NPPL Class Ratings were desgined to be as simple as possible - hence the visibility limits were appropriate for people with limited training.
3 km might be fine in a single seat microlight quietly pottering along at 50 KIAS, but it isn't a lot at 139.9 KIAS in a 2 tonne aeroplane with 3 passengers! The
industry-defined SSEA Class Rating was intended to protect such people from themselves....and the CAA agreed.
More modern microlights are a deal faster than 50 KIAS and yes, I know they often out perform a Cessna 152. But don't make too much of an issue about that, or someone might well ask why they're not regulated in the same manner. And you wouldn't want that....
In Brave New €uroland, even with a LAPL(A), if visual with the surface and flying at or below 140 KIAS and at or below 3000 ft, you can fly in only 1500 m visibility if you really want to - with passengers. That's 30% of the NPPL SSEA limit. You can also fly above 8/8 cloud, assuming that you managed to find a hole big enough to get there in VMC in the first place....... But hey, it must be safer if the €uropean Aviation
Safety Agency says so.....
