What happens if my lesson is cancelled by weather?
Weather cancellations happen. What matters is who makes the call — the school or the student — because that determines whether a fee applies.
Who decides whether to fly
The school and its instructors have final authority on whether weather conditions are suitable for the planned lesson. This isn't just policy — it's a legal and safety requirement. No student can override an instructor's weather assessment.
If your instructor or the school decides conditions aren't suitable and cancels the flight, you're not charged. Full stop. The school also accepts that these cancellations can happen at very short notice, or even at the time of the planned flight — and that students may have incurred travel costs as a result. Unfortunately, those are costs the school isn't liable for.
The two scenarios
Whether a cancellation is free or chargeable comes down to one question: has the school cancelled the flight?
Training in varied conditions
Training in a range of weather conditions is an essential part of becoming a safe and competent pilot. Not every lesson will be flown in perfect clear skies — and that's by design. Your instructor will use varying conditions to build the skills you'll need once you're flying independently.
If you're genuinely uncomfortable with conditions on a given day, the right approach is to discuss it with your instructor before the lesson. They may adjust the planned exercise, choose a different area to fly in, or agree that it's better to reschedule. Having that conversation is very different from simply not turning up.
If you're flying solo and aren't comfortable with the conditions, you're acknowledged to have reasonable judgement about whether to proceed. Speak to your instructor — they'll be monitoring your solo flight and their guidance will always take precedence.
Travel costs and other expenses
The school won't charge you if we cancel due to weather. But equally, we can't be liable for travel costs, fuel, time off work, or any other incidental expense you've incurred for a lesson that gets cancelled at short notice — even when that cancellation happens at the last minute at the airfield.
This is one reason why living locally or having a flexible schedule makes flight training significantly less frustrating. Weather windows in Scotland can change quickly, and same-day cancellations are an unavoidable part of training here.