Microlight to PPL

[pilotbarony]

Hello,

Just a quick question. Do hours done in a microlight (Ikarus C42) count towards a PPL license?

For example, I'm thinking of doing a NPPL at Strathaven in a C42, but would the hours count if I went on to do a PPL in a C152?

[xrayalpha]

Hi,

Good to hear you are thinking of an NPPL M with us here at Strathaven.

Simple answer is: sort of!

Longer answer, any hours done on a microlight count for an NPPL. If you haven't done your General Skills Test, then they will count towards an NPPL M or an NPPL SSEA (ie light aircraft).

So, if you had done 31 hours on a microlight C42, then you could do 1 hour on a Cessna 150 and then sit your GST and you would have a NPPL SSEA.

Alternatively, you can get your NPPL M on the C42 and do a three hour conversion course and get a SSEA rating added to your NPPL. There are people who specialise in this.

With an NPPL SSEA, until Easter 2017, you can get an EASA LAPL issued for c85 quid. No tests, no flying.

With an EASA LAPL, you can then progress to an EASA SEP if the need takes you. If I recall correct, you might have to do about 15 hours more training: but you could use this to start learning instrument or night flying, for instance

The above is all what is legally possible.

So people will point out, and rightly so, that you would be unlikely to be able to pass a NPPL GST in a Cessna 150 after just one hour in one, following 31 in a C42! You would have to allow yourself time to convert to a different aircraft.

Having said that, we have had quite a few people who have gone from here and done just three hours in a Warrior and then passed their SSEA test.

Hope that all helps.

[pilotbarony]

Hi,

Good to hear you are thinking of an NPPL M with us here at Strathaven.

Simple answer is: sort of!

Longer answer, any hours done on a microlight count for an NPPL. If you haven't done your General Skills Test, then they will count towards an NPPL M or an NPPL SSEA (ie light aircraft).

So, if you had done 31 hours on a microlight C42, then you could do 1 hour on a Cessna 150 and then sit your GST and you would have a NPPL SSEA.

Alternatively, you can get your NPPL M on the C42 and do a three hour conversion course and get a SSEA rating added to your NPPL. There are people who specialise in this.

With an NPPL SSEA, until Easter 2017, you can get an EASA LAPL issued for c85 quid. No tests, no flying.

With an EASA LAPL, you can then progress to an EASA SEP if the need takes you. If I recall correct, you might have to do about 15 hours more training: but you could use this to start learning instrument or night flying, for instance

The above is all what is legally possible.

So people will point out, and rightly so, that you would be unlikely to be able to pass a NPPL GST in a Cessna 150 after just one hour in one, following 31 in a C42! You would have to allow yourself time to convert to a different aircraft.

Having said that, we have had quite a few people who have gone from here and done just three hours in a Warrior and then passed their SSEA test.

Hope that all helps.
Hi,

What age do you have to be to get the NPPL M? And do you have any idea what's happening after easter 2017?

I'm currently only 14 years old (mistyped in my previous thread) and 15 in September, so I can't progress through this in time if the age is 17 for the license.

[Genghis the Engineer]

So people will point out, and rightly so, that you would be unlikely to be able to pass a NPPL GST in a Cessna 150 after just one hour in one, following 31 in a C42! You would have to allow yourself time to convert to a different aircraft.

And there are aspects to "group A" flying that are quite different to microlight flying - particularly the instrument flying and procedural aspects.

My experience is that around 10 hours is about right to turn a good microlight pilot into somebody who can pass an SSEA skill test.

Of course, no two pilots are the same - people have done it in 3 hours, whilst I've seen a couple who really struggled to make the extra step into group A flying.

G

[pilotbarony]

And there are aspects to "group A" flying that are quite different to microlight flying - particularly the instrument flying and procedural aspects.

My experience is that around 10 hours is about right to turn a good microlight pilot into somebody who can pass an SSEA skill test.

Of course, no two pilots are the same - people have done it in 3 hours, whilst I've seen a couple who really struggled to make the extra step into group A flying.

G
Hi,

I have used flight sims a lot - would this cut down the time needed to turn the microlight flying to the SSEA?

[Genghis the Engineer]

Hard to tell - if you are already a microlight pilot, and current, it might help. If you aren't a current pilot, it'll probably increase the hours as PC based sims used unsupervised will probably introduce bad habits that need unlearning.

At your age, and not flying yet, I suspect neutral - you'll have a lot of bad habits from the sim flying, but are likely to learn very fast if you apply yourself now. Good youngsters usually learn not far off minimum hours.

G