WARNING. UK PPL,s with 5 year expiry
Anyone who has a UK (as opposed to a JAR) PPL or PPL/H issued in the transition period to JAR licences after December 2000 should look at the period of validity. It appears that contrary to most peoples understanding, not all UK PPL's and PPL/H's are non expiring. UK Private Licences issued in this period have a 5 year validity just like JAR PPL's. I do not remember this being highlighted at the time.
When I came across the first guy who found he had an expired licence, I thought it was a CAA mistake. Now I have seen another one which had also expired, I checked with CAA PLD and indeed this was the policy apparently.
Personally, I think some one cranked a 5 year expiry into the computor at the head shed for all licences when JAR came in, forgetting the non expiring bit for UK Licences. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! Flying with an expired licence, even if inadvertently would not be good news.