PPLM onto JAA PPL

[Pjbracer1]

Hi

I have been wanting to fly for a while now and now have decided that it is time to start, I have been to my local school run from a private strip as Southampton Airport have pushed GA out! They have said that my best plan is to start with the NPPLM as it is the cheapest way to get in the air and hone my skills as a pilot (rather than just be a license holder) and then move on up the ranks to the JAA PPL and onto IR and eventually CPL.

They say that in the early stages unless you have deep pockets most GA will be from private strips who do not have any instrument systems for poor weather flying nor lit runways so until you require this there is little point in flying pipers's or Cessna's

I would like to end up with my cpl and instructor cert to become and instructor maybe somewhere else in the world instead of my current IT job hopefully.

Im 32 now and would just like to hear other comments on the best route to get where I want to be.

The 3 axis Ikarus does look good fun from what ive read and then onto something like a Tecnam and onto a piper.

I would appreciate your comments guys and girls.

My old man had a caa ppl a while back and had a Grunman AA5 which I kinda learnt the basics in and it was good fun!

Cheers

Paul
Southampton UK

[BHenderson]

Hi Paul,

IMHO there is some truth in what they are saying, but they are biased as they can only conduct Microlight Training out of their private airfield. In my experience the vast majority of people start out in the Pipers and Cessnas having never touched a microlight.

Bobby

[Pjbracer1]

I agree in some repects but they do offer full JAA PPL as well as I beleive only parts need to be conducted at a certified airfield and they are talking themselves out of some cash, I just want to make sure I am doing the it the best way to get in the air without getting ripped off or wasting time!

Cheers for your thoughts Id really like to get underway this year if I can and its a big step and more affordalble but if spending more cash is a better investment then im up for that too.

Cheers

Paul

[tangovictor]

Paul
while I think the npplm, ( which is what I training for ) is a great & cheap way to fly, I think, that the hours counted nppl wise cannot be carried over should you wish to " progress " to ppl and further,
might be worth your while looking through >
http://www.nppl.uk.com/

[Fly Stimulator]

Paul,

Given your plans you do need to think about how many of your training hours can eventually be credited towards the JAR PPL.

It is easy to add the SSEA (aka SEP, aka Group A, aka light aircraft!) rating to a microlight NPPL without too many extra hours, but when you want to upgrade from that to the JAR PPL you'll still need at least 45 hours total flight time of which at least 35 must be on SEP aircraft. That has to include at least 20 hours with a JAR qualified instructor and 10 hours solo. You do however get the concession that you can claim 10% of your 3-axis microlight time, up to a maximum of 10 hours, towards the JAR licence. See Section C of LASORS (http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?catid=33&pagetype=65&appid=11&mode=detail&id=1591) for the details of all this.

You will also need to do all the JAR exams on top of all the microlight ones you'll already have done.

What all this means is that somewhere along the line you're going to have to find a JAR instructor at an approved flying school (a 'registered facility' in CAA terms) and pay for at least 35 hours in a light aircraft no matter how much microlight instruction you've already paid for.


Given the path that you have mapped out for yourself, it might be better to start on the JAR path in the first place.