramount and discussed extensively, and my navigation skills are now much better than they were (I thought they were OK anyway but that was proven not to be the case!). I have also flown in conditions so marginal that I would not have previously considered going up in them, but so confident in James’ assessment that I was happy to do so (the mandatory IMC training was particularly, um, interesting).

Finally, should you be further away than a daily “commute”, James’ neighbour has a self-contained apartment for rent on-site, set in beautiful countryside.
 In summary – just do it, you won’t regret it!
Pete
May 2017”

10th August 2016
James,
Many thanks once again for an excellent days flying. Thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot at the same time, which at the end of the day is what any student wants. I wouldn't hesitate in recommending you. The more individual approach, location and aircraft are just great!
All the best and hopefully see you again in the future.
Nick
27th October 2015
Dear James,
Just wanted to thank you for the voucher flight the other day - a gift from Susan.   I had a thoroughly excellent experience which I much enjoyed.   I was really grateful that you trusted me to fly the Citabria including the take-offs and landings.   I felt very comfortable in the aircraft and flying with you.   Many thanks indeed.
Best wishes,
Tony
March 2015
I recently completed the Microlight to NPPL SSEA training on the Citabria.  I achieved this inside 2 days, started on the Wednesday morning, went solo after lunch, flew 'on instruments' to Gloucester to take the two written exams that evening; then on the Thursday passed both the NST and GST.  It was hard work but some of the most enjoyable flying I have had in years.  James is an excellent instructor with a professional and reassuring manner, he certainly inspired me with confidence. A wonderful setting to fly from and the accommodation and hospitality laid on by Bunty was also first class.  I would highly recommend this course to anybody contemplating a taildragger conversion and or an upgrade to the NPPL SSEA.  I loved flying the Citabria.

Martin Culley Flying Instructor Fixed Wing Microlight.

27 Nov 14
Hi James,
Just wanted to thank you for the NPPL SSEA conversion training that I recently undertook. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and the Citabria was great to fly.
I do think that you offer a much better route than by going to a larger organisation, by spending several days with dedicated one to one training and what seemed like unlimited briefing and discussion time, was far superior to turning up, fly for an hour, then go home for another week. I still find it hard to believe it was all carried out in five days including the exams and tests.
I did feel you pushed me, but that was exactly what I needed to take my flying up to the next level.
If you do have any enquiries that want an unbiased opinion please feel free to give them my number if they want to have a chat with me.
Cheers,
Stu.

Stuart Green
07721 610677

9 Nov 2014
Having flown various aircraft over the past 23 years with the RAF, I wanted to try something different. After a quick search on the internet I found Aircraft Differences Training run by James Peplow, who coincidentally had previously been my PPL instructor. I opted for the tail wheel conversion and farm strips course. The operation is based in an idyllic setting within Herefordshire's wonderful scenery. The course was absolutely fantastic and despite having been lucky enough to experience all sorts of flying during my career, it provided me with new and different challenges whilst being thoroughly enjoyable throughout. James is a highly experienced instructor who has an infectious enthusiasm for all things aviation. Pleasure flying and instruction should be an enjoyable experience and James certainly ensures that, tailoring the whole experience to the individual. I defy any pilot not to come away with a big smile on their face, I certainly did!  

Flight Lieutenant Andy Preece
RAF Pilot
 

Given that in the space of 2 days,
I was taught how to fly a completely new aircraft type
(the beautiful Citabria), how to safely and accurately operate and fly a tail wheel layout (having never tried before), how to fly in  and out of amazing farm strips where the space between the trees at times didn’t seem wide enough for the span of the Citabria, and to come away with a huge smile on my face is testament to the way James approaches every student with a ‘can do’ attitude. His enthusiasm, vast experience and approach to flying and people made me feel able to try landings and take-offs that I had never thought would be within my capability, certainly at this early stage in my flying career. I have come away with a desire to safely build on what James has introduced me to. Trust me, standing on the runway on that first morning and thinking “there’s no way you can take off or land here” (the videos don’t show the half of it!) has given way to the thought “ok, I won’t be trying that on my own just yet, but I can now see how to build towards it."
Thanks to Jenny, James and Bunty for their hospitality. Bunty offers excellent accommodation on site and the feeling of waking up, having breakfast, walking the 50m to the hanger, pulling the Citabria out, jumping in and going flying from her back garden is a very special one.  Thanks guys. David 27/10/14
 
James offers a relaxed teaching style based on sound knowledge and experience and works with 'you' to focus on what you're trying to achieve. Great value, fun and very worthwhile.
Kelston (Oxford)14/6/14



 

 I've just received my PPL through the post this week having successfully completed an intensive 3 month course with James.
It needs to be said that James is a great teacher and very accommodating. My experience of previous flying schools wasn't good as they lacked any real organisation often wasting my valuable time leaving me hanging around for hours just to get my lesson. I would definitely recommend James to others wanting to get their wings.
Thanks James. S Birt

From first contact with James we swiftly assembled a compressed program that also fitted with various other schedules (and of course, the weather!).  James could not have been more accommodating with a combined brief of differences training on a new type together with my bi-annual renewal as well as switching from JAR to EASA Licenses & Ratings.  The Licenses' switching was probably the most demanding aspect for me but James led me through the process with aplomb.  Similarly with our flying, I can look back and feel that I perhaps learned more in that time that I had done in my initial flight training.  James has a wonderful easy going manner and great humour but never losses sight of the task in hand and thereby cultivates assured confidence through clear understanding.  Quite simply, whatever your requirement might be, I could not recommend James more highly.  J. Mack EGCW.


I have just completed James' farm strip course and can recommend this wholeheartedly. James is a natural teacher. The course is extremely well organised and the accent is to get you proficient in flying a tailwheel aircraft while enjoying landing on some spectacular farm strips like the one in the photograph. This is real flying! I feel that I am a better pilot after completing this course and this experience has made me think that this is the sort of flying I would like to do a lot more of in the future. Thanks James. J Currie

  

James, Just a word of thanks for your course last Thurs. For me it definitely was the way forward, and thank you for your technique and advice. I have been on a debrief since and learnt so much in the day - - thank you. See you next year for the farm strip course. Best Allan McC

I always wanted to fly a tail dragger. Though they were some unpredictable creatures that always wanted to make a 180° turn right after touching down. All though it is possible to do a tail wheel conversion in my country, I decided to do it in the UK and make a short holiday out of it. Some people like to lay in the sun on their holiday, other prefer to climb mountains or ....I decided to go for a tail wheel conversion. After reading through pilot magazine’s advertisement pages and a quick search on the internet, I choose to contact Mr. James Peplow and after some e-mail correspondence I decided to accept his offer for a tail wheel conversion. I was picked up at the train station and provided accommodation in a very nice old farm near Ledbury in a quiet and relaxing environment. The practice was done in Shobdon airport, a friendly place with a lively and busy, but anyhow relaxed traffic of small airplanes. The instruction was professional and I made my solo on day two. It was in all aspect a great experience, and I can recommend Mr. James Peplow’s instruction for anyone thinking of learning how to fly a tail dragger. S Ingimarsson		 As an already qualified commercial helicopter pilot and also holding a PPL(A) licence, I wanted to try out something different. The tail wheel conversion course run by James Peplow is absolutely fantastic. Residing on a farm with an airstrip, and knowing all the other local farmers who also have farm strips, James really knows how to get the best performance from his aircraft and from his students. A challenging course, by the mere fact that you are taking off and landing from farm strips, James is an outstanding and professional pilot and Flying Instructor with many years of experience who puts you at ease from the moment you take the controls and who has the ability the get the best from a student. His course is very strongly recommended to those who wish to expand their aviation experience. Thank you James for a wonderful time. Clive