THE PRIVATE PILOT'S LICENCE The licence for which Lydd Aero Club provides instruction is the JAA PPL, a private pilot licence, valid throughout the European Community. It may also be validated in many other countries with simple variation, for example by the taking of a local law examination. The PPL is the basic requirement for any advanced or commercial licence. The private pilot can undertake further training at the Lydd Aero Club to add 'ratings' such as night and instrument meteorological to the Private Pilot's Licence.

 

THE COURSE
The current requirement is a minimum of 45 hours flight training, in two parts:
1. Not less than 25 hours of dual instruction with a flying instructor.
2. Not less than 10 hours of solo flying, of which five must be solo navigation.
The remaining hours will consist of either dual or solo flying, depending on the needs of the student.
Training is conducted mainly in Cessna 152 aircraft, but Piper Warriors are also available for training should the student prefer.
The student will have passed a medical examination and be in possession of a medical certificate before flying solo.

THE SKILLS TEST
Upon completion of the hours of flight training, the student will be eligible to undertake the Skills Test, which will be conducted by a flight examiner, not the student's usual instructor. It has to be said that the majority of students are not ready for their skills test at the 45 hour mark, and at this stage student and instructor will be working even closer together to identify and correct areas in which the student needs a little more practice. However, as soon as possible after the 45 hours have been completed, the instructor - being satisfied that the student is capable of passing - will recommend the student to take the test.

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

THE GROUND EXAMINATIONS
In addition to the flying hours requirement, there are 8 ground examinations to be passed:

Interior of the C152