It is a club rule that to fly solo and unsupervised you must pass the BMFA “A” test, this is something that is very common to a lot of clubs. There is no set pattern to how training takes place, you aren't "shoehorned" into a scheme, it is down to the individual pupil and instructor, some people learn fast and some people learn slow, you can learn at your own pace, there is no minimum training period and we have in the past taken people from raw novice to passing the BMFA “A” test within a week.
Weather permitting; flying training takes place at the club field most Saturday afternoons from 2:00pm until 5:00pm. This is by appointment with the designated instructor on the training schedule simply because that instructor may only want to attend if there is going to be someone there who wants training, therefore please simply give the trainer on duty a ring by the Thursday before evening at 7:30 p.m. and please do not turn up expecting training “on spec”. The current training schedule can be found here.
We have three BMFA registered trainers with three additional trainers who are sometimes available (by appointment) for weekday training as well.
However there are also a lot of actions you can take yourself that requires no assistance at all and that will rapidly advance this process, simulators are a great way to start to learn to fly and generate the muscle memory, and even when you can fly they are still a great tool for learning or practising that advanced manoeuvre or simply for a bit of practice on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Some of us actually learnt to fly on a simulator.
You will also need to know the BMFA Rules from the members handbook, you can read it online here, it’s all relevant but sections 8 to 19 are particularly relevant as you will eventually be tested on them in the test.
You also have to pass the theory part of the “A” Test, here the achievement scheme website is an invaluable source and it is here that you can learn the answers to the mandatory questions, you can even take a mock test.
Of course, to pass any practical test you need to know what you have to do and what standard of flying is required for a pass. It therefore helps if you know what standard the examiner has been told to look for when conducting the test. You can find that in the achievement scheme booklet for the fixed wing A and B test which is available here.
You can even go and see what is required to pass each test by visiting this page.