EASA Private Pilot Licence

The EASA Private Pilot Licence is an internationally recognised qualification that allows you to fly, during daylight hours and in fair weather, on a non-commercial basis. The privileges of the licence can also be extended by adding various “ratings”, such as those for Night, Aerobatic and Instrument flight. As well as allowing you to enjoy recreational flying, it is often the first step if you are aiming to become a professional pilot.

We provide all the required training and testing for the issue of a PPL, as well as courses for several of the additional ratings mentioned above. Keep reading, or contact us, to find out more.

The Basics…

On completion of the course and passing the Skills Test, you will be issued with an EASA PPL (Aeroplanes), with a “Single Engine Piston” rating. The licence itself is valid for life, whereas the SEP rating is valid for two years at a time.

The course consists of a minimum of 45 hours flying, with several multiple-choice theory exams and finally, a practical Skills Test.

Before you start…

Age

There is no minimum age for starting training. However, you cannot fly solo until you are 16 and cannot hold a licence until you are 17. There is also no maximum age for holding a PPL. As long as you can pass the medical, you can fly!

Medical

You must be able to pass an EASA Class 2 medical in order to hold a PPL. Although it is not a requirement to hold a medical to begin training and the Class 2 standards are not too onerous, we strongly recommend that you satisfy yourself of your medical fitness before investing in any training. If, for some reason, you cannot hold a Class 2 medical, you may well still be able to fly with a LAPL, as the medical requirements for this licence are more relaxed. For more information on medicals, please visit the UK CAA Website.

What does the course involve?…

Flying

The course consists of a minimum of 45 hours of flying, including:
Icon25 hours dual instruction
Icon10 hours solo flying
(of which 5 hours must be solo cross-country flying)
Icon150nm solo “Qualifying Cross Country” flight
(including landings at two other airfields)

The hours above are the minimum legal requirement for the issue of a licence and the actual time taken to complete the course will vary. A realistic average can be approximately 60 hours, depending on how regularly you fly, so we recommend that you take this into account when planning your training.

At the end of the course, you will have to pass a Skills Test (just like your driving test) before you are able to apply for your licence.

Theory

There are nine short multiple-choice exams to pass as you progress through the course:
IconAircraft General Knowledge
IconPrinciples of Flight
IconFlight Performance & Planning
IconAir Law
IconOperational Procedures
IconHuman Performance & Limitations
IconMeteorology
IconNavigation
IconCommunications

Much of this requires self-study in your free time. However, it is also supplemented by regular classroom time with our instructors.

There is also a separate Radio Communications practical test to complete, which will allow you to operate the aircraft radios once you have your licence.

Cost

We aim to provide you with the best possible value for money at Horizon Aviation and are always working to keep our rates as low as possible. We currently offer two different payment options on the PPL course.

Contact us for the latest price.

Payable in 9 instalments (equivalent to 5 hours’ flying), our PPL package offers value for money, while protecting your investment by limiting the size of your payments.

The package includes:
IconStudent membership for 12 months
Icon45 hours of flying (including all landings at Bournemouth)
IconOur complete theoretical knowledge course (including classroom instruction)
IconAll theory exams and the R/T practical test

Any landings at other airfields, re-sits of exams, the final skills test, CAA charges, and books/equipment are all that is not included. Any flying required over and above the included 45 hours is charged at our standard training rates.

Simply put, you pay for the flying you do, as you do it. All other charges, such as exams and groundschool are paid for as you complete them.

For more information on our training prices, please contact us.

Interested?

If you’d like to know more, please contact us for a chat and to arrange a visit.