NPPL for Helicopters ?

[robione]

Please dont flame me,but is there an NPPL same as there is for Fixed wing ?

[Whirlygig]

In a nutshell ('cos there is a minimum number of letters required for a post), no.

Cheers

Whirls

[idle stop]

Unlikely to happen.
Difficult to prune anything, except possibly most of the IF, from the current JAR syllabus and still leave even the very able student with the necessary skills to aviate and navigate.

[Finnrotor.com]

What's NPPL? :uhoh: National? Night? Naugty? No...:confused: :}
National licences are still issued by some JAA-countries but not all. So depends where you ask from...

[Whirlygig]

The UK NPPL is a national PPL for aeroplanes. There are fewer flying hours required, less stringent medical etc than for the JAA PPL. However, it means that the licence can not be "upgraded" i.e. used towards modular course for commercial licences and there are other restrictions such as flying abroad.

The thread originator has a location on The Wirral - that's UK!

Cheers

Whirls

[Finnrotor.com]

Thanks Whirlygig, but i think you are way over estimating the geographigal knowledge of an average helicopter pilot here!! How the h**l would I've known that the place called THE Wirral is in the U.K? The only place i KNOW is in in the U.K. is London..:}

[Whirlygig]

If your location was more specific, I would have given you more credit!!! :}

Cheers

Whirls


Actually, thinking about it, I suppose Finnrotorshould have been the give-away! :ok:

[robione]

in a nutshell, thanks for the no flame replys.

[muffin]

However.............There was a small note in last month's AOPA magazine that the CAA are currently discussing the possibility of an NPPL(H) with the reduced medical requirements and non CPL instructors.

Personally I would welcome it, as all my flying is day VFR in the UK anyway, my fixed wing flying could be catered for by an NPPL and the only reason to have to keep up the yearly Class 2 medical at the moment is for my rotary license. It would also mean that I could do an NPPL AFI course without the drudge of the CPL exams.

[robione]

Sounds good,any helo people any comments on the above ?

[muffin]

Interestingly, the reverse has happened in the fixed wing world. Microlight NPPL instructors with no CPL can command a much higher hourly rate than those in the mainstream SSEP PPL instruction market. Something to do with supply and demand I guess.

[J.A.F.O.]

muffin

Where'd the non-CPL instructors come from? That applies on microlights and SLMGs, I understand, but doesn't on SSEA (what used to be Group A).

[muffin]

Correct, it only currently applies to microlights.

Where would they come from? Probably people like me who are coming up to retirement in a few years and want to put something back into aviation to help the new blood coming in. I don't want to be a career instructor, neither do I want to build hours. I am looking for a way to keep flying while I can still pass the medical and if I can help some others along the way, all the better.

That is why I am doing a microlight AFI course in a couple of weeks, and if the rules ever do change so I can become a rotary AFI without all the CPL hassle I will do that as well.