Hour Building in Spain on the Elixir – Make Your Hours Count
- Aug 12
- 4 min read
If you need 50 or 100 hours before moving on to your CPL, there are certainly cheaper ways of doing it.
You can find the cheapest aircraft available, fly the same local routes, watch the Hobbs meter and concentrate on getting another number into your logbook.
That's not really what we do.
At Hour-Building.com, we believe those hours are an opportunity.
An opportunity to fly somewhere new. Cross mountains. Visit unfamiliar airfields. Deal with different airspace. Make decisions. Get comfortable touring in an aircraft rather than simply flying around the local area.
And now we're bringing the Elixir into our hour-building fleet in Spain.
A different kind of hour-building aircraft
The Elixir is a modern, fourth-generation aircraft designed around a very different philosophy from many of the aircraft traditionally used for hour building.
With its carbon airframe, Rotax engine, modern avionics and glass cockpit, it's a capable touring aircraft that's equally at home flying locally or setting off across Spain and Europe.
For a pilot working towards a professional flying career, it also offers something particularly useful.
You're not simply collecting hours.
You're gaining experience operating a modern aircraft and modern avionics while actually going somewhere.
Yes, there are cheaper ways to build 100 hours
We know most hour-building pilots are on a budget.
Training for a CPL, IR and eventually an airline career isn't cheap, and we're very conscious of that.
That's why we've tried to keep the Elixir affordable while still offering something considerably different from traditional budget hour building.
Elixir solo hour building – €235 per flight hour wet
Elixir with Safety Pilot – €265 per flight hour wet
Fuel is included.
We're not trying to compete with the cheapest C150 you can find.
If your only objective is to put 100 hours into your logbook for the absolute minimum possible cost, there will probably be cheaper options.
But if you're going to spend the money building those hours anyway, we'd rather help you come away with 100 hours of flying experience rather than simply 100 more hours.
We actively encourage flying with a Safety Pilot
Although solo flying is available to pilots we are happy to release onto the aircraft, we give priority to pilots who want to fly with one of our Safety Pilots.
There's a reason for that.
Hour building is one of the few periods in your flying career when you've got the freedom to simply go flying.
With another experienced pilot alongside you, you can be more ambitious with where you go.
Fly further.
Visit unfamiliar airports.
Deal with controlled airspace.
Cross terrain you haven't encountered before.
Make diversions.
Experience different weather and different operating environments.
And when something doesn't quite go according to plan, you've got another pilot sitting next to you to discuss it with.
You're still doing the flying. You're still making the decisions. But you've got somebody alongside you who can help turn those hours into useful experience.
For just €30 per flight hour more than the solo rate, we think that's one of the best investments you can make during your hour building.
Before you take the Elixir away, we train you on it
The Elixir isn't an aircraft we're simply going to hand over after a couple of circuits.
Every new Elixir pilot completes our two-day Elixir Familiarisation and Differences Training programme before beginning their hour building.
The programme is conducted with our Class Rating Instructor and is designed to make sure you're comfortable with both the aircraft and its systems.
Over the two days we'll cover areas including:
Elixir aircraft systems and limitations
Rotax engine operation and management
Glass cockpit and avionics
Normal operating procedures
Performance and flight planning
General handling
Slow flight and stalls
Circuit procedures and landings
Go-arounds
Abnormal and emergency procedures
Navigation and touring using the aircraft's avionics
Where applicable, the required differences training can be recorded and signed in your logbook by our CRI.
But there's an important distinction.
Completing the training doesn't automatically mean we'll release the aircraft for solo hire.
We need to be satisfied that you're comfortable, competent and safe operating the Elixir.
Some pilots may be ready very quickly. Others may benefit from spending their first few hour-building flights with a Safety Pilot.
We're not interested in rushing that decision.
It's a rather nice aeroplane. We'd quite like it back.
Then the adventure starts
Once the familiarisation is complete, this is where Hour-Building.com becomes a little different.
We don't want to tell you to fly the same route every day.
Quite the opposite.
Plan a trip.
Head across Andalucía.
Fly the Mediterranean coast.
Visit Portugal.
Cross the Pyrenees.
Take the aircraft through France.
Turn your hour building into the European flying adventure you imagined when you first got your PPL.
Weather, aircraft availability and operational considerations will always have the final say — that's aviation — but the objective is simple:
Use the aeroplane. Go somewhere. Learn something.
Who is Elixir hour building for?
It's probably not for everybody.
If you're looking for the absolute cheapest possible way of getting 100 hours into a logbook, we're unlikely to be the right fit.
But if you're a PPL working towards your CPL and want those hours to include touring, modern avionics, unfamiliar airfields and some genuinely memorable flying, we'd like to hear from you.
We particularly welcome pilots who want to spend at least part of their hour building flying with one of our Safety Pilots.
Because one day you'll have the 100 hours you need.
The question is what you did with them.
Elixir Hour Building – Spain
Solo: €235 per flight hour wetWith Safety Pilot: €265 per flight hour wetInitial training: Two-day Elixir Familiarisation & Differences Training programme
Aircraft availability is limited and pilots are selected based on experience, intended use and suitability for the aircraft.
Don't just build hours. Go and use them.
Contact Hour-Building.com to discuss Elixir availability and your hour-building plans.
email: mrcliffordmarker@gmail.com Whatsapp +447539833852
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