How long did it take for you to get your ppl

[uniandpilot]

How many hours did it take for you to get ppl license,

and how many weeks/months

[flybymike]

18 months, 60 hours, booking two lessons a week, half of which were lost mainly due to weather.
But then I'm a slow methodical kind of chap who kept going back over several parts of the syllabus several times until I was happy with my performance and my understanding regardless of whether my instructor considered it necessary for me to do so.
Others did it in a few weeks or months and minimum time of around 40/45 hours, either because they flew more frequently, were more easily satisfied with their own ability and understanding than I was with mine, or they were just more able than me.

[chevvron]

6 weeks/35 hours which was the minimum in those days (1971). I actually finished the syllabus at about 30 hours then had to do 5 hours 'revision' before taking the GFT.

[360BakTrak]

Took me 8 months. I was a full time student, had a part time job so had to fit lessons round that. Plus the usual UK weather delays!

[tmmorris]

Three and a half weeks, 48 hours, JAR PPL in 2001. In Wales - can't believe I got the weather to do it in that time!

Working 0830-1730 every day and studying in the evenings.

[Chilli Monster]

5 weekends / 14 hours

[fwjc]

4 years / 45.5 hours

[Ka6crpe]

3 week and 41 hrs if you don't count gliding experience.


If gliding is counted then 30 years and 700 hrs.

[garrya100]

20 years/ 45 hrs. Had a break in the middle of training to raise a family....

[gemma10]

10 months and 48 hours, and I still cant forecast rain. I hate met.

[Jonzarno]

10 months, 47.8.

[7of9]

6 Months two hours Flying, a weekend when weather was OK. 37 Hours to complete, credited 10 hours of gliding towards 45 hours needed for JAR FCL PPL.
Did this 5 years ago.

[pulse1]

The first time in 1968, 24 hours in 8 months of flying Sundays only. I did have 100 hours gliding and a Bronze C under my belt.

The second time, after a break of 23 years, 8 months and 27 hours.

[John Eacott]

18 days and 30 hours from 12th to 30th September 1965, ATC Flying Scholarship. Finished the syllabus in 25 hours in an Aircoupe so I paid an extra £1/5s an hour for 5 hours in a Cherokee to spruce it up a bit :cool:

Eric Thurston did my final check at Stapleford Tawney, then Mum picked me up in her Minivan so I could drive home on L plates ;)

[Whirlybird]

About 90 hours over about a year. I then went on to get a PPL(H), CPL(H) and helicopter instructor rating - and worked as a helicopter instructor for about 10 years. I'm posting this so other slow learners know that being a tortoise is OK. :ok: :)

[Fitter2]

If (like some others) you ignore gliding, 3 weeks of a few evenings and 9 hours including the required 3 hours solo, all in a J3 Cub apart from 30 mins spinning sortie in a Pup for that part of the GFT.

Next flight 2 weeks later after my PPL arrived, 1 hr in an RF4.

[Heston]

Its traditional when this subject pops up (which it does from time to time) for someone to say don't compare your progress to others - it varies so much depending on all sorts of factors.

So if you are tempted to do that, dont. Just enjoy learning to fly.

[Shaggy Sheep Driver]

About 7 months, 40 hours total time or thereabouts. Started summer '78 and got most of it done that year, and was lucky with some good days in Jan / Feb '79 to get the x-countries etc in, but suffered quite a few wx-related cancellations as well!

[9 lives]

18 months, and 52 hours for FW PPL. The weather was not the problem, being old enough for the student permit, then the PPL was my problem. So lots of solo XC's while I waited to be old enough for the PPL.

For my PPL(H), I took years, simply because in Canada it seems impossible for a PPL to rent a helicopter for solo flight, but a student pilot can. I knew this going in. So for years, I flew solo XC in the helicopter where I needed to go. If I have to take someone, I used my plane. But then one day, I was offed a type endorsement on the MD500 - much too good to pass up. So I had to finish my PPL(H) first, to have a license to endorse. I did it all, and have not flown a helicopter solo since!

But, as said by Heston, it's not the destination, it's the journey. Your PPL is a part of the journey to being a pilot - a milestone. It very certainly should not be your end objective, so just pace yourself, and get there well when the time is right. You can call yourself a Pilot when you have your PPL, but the greater wisdom will see a "pilot" as being just a little more than a wet ink PPL.

[localflighteast]

Continuing the spirit of Whirly's post and to reinforce the "it is a journey" message

2 and a bit years and 108 hours.

And now I miss being a student sometimes :)

[4Screwaircrew]

19th August - 14th September, 39 hours on a full time course. Many years ago at Leicester.

[B19]

2 years, 50hrs, 3 states (IL,MD,SD), and 6 flight instructors http://www.pprune.org/images/infopop/icons/icon7.gif

[ChampChump]

I've no idea. Going from gliding to motor gliding and then adding on group A, who knows what counts? It all does. And what's been done since even more so.

[uniandpilot]

Quite a lot of varied hours to get ppl.

hope i get mine done under 75

[Marchettiman]

14 days. Had my first air experience detail on 22nd July in Chipmunk G-AORL and was airsick, did my GFT on 5th August in G-APAI and the dates were the in the same year! That was as a CCF cadet on a Flying Scholarship at The Wiltshire School of Flying in the early '60's at Thruxton. Flew the Chipmunk, DH82A and the Thruxton Jackaroo in the 30 hours required at that time, as well as all of the ground school.The Ministry of Aviation issued my PPL on 30th August, all nicely typed in a linen bound cover, and I don't think it cost me a penny. Readers may understand why I am hacked off at having to pay the CAA a King's ransome to convert it to an EASA licence, just so I can continue to fly my own aeroplane in my own country.

[Pirke]

About 18-20 months and 46 hours.

[dera]

17 days, 40 hours, summer 2013 in FL.

[dagowly]

Start to finish - 3 weeks. Was extremely lucky with the weather.

[rnzoli]

At my age, having a family and working a job at the same time, in a club arrangement, it took a long time. In the calendar, it took 1 year and 8 months, but you can safely substract 9 months due to a major overhaul of the (at that time one and only) training airplane.
In the logbook I had 56 hours and 40 minutes at the end of the practical skill test.
But it is a continous journey, as so many said before. Already at the end of my training period, I noticed that my CFI started to care less and less about my solo flights, I could get his endorsement easily from him for various practice flights, and when I got back, his reaction was "Was everything OK?". At first I was surprised and thought about offending him with something personally :) only to realize it was part of the process of becoming a pilot :) And even another 50+ hours of flying alone or with my passengers, I learn something new on every flight.

[Fishtailed]

I am hacked off at having to pay the CAA a King's ransome to convert it to an EASA licence, just so I can continue to fly my own aeroplane in my own country.


I believe we are OK to carry on flying on our UK PPL untill 2018 at present, maybe for ever.


As you can see I can't "quote" previous posts as I once could, why not?!! Please help!

[ShyTorque]

Never did get to own a PPL (almost got there but not quite and eventually gave up), or a CPL.

After almost twenty years of military flying did the exams (twice) and training/ testing and finally popped out as an ATPL holder.

[ChickenHouse]

Started theory mid May with distance learning course as a pedestrian, passed all exams in one shot early September.
Started flying in July, passed exam early November with hours in the 50's (with about 10h bad weather training with little training content relevant for the exam but great for later, I took as it was booked anyways, not all were nice experience, but I do not regret having trained such with an instructor on the right) - took 5 different instructors to match my odd time constraints.

16 weeks duration for theory, 17 weeks for flight training, 26 weeks total from pedestrian to pilot, hours in the 50's and all parallel to fulltime+ working.

[chillindan]

Just finished my NPPL course, started 28th February and passed my GST on 16th December, 45 hours total time including some solo flying I did just to 'stay current' when instructors weren't available to be in the air with me, also did 3 dual XC flights as Blackpool closed before I could fly out solo to it.

Overall I loved the course and the pace was just right for me (about 4 lessons a month), did about 8 hours of ground school to pass the theory exams and an intensive 6 lesson RT course to pass the radio exams.

Just waiting for the CAA to send me the magic bit of paper now so I can carry on learning :)

Biggest piece of advice I'd give anyone is to make sure you read ahead in the syllabus and understand the lesson you are flying next so you can ask questions and be prepared, AND, after your lesson reflect on what you have learned, what went well, what went not so well and why. Finally, don't do what I tend to do, which is beat yourself up if something is less than perfect, although that's probably just more a personality thing..

[uniandpilot]

Congrats chillindan :ok::ok::ok:

[Cusco]

6 months and 60 hours November to April, 21 years ago.

Working full time so almost exclusively weekends.

Mildest winter for decades : only lost two days for weather.

Cusco

[ChrisVJ]

Five weeks and thirty hours ( an approved course) in 1962, Kidlington. It would have been four weeks but I took a week off to do a CCF camp at Bicester.

Learned on Colts but managed transition to Chipmunk, Auster Terrier and Tripacer as well. Good deal because our Math teacher had a Chipmunk at Kidlington and we got to 'borrow' it for the price of gas.

[dont overfil]

Seven months and 42.5 hours in 1988. Mostly with the one instructor and usually Sunday mornings.

It was done between February and September and thanks to the reliable East of Scotland weather there were only three cancellations.

Just a thought. I wonder how much I don't know as the study material was two skinny Birch and Bramson books.

D.O.

[chillindan]

Thanks uniandpilot its a great feeling to finally get here :)

[rej]

45 hours for an EASA SEP over 3 months. Hard work with flying twice on some days between April send July this year, trying to prep for the 9 exams and working full time. Well worth the effort as the joys of flying are so much better than anyone ever said.

[skyhawk_norway]

15 months, 55hours!

[KidInk]

6 years / 56 hours... Started when I was 14 so money was tight I'm now 20 and have finally passed last week :D greatest feeling in the world.

[uniandpilot]

Congrats KidInk

whereabouts in the UK did you do your ppl and how was the weather for you.

[Phororhacos]

14 months and 63 hours from trial lesson to finishing the test. This included a 3 month break (1991-1992)

[KidInk]

Hi mate, I trained at shropshire aero club. Visibility was perfect for my test! Just the fact the sun was so low in the horizon and a 30kt wind at 3000ft made it difficult :)

[thing]

46:35 including the test over four months. Lost about a month of that to weather and clobbered the rest as much as I could in between work etc. We all learn differently; the best way for me to learn is to go at something hammer and tongs. If your way is to take two years and 70 hours then that's also fine. All that is required is a safe pilot at the end of it.

And well done KidInk! I visited Sleap this year, great museum you have there.

[funfly]

Don't rush it.
The question you will ask yourself after you have got your ppl and taken a few mates for a ride is "what do I do now?"

[thing]

The question you will ask yourself after you have got your ppl and taken a few mates for a ride is "what do I do now?"

Go places, go abroad , do a night rating, IR(R) rating, tailwheel, floats, aeros, the list is endless. There's not enough time in a lifetime to fill up all of the things you can do with an aeroplane, unless you lack imagination.

[Armchairflyer]

... unless you lack imagination.Or money :}.

[thing]

I've had this conversation several times with the 'you must have a few bob to be able to afford flying' mob. I don't earn a lot and I'm always pretty sure that most folk earn more than me so I sit them down and work out what they spend on booze, fags, foreign holidays, new car in the drive etc. It's always far more than I spend a year on flying.

Depends how badly you want to fly.

[Armchairflyer]

Same here actually (no drugs except aviation, no fancy holidays or dinners, car almost as old as the airplanes I fly :cool:), so my flying bug does not suffer from financial starvation. Still, there are plenty of aviation activities which are perfectly compatible with my imagination but not with my wallet ;).

Ontopic and for the stats: 47,5 hrs, 50 logbook entries, 75 days (July to September). And after having met several quite "unexpected" combinations of experience/skills/airmanship in my years of PPLing, I wholeheartedly concur with the claim that hours-to-solo or hours-to-PPL as such say nothing about pilot qualities.

[Peter-RB]

PPL (h) 40hrs in 1999, not stopped smiling since..:):ok:

[Camargue]

about 7 hours .......
but then I did already have 148 hours on a UAS...
so I guess that makes 155 over 30 months (or more like 180 hours on the basis of chocks off/on time keeping) :)

[FANS]

And how many years did you keep flying after you got it?!

[flybymike]

That's probably a more interesting question.
32 years for me.

[Airclues]

4 weeks and 30 hours in March 1965. Continued flying for 43 years.

[Grob Queen]

Another slow learner here for the record.....

160 hours and 4 1/2 years so far and counting......

[ChrisJ800]

16hrs/3mths, prior 200hrs in gliders taken into account.

[flyinkiwi]

23 months and 81 hours all done part time over weekends and holidays. I did lots of non syllabus flying while I was a student because I wasn't in a hurry. As far as I am concerned it doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you get there in the end.