01
Meet an instructor
A briefing, the aircraft, and a plan that fits your pace.
Training
Learn to fly
From the first hour with an instructor to a licence you can use. Pick the route that matches how, and where, you want to fly.
PPL
The Private Pilot Licence
Fly light aircraft privately, in the UK and abroad, in the category you are qualified on. Forty hours and nine ground exams.
NPPL(A)
National PPL
A UK licence for single-engine pistons up to 2,000 kg, with up to three passengers. Thirty-two hours, and a pilot medical declaration rather than a Class 2.
IR(R)
Instrument rating, restricted
The old IMC. Fly in poorer weather inside UK airspace. A shorter, cheaper step than a full instrument rating.
Night
Night rating
Add night flying to a PPL or NPPL. Five hours, including navigation, and five full-stop landings as pilot in command.
How it runs
Three stages, then you keep going
02
Take the controls
Dual flying first. Solo when you and the instructor agree you are ready.
03
The rating
Ground exams where they apply, then a skills test or a CAA application.
How long does it take?
Most people earn a private licence in six to twelve months, depending on how often they fly. The club’s own team page has seen students finish in three to six months when they fly regularly. Weather stops a flight; it does not cost you a cancellation fee.
Before every flight
A briefing, a look at the weather, and a check that both the aircraft and the pilot are fit to go. If it is not a flying day, you rebook.