Private Pilot License

The Private Pilot License (PPL) is a pilot license that permits flying any aircraft without commercial intent. The basic bachelor's degree requirements are established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and vary from country to country. According to ICAO, an applicant must be at least 17 years old, demonstrate appropriate information knowledge and skill, and hold at least a third-class medical certificate.

Aircraft, helicopters, zeppelin like different categories of aircraft have distinct PPLs. These cannot be used interchangeably, but the experience gained from one category’s PPL may be credited toward obtaining another.

Topics of training:

• Aviation Law and Operational Procedures
• General Aircraft Knowledge
• Navigation
• Aircraft Flight Manual
• Communication
• Principles of Flight
• Meteorology
• Flight Performance and Planning
• Human Performance and Limitations

PPL Categories

In accordance with its objectives, ICAO defines the following aircraft categories for PPL: airplane, airship, helicopter and powered-lift. Many country also issue PPLs for additional categories such as gliders (glider), balloon, powered parachutes and weight-shift control aircraft.

Airplane

The Airplane PPL (PPL(A)) is the most popular PPL category. According to ICAO, an applicant for a PPL(A) must have at least 40 hour hours of flight experience. The applicant must complete at least 10 hours of solo cross-country flight time including at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight and must complete one cross-country flight of at least 270 km with two full-stop landings at different aerodromes.

In EASA countries, the required flight experience for a PPL(A) is 45 hours. In practice, most students complete their training in approximately 50 to 70 hours.

Applicants for a PPL(A) must be at least 17 years old. There is no minimum age to begin flight lessons, but students must be at least 16 years old to fly solo.

In addition to the license, PPL(A) holders must obtain appropriate class or type ratings for the specific aircraft they intend to fly. Typically, the first rating granted to a PPL(A) holder is the single-engine piston class rating, which permits flying single-engine piston aircraft. Additional training is required to fly multi-engine aircraft, and more complex aircraft require a type rating.

Additionally, an instrument rating is required to fly under Instrument Meteorological Conditions, a night rating is required for night flying, and various levels of instructor ratings are available.

Helicopter

According to ICAO, the requirements for a PPL(H) are similar to those for a PPL(A). The qualified cross-country flight must be at least 180 km and the applicant must have completed at least 20 hours of flight training in helicopters.

Airship

According to ICAO, applicants for a PPL(As) must have at least 25 hours of flight time as an airship pilot. This time must include a cross-country flight of at least 45 km conducted in an airship, along with 3 hours of cross-country flight training in an airship; five takeoffs and five landings at an aerodrome, each landing being a full stop within the aerodrome traffic pattern; 3 hours of instrument time; and 5 hours of flight time acting as pilot in command under the supervision of a responsible pilot.