Training

The club is able to offer training to obtain a Private Pilot’s Licence the National Private Pilot’s License and IMC and Night Ratings.

The requirements for each license are as follows:

Joint Aviation Regulation – Private Pilot’s Licence (Aeroplanes)

For the issue of a JAR – PPL(A) a student must complete an approved course of training at a registered flying training organization. Cranwell flying club is such a FTO. To fly solo as pilot in command, a student must be aged 16 years. For licence issue, a student must be 17 years old. Before getting too far into the course, it is well worth getting a class 2 medical from a CAA Approved Medical Examiner. This must be done in any case before flying solo.

The course consists of 4 flying phases as well as ground studies. Each ground subject is completed by passing the appropriate exam, gaining at least 75%. There are 8 exams : Air Law, Navigation, Flight Planning & Performance, Radio Telephony theory and practical, Meteorology, Aircraft Technical and Human Performance and Limitations. We can and will give ground lessons to help students pass these exams. All 8 exams must be completed within a 12-month period. They then remain valid for a period of 24 months within which the PPL licence must be issued; otherwise you do them again. Flying phase 4 culminates in the completion of the qualifying solo cross country flight, a flight of at least 150 nautical miles round trip, which must include 2 landings at airfields more than 50 nm from base. Once this has been completed, there then follows a revision period to get you up to the standard required to pass the Skills Test with a CAA approved examiner. This skills test includes a navigation flight, which lasts about one hour, followed by a general handling flight, which lasts just over the hour. This skills test can be completed on a single flight of just over 2 hours or on 2 separate flights. Should the candidate fail one part of the test, then only that part must be re-taken at a later date. The skills test must be completed within 6 months of completing the training. Both parts of the skills test must be completed within a 6-month period.

The minimum flying time for license issue up to and including the skills test, is 45 hours of flying. This is split into a minimum of 33 hours dual and 12 hours solo. It is stressed that these are minimums. It is not unusual for a student to require 55 hours total flying. The more often you can come flying the better. A student makes quicker progress if there is good continuity, so one or 2 flying lessons a week is ideal. Obviously your flying rate will then determine how long your course takes. Just over a year is the norm.

Provided you then fly on a regular basis and maintain your medical, the license remains valid for life. With this licence you can fly anywhere in Europe. You can also add the Night Rating and the IMC rating which then allows you to fly at night or when the weather is less than normal visual met conditions; if or when you need to fly in cloud.

National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL)

This is a pilot’s licence for those aspiring pilots who only want to fly within the UK and usually within 30 nautical miles of their airfield. It is a recreational licence, somewhat restrictive when compared to the full JAR PPL, but far less restrictive on its medical requirements. It is for the last reason that it was introduced by the CAA and has gained in popularity.

A student pilot must complete the same ground studies as for the JAR PPL. Indeed, the skills test for the NPPL is virtually the same. The main difference being that the navigation skills test must be completed before the solo qualifying cross-country is flown. Furthermore, the qualifying cross-country is only 100 nautical miles, but still includes 2 landings at intermediate airfields. As for the medical requirements; all you need is a form from the CAA web site completed by your own doctor as if you were applying for a HGV driver’s licence. The flying training difference is that the course minimum is only 34 hours including both parts of the skills test. This splits into 22 hours dual and 10 hours solo with 2 hours for the skills tests. Again, it must be stressed that these are minimum times; it is more usual for a student to require 40 hours or so.

The NPPL course omits nearly the entire instrument flying package and gives less training on cross-country flying. This reflects the use to which the licence will be put. The licence holder will only be able to fly when the weather is suitable for flying visually; on a nice day. You cannot add the night or IMC ratings to the NPPL. However, you can, by completing the instrument package and the 150nm qualifying cross-country flight and by getting a class 2 medical certificate, upgrade the licence to the full JAR-PPL at a later date. Although you are only trained to fly cross-country flights within your immediate area (recreational flying) you are not prevented from going on more adventurous flights. Indeed, as your navigation skills improve with practice and application, you may well want to fly further a field. The only restriction is that you are confined to UK airspace. That said, 99% of JAR-PPL holders restrict themselves to only flying within UK airspace. We are sure that you will find it a big enough area with many challenging airfields to fly to.

Night Qualification

A Night Qualification can be added to the holder of a JAR PPL to allow he or she to act as pilot in command of an aeroplane at night. This qualification is only valid in the UK. When applying for a Night Qualification you must produce evidence of having met the following flying requirements: 5 Hours overall night training to include 3 hours dual night training, 1 hour dual night navigation and 5 Take-off and full stop landings at night as PIC of aeroplanes. There is no test involved to qualify, however the instructor has to be satisfied that you are competent before signing the application form.

Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) Rating

An Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) Rating extends the privileges of a PPL(A) holder to allow flight as Pilot-in-Command when out of sight of the surface, when in IMC conditions, and, in class D or E airspace in circumstances which require compliance with Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). The minimum course requirements includes15 hours training in instrument flying.. A minimum of ten 10 of the hours shall be flown by sole reference to instruments alone. Following this approved course, the student is allowed to sit the written theoretical ground examination and to take the flight test. Before an application for the rating can be submitted, the applicant must have 25 hours experience as a pilot since the date of application for their PPL(A). This shall include10 hours as PIC, of which at least 5 hours must be on cross-country flights. The rating is valid for a period of 25 months from the date of the flight test.