Rotor PPL

[NLM13]

Hi there. This may sound stupid, but does anyone know if you are still able to do a PPL(H) "add on" to a fixed wing PPL? I know you used to be able to do this but what about under JAA rules? If so what are the requirements?

[Whirlybird]

NLM13,

You never could. In pre-JAR days, if you had a PPL(A) you could get 5 hours off the PPL(H) course, the theory being that you wouldn't need to do the nav. It was a bit academic as virtually no-one learning in the twitchy, unforgiving (but FUN) R22 ever did the course in the minimum nuber of hours anyway. You were also exempt from all the ground exams except the technical one.

I'm not well up on JAR, but I think you can still theoretically have a few hours reduction on the flying. As for the ground exams, I don't know, but I suspect that if your PPL(A) is an old UK one you'll have to do all of them.

But whatever you have to do, you'll never regret flying helicopters...though your bank manager will. <img src="eek.gif" border="0">

[The Flashing Blade]

I did what you are asking about two years ago. As I understand it you still get 5 hours off the course, but, you'll like this bit, they bumped up the course from 40 to 45 hours. The extra 5 hours is instrument appreciation training in the event you enter cloud.

Now considering at every safety event I have been too they say never, ever fly into cloud in a small single engine helicopter on pain of certain death, its a bit like teaching you to do something really dumb, which of course you'll get blamed for in the accident report. Anyway I digress.

Whirlybird is right, you will not regret going for your PPL(H), I have not flown fixed wing since.

About doing it on or about the minimums, if you put in an instensive training period you can get close. I avoided the JAR route, just so only had to do 35 hours, I did it in 37 hours including the flight test.

Good luck.