EASA PPL (A) (European Aviation Safety Agency Private Pilots Licence)

(European Aviation Safety Agency Private Pilots Licence)
The EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) PPL (Private Pilot’s Licence) is a European licence which has replaced the JAA-PPL. It is internationally recognised and is normally issued with an SEP(L) (Single-Engine Piston (Landplane) class rating and an FRTOL (Flight Radio-Telephony Operator’s Licence). This allows you to fly an aircraft with one piston engine, in reasonable weather, in daytime and to use the aircraft radio to communicate with ATC. To obtain this licence you must complete a minimum of 45 hours flying, 10 hours of this must be supervised solo and of that, 5 hours must be navigation. The flying course begins with the basics of making the aircraft fly straight and level, climbing, turning and descending. We then move on to take-offs, followed by control at low airspeeds (around take-off & landing), moving on to stall recognition, prevention & recoveries and finally landings themselves. Once you’ve mastered all that, there’s some consolidation and solo flying to do. After that we go away from the airfield to look at rejoins, steep turns and off-airfield landings in the local training area. Then it’s on to cross-country navigation, where we go and visit at least two other airfields (we normally use Newcastle & Durham Tees-Valley or Blackpool & Liverpool), eventually you then just have some pre-test revision and the skills test to do. The course includes an appreciation of basic instrument flying and navigation using radio beacons. You will need an EASA class 2 aviation medical, from a CAA authorised medical examiner.

During the course you will need to pass 9 theory exams, all of which are multi-choice and require 75% or more to pass, there is no penalty marking. You may take all these exams here at CFT with our resident CAA approved examiner. You will be deemed to have successfully completed the Theoretical Knowledge requirements for the PPL when you have passed all the exams within an 18 month period, this time is counted from the end of the month of your first exam attempt. You may have up to 3 attempts at each subject here at CFT, then a 4th at a CAA test centre. You are also only allowed 6 exam “sittings”, a “sitting” is defined as attendance at an examination centre for a period of ten consecutive days. Once you have passed all the exams within the 18 month/6 sitting window, they are valid for licence issue for 24 months from the final exam pass.

The exams are:

Air Law

Rules and Regulations needed for safe flying

Operational Procedures

Windshear, wake turbulence & some more legal definitions

Human Performance

Includes questions on perception, aircrew interaction and how flying affects your body

Meteorology

How weather works and the interpretation of forecasts

Navigation

Chart theory, effects of wind & altitude, fuel calculations

Flight Performance and Planning

Take-off and landing distance performance, weights and centre of gravity calculations, chart symbology

Aircraft General Knowledge

Technical stuff about airframes, engines, aircraft systems and instruments

Principles of Flight

Aerodynamics, what keeps us in the air and how the controls work

Radio Telephony

Phonetic alphabet, special phraseology

There is also an R/T oral test and a final skill test; these again are taken with one of our examiners.

NPPL (National Private Pilots Licence)

(National Private Pilots Licence)
The NPPL is a UK licence which is valid in the UK, RoI & with some extra conditions, France. It is normally issued with an SSEA(L) (Simple Single-Engine Aeroplane (Landplane)) class rating and an FRTOL (Flight Radio-Telephony Operator’s Licence). This allows you to fly an aircraft with one piston engine, weighing up to 2000kg, in reasonable weather, in daytime and to use the aircraft radio to communicate with ATC. To obtain this licence you must complete a minimum of 32 hours flying training – plus 2 skill tests, 10 hours of this must be solo and of that, 5 hours must be navigation. The flying course begins with the basics of making the aircraft fly straight and level, climbing, turning and descending. We then move on to take-offs, followed by control at low airspeeds (around take-off & landing), moving on to stall recognition, prevention & recoveries and finally landings themselves. Once you’ve mastered all that, there’s some consolidation and solo flying to do. After that we go away from the airfield to look at rejoins, steep turns and off-airfield landings in the local training area. Then it’s on to cross-country navigation, where we go and visit at least two other airfields, (we normally use Newcastle & Durham Tees-Valley or Blackpool & Liverpool). You will have to pass a navigation skills test before doing this by yourself, then it’s just some revision before the final general skills test. You will need at least an NPPL medical declaration, available to download from the CAA website (which requires that you meet the DVLA driving standards), EASA class 2 and LAPL medical certificates are also acceptable. From April 2018 the NPPL will not be acceptable to fly an “EASA aircraft”, such as those at most flying schools, it will still be able to be used for those aircraft with a CAA or LAA “permit to fly”. If you have an NPPL and wish to fly EASA aircraft after that date, you will need to apply for an EASA LAPL.

During the course you will need to pass 9 theory exams, all of which are multi-choice and require 75% or more to pass, there is no penalty marking. You may take all these exams here at CFT with our resident CAA approved examiner. You will be deemed to have successfully completed the Theoretical Knowledge requirements for the PPL when you have passed all the exams within an 18 month period, this time is counted from the end of the month of your first exam attempt. You may have up to 3 attempts at each subject here at CFT, then a 4th at a CAA test centre. You are also only allowed 6 exam “sittings”, a “sitting” is defined as attendance at an examination centre for a period of ten consecutive days. Once you have passed all the exams within the 18 month/6 sitting window, they are valid for licence issue for 24 months from the final exam pass.

The exams are:

Air Law

Rules and Regulations needed for safe flying

Operational Procedures

Windshear, wake turbulence & some more legal definitions

Human Performance

Includes questions on perception, aircrew interaction and how flying affects your body

Meteorology

How weather works and the interpretation of forecasts

Navigation

Chart theory, effects of wind & altitude, fuel calculations

Flight Performance and Planning

Take-off and landing distance performance, weights and centre of gravity calculations, chart symbology

Aircraft General Knowledge

Technical stuff about airframes, engines, aircraft systems and instruments

Principles of Flight

Aerodynamics, what keeps us in the air and how the controls work

Radio Telephony

Phonetic alphabet, special phraseology

There is also an R/T oral test and a final skill test; these again are taken with one of our examiners.

EASA LAPL (Light Aircraft Pilots Licence)

The EASA LAPL is a European licence which is recognised by all EASA countries. It is normally issued with a SEP(L) (Single-Engine Piston (Landplane)) class rating and an FRTOL (Flight Radio-Telephony Operator’s Licence). This allows you to fly an aircraft with one piston engine, maximum weight 2000 kg, carrying up to 3 passengers, in reasonable weather, in daytime and to use the aircraft radio to communicate with ATC. To obtain this licence you must complete a minimum of 30 hours flying, 6 hours of this must be supervised solo and of that, 3 hours must be navigation. The flying course begins with the basics of making the aircraft fly straight and level, climbing, turning and descending. We then move on to take-offs, followed by control at low airspeeds (around take-off & landing), moving on to stall recognition, prevention & recoveries and finally landings themselves. Once you’ve mastered all that, there’s some consolidation and solo flying to do. After that we go away from the airfield to look at rejoins, steep turns and off-airfield landings in the local training area. Then it’s on to cross-country navigation, where we go and visit another airfield (we normally use Newcastle, Durham Tees-Valley or Blackpool), eventually you then just have some pre-test revision and the skills test to do. You will need an EASA LAPL medical, which can be obtained from either a CAA authorised medical examiner or your GP, alternatively a class 2 aviation medical from a CAA AME is acceptable. Once you have an LAPL, you must fly 10 hours as PIC before you can carry passengers. You may add a Night rating to your LAPL, but must undertake some instrument flying training first.

During the course you will need to pass 9 theory exams, all of which are multi-choice and require 75% or more to pass, there is no penalty marking. You may take all these exams here at CFT with our resident CAA approved examiner. You will be deemed to have successfully completed the Theoretical Knowledge requirements for the PPL when you have passed all the exams within an 18 month period, this time is counted from the end of the month of your first exam attempt. You may have up to 3 attempts at each subject here at CFT, then a 4th at a CAA test centre. You are also only allowed 6 exam “sittings”, a “sitting” is defined as attendance at an examination centre for a period of ten consecutive days. Once you have passed all the exams within the 18 month/6 sitting window, they are valid for licence issue for 24 months from the final exam pass.

The exams are:

Air Law

Rules and Regulations needed for safe flying

Operational Procedures

Windshear, wake turbulence & some more legal definitions

Human Performance

Includes questions on perception, aircrew interaction and how flying affects your body

Meteorology

How weather works and the interpretation of forecasts

Navigation

Chart theory, effects of wind & altitude, fuel calculations

Flight Performance and Planning

Take-off and landing distance performance, weights and centre of gravity calculations, chart symbology

Aircraft General Knowledge

Technical stuff about airframes, engines, aircraft systems and instruments

Principles of Flight

Aerodynamics, what keeps us in the air and how the controls work

Radio Telephony

Phonetic alphabet, special phraseology

There is also an R/T oral test and a final skill test; these again are taken with one of our examiners.

IMC Rating

The IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions) rating, is an additional rating that can be added to your licence after completing the EASA PPL(A), but not the NPPL or LAPL(A), it can also be added to an existing JAA-PPL(A), or a pre-JAA UK PPL(A). If endorsed onto an EASA licence it will be called an Instrument Rating (Restricted) or IR(R), but that is simply a way of complying with the European rules, the privileges and restrictions are exactly the same.

It is a very useful alternative to the full Instrument Rating, which may go beyond what you practically need to use, or have the time, commitment or funds to obtain. The IMCr is not normally recognised outside the UK, but a lot simpler to obtain than the “full” IR. If a lot of your flying is further afield, it can help open up days to you which would previously have been unavailable, it can be a good introduction to instrument flying before starting training for the instrument rating (which is required to fly commercially) or alternatively, used as a ‘get you out of trouble rating’ if the weather suddenly deteriorates en-route while flying visually.

The course consists of a minimum of 15 hours, all dual instruction, with a written examination and skill test. It begins with the basics of controlling the aircraft in cloud, using all the flight instruments, then you learn to deal with simulated instrument failures. Once you’ve mastered the aircraft handling skills, we move on to navigation using radio beacons and GPS, then lastly IAPs (instrument approach procedures). These are the same as used by the airlines, to position the aircraft in a safe place to land when you can’t see the runway until the last few hundred feet, you will learn at least two different types of IAPs, which will entail visiting at least one other airfield, (usually Newcastle, Durham Tees-Valley, or Blackpool). You must have completed 25 hours flying after getting your licence (which can include the 15 hour course), before the rating can be issued.

The privileges of the IMC rating allow you to fly a UK registered aeroplane, in UK airspace classes D, E, F and G, in IMC, out of sight of surface. You may also carry out Instrument Approach Procedures to published Decision Height or Minimum Descent Height and to undertake missed approach procedures, with a minimum take off and landing visibility of 1800m.

The rating is valid for a period of 25 months, after which it is renewed or revalidated by flight test.

Night Rating

The night rating is a really nice, extra rating that can be either incorporated into the EASA PPL(A) course, or done afterwards as a standalone rating. It can also be added to a pre-JAA, UK PPL(A), or to an EASA LAPL(A), but you must have first completed the basic instrument flying required from the PPL syllabus. Also, if you have an LAPL medical, it must be endorsed as colour safe (ie, you do not suffer from colour blindness).

The course entails theoretical knowledge instruction, a minimum of 5 hours of flying, of which at least 1 hour must be navigation and cover a minimum of 50km, 3 hours must be dual and you must have 5 take-offs & full-stop solo landings. For the navigation we usually go across to Newcastle for a touch & go there, following features like main roads and built up areas. There is no theory exam or flight test, you are assessed over the duration of the course by your instructor. One you are qualified the rating never expires, you just have to keep in practice.. 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 these must have been at night.

Once you have a night rating, you are allowed to fly in visual flight rules (VFR) conditions at night. Night in the UK is from 30 minutes after sunset, until 30 minutes before sunrise, but is defined nationally in each ICAO country. Even if you a one of those people that thinks “I’m never going to need to fly at night” it is worth doing, it provides a different perspective on the views below and can sharpen up your flying. Being up on a nice clear night is a lovely experience, you should give it a try, even if you don’t then complete the full course.

If you are headed in a commercial direction and want to make a career out of flying, the night rating is one of the things that you must possess before commencing a commercial pilot’s licence course.

We are one of the few places that offer a Night Rating year round. If you require one in the summer months, we offer an intensive one or two night course.

AOPA Flying Companion (Safety Pilot)

Carlisle Flight Training are pleased to be corporate members of AOPA, supporting its efforts on behalf of light aviation. Therefore we are able to offer additional courses, only available from member organisations, such as the Flying Companion certificate course. The course has been designed to increase the enjoyment, participation and confidence in flying for those who regularly accompany licence holders, such as partners, spouses, friends and family members. This includes the safe recovery and landing at an appropriate airfield as a result of a simulated emergency.

The AOPA Flying Companion course has been structured to enable those who fly regularly with a Private Pilot Licence (PPL) holder to be more involved in the flight and, therefore, more confident when flying as a passenger.

It is appreciated that some flying companions may subsequently wish to continue training for a licence of their own, if so the hours flown on the course may be counted towards that qualification. However, it should be noted that the syllabus is an abridged version of the early flight exercises and ground studies for the PPL and covers only parts of the training requirements for the PPL. Similarly, those wishing to assist with the operation of the radio on a flight would need to hold a Flight Radio-telephony Operators Licence and we will be able to advise how to achieve this. There is no test with this course, you are assessed by your instructor, there is a cost of £20 to be paid to AOPA to cover administration and issue of certificate.

The course can be thought of in two parts, ground training & flight training and will consist of the following:

Ground Training

The course will consist of at a minimum of 10 hours of briefings or lectures given by one of our flight instructors, covering the basics of the following areas of theoretical knowledge;
• Aviation law
• Principles of flight
• Human performance & limitations

Flying Training

The airborne portion of the course consists of a minimum of eight hours dual flying with one of our Flight Instructors conducted within a period of 12 months. This would normally be undertaken in the type of aircraft regularly flown with the student taking control from the appropriate passenger seat and will cover the following items;
• Cockpit familiarisation
• Effects of controls & using the controls in flight
• Making use of the aircraft instruments
• Aircraft systems that need to be monitored
• Use of the radio and transponder
• How circuits are flown at an airfield
• Interpreting an aeronautical chart
• How to use the emergency services
• Flying straight and Level
• Climbing, descending and turning
• A safe recovery and landing at an appropriate airfield as a result of a simulated emergency.

AOPA Radio Navigation

The AOPA Radio Navigation course has been designed to encourage pilots who hold any type of licence, JAR/EASA-PPL, EASA-LAPL, UK PPL or NPPL, to obtain formal training in radio navigation procedures for use under Visual Flight Rules in accordance with the privileges of their licences. Additionally, for holders of a JAR/EASA-PPL(A) issued by the UK CAA, the course of training can be taken as a progressive step towards obtaining an IMC Rating. This means that a PPL holder who has successfully achieved the AOPA Radio Navigation certificate may be exempt from up to five hours instrument training of the applied stage of the IMCr course (without time limit). There are no minimum pre-entry hour or calendar time requirements, nor is there a calendar time requirement to complete the course of training. A candidate wishing to obtain the certificate can commence the course at any time after qualifying for a Private Pilot’s Licence and a Flight Radio Telephony Operator’s Licence.

There is a cost of £10 for AOPA members and £15 for non-members to cover the administration costs for the issue of the Radio Navigation course certificate.

The course can be thought of in two parts, ground training & flight training and will consist of the following:

Ground Training

Completion of core course in ground training, comprising a minimum of 10 hours, five hours classroom training from one of our instructors and the remaining five hours through self study under supervision. The ground training section will cover the following subjects; Basic radio principles Morse code Basic principles of radio navigation aids (VOR/DME/NDB/VDF)
• Pre-flight & aerodrome departure procedures
• Aeronautical information publications
• Flight planning
• Use of en-route radar services
• Use of GPS
• There is no theoretical knowledge examination, you are assessed by your instructor during the course.

Flight Training

The course will consist of a minimum of five hours flight training, covering the following topics;
• Use of radar services.
• Use of GPS as an additional navigation aid.

Additionally, each candidate, in association with their instructor will select at least three of the following four radio navigation aids for flight training – VOR, DME, NDB and VDF. The training in the navaids selected will be in conformity with the knowledge and competence in Radio Navigation required for those sections of the syllabus for the UK IMC rating.

After completion of Radio Navigation course, you will have your competence assessed in a Skill Test which will be conducted in flight by our Flight Examiner who is approved to do so by both the UK CAA and AOPA.

The Skill Test will consist of a VFR dead reckoning navigation leg of not less than 25 nm using any of VOR, DME, ADF or VDF for fixing backed up by map reading; GPS may be used to confirm fixes. Direct tracking to/from navigation beacons will not be allowed. Then a diversion leg of at least 20nm must then be flown using only radio aids for navigation except for visual identification of the final destination, GPS may be used as the main aid but must be backed by at least one fix using other radio navigation aids. In the course of the whole flight, all other tasks listed on the Skill Test form will be assessed.

Differences Training

Differences training is required to allow you to fly more complex aeroplanes which have any of the following features:

• Retractable Undercarriage
• Variable Pitch/Constant Speed Propeller
• Turbocharger/Supercharger
• Conventional Instrument Panel to Glass Cockpit/EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrumentation Systems)
• Glass Cockpit/EFIS to Conventional Instrument Panel Pressurisation
• Conventional Engine Controls to FADEC (Full Authority Digital Engine Control)
• FADEC to Conventional Engine Controls
• Nosewheel to Tailwheel
• Tailwheel to Nosewheel

All our instructors are proficient in the mainstream differences usually encountered on typical light aircraft and can design a course around an individual’s requirements. Once the training has been completed and you have been “signed-off” by your instructor, there are no currency requirements, the particular feature is valid for life.

Lapsed Ratings

Do you have a licence or rating of any kind that has lapsed or expired? Then we can get you current, legal and flying again with the minimum of fuss and expense. Typically we would normally expect you to need about one flying hour of revision for each year since your licence or rating expired, although this will vary depending upon individual circumstances. During the current transition to EASA regulation, you may also need to exchange your existing licence for an EASA-PPL or LAPL, we can advise you on this depending on your individual circumstances. You might also need to renew your medical, again, the level of medical needed will depend on the type of licence you have, or will apply for, we can help you decide this and advise you where to get one from.

Expired Licences

EASA Licences

If you got a licence recently, it is likely to be an EASA one. These are valid for the holder’s lifetime, but any included ratings must be kept current

JAA Licences

If you have a JAA-PPL, do not confuse the expiry dates of the licence and the rating, JAA licences are valid for 5 years and the rating that is usually added, the SEP(L) is valid for 2 years. If the licence has expired then so long as it is expired by less than 5 years all that is needed is a valid medical (EASA class 2 or better) then reapply to the CAA to renew it.

UK CAA Licences

Before the UK became a JAA member state in 2001, the UK CAA issued non-expiring licences where only ratings within had to be kept current. If your licence is a UK CAA one then only the rating needs to be renewed not the licence itself.

UK NPPL

The NPPL is a UK CAA issued non-expiring licence where only the class rating associated with it had to be kept current. If your licence is a NPPL then only the SSEA class rating needs to be renewed not the licence itself.

Expired Ratings

SEP(L)

If less than 3 years past rating expiry date, then you simply need to complete sufficient training to take and pass the skill test, fill in a load of forms for the CAA and then our examiner signs the rating renewal form in your licence and you are able to fly again straight away, no charge from the CAA. If more than 3 years past rating expiry date, then again you need to complete sufficient training to take and pass the skill test, still fill in lots of forms for the CAA, but they have to carry out the administrative process, for which there is a fee. You cannot exercise the privileges of the rating until you receive this back from them.

IMCr

You will need to carry out sufficient refresher training to reach the standard to take and pass the flight test with our examiner.

Night

The night rating, or night qualification if you got it during the JAA years, is a non-expiring rating. However, if you haven’t flown at night for some time, then some refresher training with one of our instructors would be wise.

FRTOL

The radio licence validity depends on which flying licence it is attached to. On a JAA-PPL it is valid for 10 years, on the other non-expiring licences, it is also valid for the lifetime of the holder. There is now an ICAO requirement to have an English language proficiency assessment, if you are a native or fluent English speaker, we can do this for you during the flying training at no extra charge.