45 hours before PPL Skills Test?

[G SXTY]

I have approx 42 hours TT (including 9 solo) and am, according to my instructor, ready for the skills test. My cunning plan is to fly another 1 hour solo x-country to bring me up to the 10 hours, and use the 2 hours of the skill test to take me to the 45 hours for licence issue.

However, having checked the CAA’s website, “Skill Test Requirements” mentions “An applicant may not take the Skill Test until all required flying training has been completed.” - which would suggest I need 45 hours before taking the test.

Obviously, putting in an extra couple of hours wouldn’t be the end of the world, but at £120 an hour(!) :eek:, I’d rather save the money for hours building in the US. I’ll check with the CFI, and possibly the CAA for a definitive answer, but was wondering if anyone else has been in this situation, and what the outcome was.

Any comments gratefully received.

[Grafter]

You will find that you cannot have your license issued until you have completed 45 hours.

In theory you can do your skills test when you want, within reason..............;)

[Stan Evil]

It's all in JAR-FCL 1

http://www.jaa.nl/section1/jars/39/53/395312/395312.pdf

Look in the PPL section. You need 10 hours solo of which 5 must be x-country and 25 hours dual. you also need, as Grafter says, a total of 45 hrs before licence issue (not before skill test).

[Steamhead]

And as an extra you can do 5hrs of your 45 hrs at night and get your night rating as well.
The rules for this are well hidden but don't let anybody tell you you cannot, because we have done it and had the licence issued
i.e. 45hrs only and PPL with night rating

Regards

[GoneWest]

G SXTY - all the above is reasonably correct.

The minimum "required flying training" you mention is only 35 hours (10 hours solo, 25 hours dual - with a certain breakdown for each). All these 35 hours must be flown in daylight.

The minimun hours required for "licence issue" (a different subject) are 45 hours total - which may leave the student with anything up to 10 hours shortfall.

These ten hours may, indeed, include your skill test and the night QUALIFICATION training (it is not a "rating" any more - there is a difference).

You can finish with a PPL and Night (and R/T) at the 45 hours stage.

No comment made in the above scenarios about QUALITY.

[englishal]

it is not a "rating" any more - there is a difference
What is the difference apart from the name? Its still costs 64 quid :D

[I think the PPL should include the night flying and the NR(Q) should be scrapped, similar to the FAA system..IMO]

Cheers
EA;)

[G SXTY]

Many thanks for the advice – looks like I can save a few pounds for the hour-building fund (or the Gatbash fund . . .) :):)

[knobbygb]

G SXTY - good news for both of us. I discussed this with the CFI at my club this afternoon and he wasn't sure of the answer. He promised to check it out and let me know. Looks like the answer might be 'yes'.

I have my skills test booked for.... TOMORROW:eek: :eek: :eek: (Tue 19th) but only have 43.3 hours. I was supposed to do the 1.7 hours today but it was 'fogged-off'. I'd resigned myself to not doing the test until early Dec (next available date) but.... damn, I'm panicking now.....

When's yours or haven't you booked it yet?

[Circuit Basher]

G-SXTY

Congratulations on getting this far (and hope the skills test goes OK today)!!

I was in a similar position to you (in the pre-JAR days) and was just 1.5hrs solo time short of the required hours for licence issue. I just got told to go up and bimble to make up the hours. I did just that and at around the 1 hr point, saw an approaching front. Returned to the airport and did a couple of REALLY slow circuits - still 0.2hrs short, but felt that staying up for another circuit wasn't an option - I was going to be IMC before too long. Landed in and did about the longest / slowest landing roll I could get away with and the slowest taxi (it was brakes-to-brakes timing!) and I was still 1 minute short (I record decimal hrs and was just short of the 3 minute round-up point!). However, if I looked at my watch a bit squinty, it looked like it could have been a minute later, so I just rounded it up!! Sorry, CAA - I cheated by 1 minute on my licence issue (but made what I felt was a safe decision!). If it makes anyone happier, in the 120 hrs since licence issue, I've since deducted that 0.1 hrs!! :)

[knobbygb]

One would hope they'd apply common sense if you were only 0.1 under, but then again, with the CAA......

By the way, it was me, not G SXTY who was doing it today, but it's too foggy :mad:

I Emailed the CAA last night to try to get a definative answer to the 45 hours question as after reading through all the documentation things still didn't seem 100% clear cut. I got an Email reply at 07:30 this morning :eek: saying that they had an answer for me but wanted to put it in writing, so pease could I supply my address.

When I recieve the letter, I will post the official answer here for confirmation. Now, what's the betting it'll be written in clear and easy to understand language ? ;)

[FormationFlyer]

According to the rules GoneWest is right.

You have obviously been a star student!!!

I hope the shotrfall isnt through skipping lessons like 10A & 11A....and is purely down to your abaility!!!

Congrats.

[G SXTY]

Thanks FF, you’re making me blush! I’d better reserve judgement on the ability thing until after I’ve passed the skills test . . . ;)

knobbygb
Not booked yet, as I’ve been waiting a month to do the final 1 hour solo x-country. I’m feeling for you with the wx, but if you can’t spend ludicrous amounts of money on flying, you could always do what I’ve done this morning and blow £400 on a class 1 medical. :eek: :eek:

[knobbygb]

£400 - ouch! Thought the class 2 was expensive enough. Spent the last week doing no less than five exams. Final one complete yesterday (Meteorology) - kind of ironic that there were four questions on fog :(

Going into defensive mode, since some people think it's impossible to complete properly in 45 hours, I want to point out that I don't consider it a race and I'm fully aware that this is where the learning really starts, not ends. I just want to get all the nasty paperwork out of the way ASAP so I can concentrate on learning more. The first thing I'll be doing after getting the licence, once sobered up of course, will be going up with an instructor to do some proper spinning and to start a night qualification. Wanted to do this during the course but the weather hasn't allowed it for the last couple of weeks (spinning) and the CAA want yet another piece of paper before the club can start night training (would you believe they need a map of the airfield boundary at night - they already have a daytime one !!! :eek: :confused: )

Anyway (hopefully) completing in 45 hours has been bl**dy hard work as G SXTY and Circuit Basher will probably agree. I admit it was my aim right from the start and I've put the effort in to make it happen and am proud that I've (nearly) achieved my aim, although I honestly wouldn't really have minded if it had taken longer.