Flight Training

The PPL course offers you the training and experience you need to captain a light aircraft. We offer a normal route and an accelerated route, by which you could gain your PPL Licence in approximately 4 weeks. The accelerated route is an intensive course and would require a full time commitment.

The PPL course requires a minimum of forty-five hours flying time (including ten hours of solo flight) culminating in a flight skills test with an examiner. The skills test will examine your general handling and navigation. In addition, there are nine written exams (covering a range of topics such as human performance, principles of flight and meteorology), a practical radio operator’s exam and a medical exam with a CAA-approved doctor.

The PPL Licence allows to you to pilot any non-complex single-engine aircraft in reasonable to good weather within the limits of VFR (visual flying rules).

However you may consider upgrading your licence to include additional ratings which would, for example allow you to fly in less favourable weather conditions, at night or in a complex or multi-engine aircraft, thus allowing you more flexibility, a greater degree of safety and ultimately giving you more value from your investment in a PPL.

The IMC rating allows holders to fly in Instrument Meteorological Conditions within the boundaries of UK airspace. It permits the holder to be far more flexible in the type of weather he or she wishes to fly in.

The course consists of a minimum of 15 hours, all dual instruction, with a written examination and skill test. The pilot must have completed 25 hours post-PPL flying before the rating can be issued.

Applicants with current or expired IMC ratings in national licences who wish to keep their privileges in EASA aircraft in future (from April 8 2014) are advised to convert to an EASA PPL before that date, claiming the IMC rating as an IR(R) on conversion. If the IMC rating is current, the IR(R) will be issued to the same expiry date as the IMC rating. If the IMC rating has lapsed, the I/R(R) will be noted on the back of the licence as a rating which could be renewed in future.

The privileges of the IR(R) allow:

you to fly UK registered aeroplanes in UK airspace

flight in IMC outside controlled airspace, (in Class G) and IFR

flight in Class D or E controlled airspace with appropriate permission

flight out of sight of surface with a minimum take off and landing in 1800m visibility

Let-down and Approach Procedures to published Decision Height or Minimum Descent Height and to undertake missed approach procedures.

A Night Rating would allow you to fly after sunset (which can be quite useful during the winter months).

A further five hours of training is required to achieve the Night Rating. If you have an EASA pilot's licence you can add night ratings to allow you to fly in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions at night.

Night in the UK is from 30 minutes after sunset to 30 minutes before sunrise, but is defined nationally in each ICAO country.

The course will include theory, dual instruction and solo flight time at night. The night rating is valid for life. But if you want to carry passengers at night the normal passenger rules of '3 take-off and landings in past 90 days' apply, with the addition that, unless you have a valid instrument rating, at least one of each must have been at night.

To add night ratings to an aeroplane (A) licence your training will cover:

Theoretical knowledge instruction

5 hours of flight time at night including at least:

3 hours of dual flying instruction

1 hour of cross-country navigation with at least one dual cross-country flight of at least 50km

5 solo take-offs and 5 solo full-stop landings

The night rating is a personal rating, not an aircraft rating, so if you have both a single-engine piston land (SEP land) and touring motor glider (TMG) class rating you can complete the training in either or both classes.