Welcome to Aiming Higher, a website for aspiring pilots. With a passion for general aviation, we aim to help you Aim Higher, and develop as a competent and confident pilot. We offer PPL and advanced flight training and supporting ground school courses. We also provide links to selected planning tools and continuing education materials. We hope we can inspire you to ‘stretch your wings’ by trying new destinations or learning new skills.
- About me -
Mike Naylor holds a CPL(A), with TMG, SEP, FI(A), Night, IR(R) and IRI ratings. He also holds a Flight Examiner (FE) certificate for the PPL, LAPL, IMCR / IR(R) and SEP ratings He has in the past held a glider pilots licence and an MEP rating.
Mike flies a variety of single engine aircraft ranging from vintage taildraggers like the Chipmunk , the classic Cessna and Piper training aircraft and the Sportcruiser, a modern Light Sport Aircraft, with glass cockpit and auto-pilot. He flew his first solo in a motor-glider in Cairo, gained his PPL in the Netherlands and his CPL, FI and FE qualifications in the UK.
Now with more than 3500 hours, and over 2000 hours as an instructor, with flight experience in the UK and Europe, we are well placed to help you Aim Higher.
- What we offer -
Basic Training
Considering training for a LAP(A) or PPL(A)? We can help with that. We have well established training materials for all our courses, and update these regularly to reflect changing regulations, new techniques and the evolving demands of UK airspace. We are proud that our students achieve a first time pass rate of more than 85%,
Conversions
Want to ‘convert’ your microlight licence to a PPL? We have the know-how to help you do this quickly and painlessly.
Advanced Training
Looking to go beyond the PPL? We can provide differences rating and sign-off well for complex aircraft, and provide more advanced training in short-strip techniques, the Night rating, flight in continental Europe and the UK IMC or IR(R) rating.
Continuing education
Don’t need a new qualification but would like a refresher of modern techniques? We can help with that too. In keeping with our ethos that learning pilots make better pilots, we also share some favourite websites which regularly offer free training material.
Flight planning
Too many planning tools to choose from? Whether on a computer or smartphone, we all need a reliable source for NOTAMS and forecast weather. Here we share the tools which we use on a daily basis.
Destinations
In a bit of a rut? Flying is not the cheapest hobby, but nonetheless there are some fascinating and inexpensive destinations not hundreds of miles from home. Here we share our favourites.
- From the blog -
UK LSA to France – update
Posted by Mike Naylor on February 1, 2026
This is a bit of a niche topic of interest to owners of factory built (Part 21) LSA aircraft. The problem Thanks to a long-standing ECAC agreement, LAA permit aircraft (i.e. amateur built) can be flown in most EASA states – see this LAA document for de… Read more »
Meet MAVIS
Posted by Mike Naylor on January 30, 2026
The UK Met Office have launched a new weather app for GA pilots, which eventually will replace the GA Briefing Service. It’s been a long time coming – I remember them talking about it about 15 years ago when I visited the Met Office to research an arti… Read more »
Revalidating an SEP rating by experience
Posted by Mike Naylor on January 28, 2026
After the licensing review completed by the CAA in October 2025, revalidating a PPL SEP rating by experience got easier, in one sense, but a little bit more demanding in another. Hours required The old rules were 12 hours flight experience in the seco… Read more »
Calculating cross wind and headwind
Posted by Mike Naylor on November 17, 2025
We need to calculate or estimate cross winds for several reasons To check whether the cross wind is within limits for take-off and landing To calculate wind drift (the difference between heading and track) on a cross-country flight To estimate wind dri… Read more »