Private Pilot - PPL(A)

Private Pilot training is first and very important milestone on your Frozen ATPL path. Same like baby is doing its first steps, you will be doing your first flights. PPL training is essentially important for understanding of general aircraft handling and learning the fundamentals of proper airmanship.

Flight Instructor makes the difference

Your Flight Instructor is making the difference. Forget about superheroes or poshy flight school. You need to learn to fly. It is essentially important to learn the basics and fundamentals of flying. How to even behave at the airport and walk around the aircraft. This is something you can only learn when you are learning from pure aviator who patiently leads you by example.

PPL(A) privileges

The privileges of your PPL(A) are to act without remuneration as PIC or co-pilots of aeroplanes or TMGs engaged in non-commercial operations and to exercise all privileges of holders of an LAPL(A). PPL(A) licence itself does not allow you to fly on any particular aircraft. It only specifies that all privileges contained in the licence could only be exercised for non-commercial purposes only. To fly a particular aircraft the PPL(A) training includes so-called SEP(land) class rating. The training for both - the PPL(A) and SEP(Land) are integrated into one training syllabi.

SEP(land) class rating

You will obtain SEP(land) class rating along with your Private Pilot Licence. Class rating SEP(land) specifies you can exercise your PPL(A) privileges theoretically in all Single-Engine Piston aeroplanes with wheeled landing gear (LAND). All those aircraft such as Cessna 152 or Diamond 40 constituting into one single SEP(land) class rating. Particular aircraft of this class rating - e.g. Cessna 152 for the purpose of licencing is so-called variant. To fly any variant other than those used for your initial PPL training you will always have to take the differences training to another variant.

PPL(A) Flight school

The flight training towards the private pilot licence has to be provided by the flight school. The PPL(A) training is considered by EASA as non-complex training, hence the training could be provided either in professional flight school so-called ATO or approved training organisation as well as the leisure flight school so-called declared training organisation. We however recommend you to enroll into the PPL(A) course provided by the professional flight school. It might not be the cheapest option, but at this point, you need to create the basics on which you will build your future career. By saving few hundreds of euro might look quite a lot, however it is just a very small portion of your overall Frozen ATPL training costs.

PPL(A) Theory

As a part of your Private Pilot training you have to attend the theoretical knowledge instruction provided by an ATO or DTO. The groundschool lasts approximately 100 hours, which is rather considered as a guidance than the hard limit. The flight school is responsible for the training should check if all the appropriate elements of the training course of theoretical knowledge instruction have been completed to a satisfactory standard before recommending the applicant for the examination.

Theoretical knowledge syllabus of the PPL(A) training is distributed into following subjects:

Air law,
Human performance,
Meteorology,
Communications,
Navigation,
Principles of flight,
Operational procedures,
Flight performance and planning,
Aircraft general knowledge.

The PPL(A) theory and writtten examination should cover aspects related to non-technical skills in an integrated manner, taking into account the particular risks associated to the licence and the activity.

PPL(A) Flight Training

PPL(A) flight training consists of at least 45 hours of flight instruction in aeroplanes. 5 of which may have been completed in an smaller simulator, so-called FSTD flight synthetic training device.

45 hours of PPL(A) training consists of:

25 hours of dual flight instruction; and
10 hours of supervised solo flight time, including at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time with at least 1 cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM), during which full stop landings at 2 aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure shall be made.

During your PPL(A) training you will have to fulfill the requirements for the issue of class rating for single-engine piston aeroplanes, so-called SEP(land) and the variant of an aircraft used in the PPL(A) skill test.

PPL(A) Course completion

The PPL(A) training course has to be completed by both written exam at authority and checkride with a Flight Examiner.

The PPL(A) theoretical knowledge examination comprises a total of 120 multiple-choice questions covering all the subjects of the theoretical knowledge instruction syllabi. The PPL(A) written exams shall be completed in period of 18 months counted from the end of the calendar month when you have first attempted an examination.

Checkride with a Flight Exmainer is called license skill test or simply skill test.