The NPPL is aimed at recreational pilots who wish to fly within the UK during the daytime. In the light of this, it has a lower minimum hours requirement than the JAR PPL licence. It also differs in the medical requirements, which are now signed off by your own GP rather than by a specialist Aviation Medical Examiner.

Since the NPPL is a national licence only, you cannot currently use it to fly outside the UK. You cannot add night or instrument ratings to an NPPL either, but you can credit 30 hours of your training time towards a JAR PPL if you wish to move on to that licence later, as long as all your instruction was carried out by a JAR instructor.

So what is Fast Track?

You will undertake the course on an intensive basis flying anywhere from 3 to 5 hours per day depending on you. Experience has shown us that the learing and retention rates increase dramatically when training is conducted in this manner. You will have one instructor and one aircraft for the duration of the course. We also find this helps enormously as you do not have to spend valuable time getting to know the minor differences between aircraft, not to mention having to put up with lots of different instructors! We will aslo ensure that an examiner is available immediately after completing your course to ensure you get your licence with minimum fuss

The Course

The current requirement is a minimum of 32 hours flight training, in two parts:

1. Not less than 22 hours of dual instruction with a flying instructor, to include one hour of instrument appreciation.

2. Not less than 10 hours of solo flying, including at least four hours of solo cross country flight, including one cross country of at least 100 nm with landings at two other aerodromes.

In addition to the training hours, at least two hours will be required for the practical tests (see below).

Any additional hours will consist of either dual or solo flying, depending on the needs of the student.

Training is conducted in either a Cessna 150 aircraft, PA-28s or a Slingsby Firefly should you prefer.

The student must have obtained a self-declaration NPPL medical certificate countersigned by their own GP before flying solo.

Practical Tests

The NPPL involves two separate practical tests.

The first one you will take is the Navigation Skills Test (NST). This is a flight with an examiner which you do after you've completed all your dual navigation training. It is designed to ensure that you can safely navigate and manage the flight before you start to do the solo navigation part of the course.

Once the minimum hours have been completed you will be eligible to undertake the second and final test - the General Skills Test (GST).

The test itself is merely a demonstration of the flying skills acquired during training. You will not be asked to demonstrate anything which has not been taught during the training.

Initially, many people are apprehensive about the test, but you should relax. Our examiners are highly qualified and experienced 'FRIENDLY' people who know what they are looking for. They are not trying to catch you out. Treat the test like any other flight and you will find that it is an enjoyable experience...especially when you here the word 'congratulations'!

Medical Examination

All pilots must undergo an aviation medical (Class 2 for PPLs) conducted by a CAA authorised medical practitioner – You can see a current list of names and addresses of AME’s (authorised medical examiners) at the CAA’s Safety Regulation Group website under the section 'personnel licensing'. Check out the web links page on our site for the address.

Theory (Ground) Examinations

In addition to the flying hours requirement, there are 7 ground examinations to be passed. The NPPL uses all the standard JAR PPL exams as follows:

• Aviation Law
• Navigation and Radio Aids
• Meteorology
• Aircraft General and Principles of Flight
• Human Performance and Limitations
• Flight Performance and Planning
• Communications (written & practical)

For further information on our Ground School programs click here

Prices

Cessna 150: £3,800

PA-28 Cherokee: £4,150

PA-28 Warrior: £4,950

Slingsby Firefly: £5,100

Prices are for 32 hours flight training and include VAT, approach & landing fees at homebase. If you are already partway through a course and need to complete it, please call us for a quotation.