How long does PPL Ground School take? (UK)

[Emkay]

I've just finished my first year at University and I've been planning for years to get a PPL. Do you think it would be possible to obtain a PPL within three months? I would like to think I'm a pretty fast learner, but I do realise learning to fly may be something completely different.

Also, how long on average does PPL ground school learning/revision take? And how difficult are the ground school exams, are they purely just memory based?

Also does PPL expire, would I have to retake the test after a few years? Before you link me to LMGTFY I've done my homework already but I can't seem to find a definitive answer :(

[VOD80]

Three months isn't impossible! But it depends on a lot of factors. I managed it in that time period but I had exclusive access to an aircraft and instructor. I did it over the winter period and never had any issues with the weather. It was cold ( very cold even) and the aircraft I was using had no heater but the visibility was fantastic.

We didn't have the kind of weather that seems to exist now - low stratus clouds and so on. Having seen some of the recent weather, three months may be optomistic. That would be true even in the south of France...

[IO540]

There is no mandatory ground school for the JAA PPL. What is done is done on an ad-hoc basis, mostly.

To get through the exams, you might expect to spend a few weeks of evenings on revision. Nowadays most revision is done using the PPL Confuser book although a lot of people buy the Trevor Thom or Pratt books. Much of the syllabus is rather dated. The exams are not at all intellectually hard and absolutely anybody who can read, write, and do basic maths can do them (ok; I know that rules out an awful lot of adults these days ;) ).

The most important thing is to find a good instructor - some older chap who has flown for real.

A JAA PPL holder has to fly every 2 years with an instructor; that's if he has flown the mandatory minimum of 12hrs in those 2 years, of which the 12hrs needs to be flown during the 2nd of the two years (no; I don't know why it is set up that way but apparently the Germans wanted it). If you have not done the 12hrs then that flight needs to be with an examiner.

Then every 5 years you have to send a £70 cheque to the CAA (it's their pension fund contribution, but they do send you some fresh bits of paper).

In a G-reg plane which has an ICAO CofA, you can fly worldwide VFR.

A PPL is possible in 3 months if the weather is good and you can fly every flyable day, which is very unlikely in the UK. The average time taken is a year, partly due to variable weather and partly because most people work the lessons around their life, work, etc.

[jkveenstra]

A friend of mine did it in three or four weeks (including the ground exams) at Southend. He just went on a long holiday to the UK.

He was lucky on the weather, I suppose.

[Whopity]

Emkay

Check your PMs

[BackPacker]

Also does PPL expire, would I have to retake the test after a few years?

What probably confused you in your search was that your license is not a single entity, but consists of a number of elements, each who have different currency rules and renewal requirements:

- The PPL license itself has no currency rules attached, but needs to be renewed every five years (under JAR-FCL; this looks like it's going to change under EASA-FCL). Renewal is a paperwork exercise, costs money and is only possible if you have a valid class or type rating and a valid medical.
- A class or type rating allows you to fly on a specific class or type of aircraft. You are most likely going to hold a 'Single Engine Piston' (SEP) class rating. As IO540 said, this needs to be revalidated every two years, and this revalidation can be done by experience or by test.
- You also need a medical. For private flight you require a 'class 2' medical, and the renewal period depends on your age. The initial issue, and every renewal thereafter requires a visit to an Aviation Medical Examiner.

In addition to this, there's a currency rule that says that you have to have done three landings in the last 90 days as sole manipulator of the controls, in order to be able to carry passengers.

And if you start adding extra qualifications and ratings to your license, such as Night, IMC or IR, these come with their own currency and renewal requirements as well. Fortunately most of these are aligned with other currency and renewal requirements so they're not too involved.

[Emkay]

Thanks for all your replies.

Maintaining a PPL seems to be a lot more hassle than I though :eek: What happens with the flight with the instructor before renewing the type rating, can he 'pass' or 'fail' you?

Also how rigorous is the second class medical? Is is going to be as detailed as the examiner asking me to pull down my pants and prodding downstairs? Seems like an irrational question but I hear this is the kind of stuff they do in the first class medical.

[IO540]

It is a good question whether the instructor doing the 2-yearly flight can "fail" you.

In practice it appears that he will sign off your logbook so long as he has survived the flight :)

The examiner can fail you.

The more basic point is that if you have done only say 10 hours in the 2 years then a PPL is not a good idea because your currency will be very low.

The aviation doctor does have a look at your goolies. I have no idea why but they had a look at mine. Maybe checking for a hernia. It is a purely visual inspection; there is no maximum tolerance on how low your goolies dangle :)

[24Carrot]

What happens with the flight with the instructor before renewing the type rating, can he 'pass' or 'fail' you?

I would hope that with a good pilot, (and I am talking about attitude here, rather than how wonderful the stick-and-rudder skills are/were/might be one day), then the FI just has to say he isn't happy about something and the pilot himself would sort out the necessary re-training.

The one hour flight with the instructor can be (almost) 12 months before the rating expires.

[thing]

Also how rigorous is the second class medical?

I'm 55, fat git with specs, if I can pass anyone can.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

absolutely anybody who can read, write, and do basic maths can do themNot true. None of that gets you through Air Law for example - you also need the ability to memorise reams of nonsensical gibberish.

[Captain Smithy]

Not true. None of that gets you through Air Law for example - you also need the ability to memorise reams of nonsensical gibberish.

Ah, that would be the likes of Airspace classifications, Rule 5, aircraft documentation, legalities, rights of way on the ground and in the air, flight crew licensing, maintenance...

'Snot as fun as the flying but it's just as important...

Smithy

[dany4kin]

I did all my ground school, and all exams (except rt) in one week with a guy called Derek Davidson and his wife in Bournemouth.

This was a few years ago not sure if they're still doing it though, they used to have ads in the back of Flying magazine etc.

Stay in a local B&B and work your hardest for a week - it's punishing but doable. I got 100% in Navigation and Air Law and above 90% for everything else. Long day of a subject followed by exam in the evening or following morning. I didn't find the exams difficult, navigation and meteorology were the two I was least looking forward to. Apply yourself 100% it doesn't fall into your brain, you have to process it (cognate!)

I guess there is an argument that you only pass the exam because you learnt the stuff that day but you will know yourself, if you can retain information for over 2 hours it's pretty much there to stay... tis for me anyway.

I had studied a lot on my own before going and I would recommend this. It is a LOT to take in so any start you can make will be helpful to you.

There were 2 others in my group for the classes and this works very well, enough banter to keep you awake and quiet enough for good one on one if needed. Plus Derek and his wife are top people. Worth a look.

[IO540]

Air Law for example - you also need the ability to memorise reams of nonsensical gibberish.You wanna do the Air Law for the IR :) Reams of questions on landing/takeoff separation for different sizes of aircraft. Only ATC need to know this; apparently that particular garbage was written by an ATCO. Hammering the question bank is the only way.

The PPL Air Law is very dry but a few days' solid swatting should get you a pass, which is all you need. Anything higher than a pass is by definition wasted - a bit like anything bigger than a "B" :)

if you can retain information for over 2 hours it's pretty much there to stay... tis for me anyway.At 27, maybe :)