Licence requirements in the 60's

[oliveau]

I'm researching for a book and need a bit of help please.

Central character has 6 years of single seat flying 1938-45, but stops flying as soon as the war is over. He then decides in the early sixties to fly again.

Presumably despite many log book hours he has no 'Grandfather Rights'.

What steps would he have had to take in the mid sixties to get a UK PPL?

[olympus]

The first thing he would have to do would be have a medical examination with an AME and then submit the medical certificate to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation for the issue of one of these:-



I can't remember how much it cost (I'm sure it wasn't free) but armed with this he can now be sent solo by his instructor when deemed ready.

Can't speak for an ex-military pilot but when I got my PPL in the sixties the syllabus required a minimum of forty hours flying (thirty-five if you were training at an approved flying school) of which a minimum of ten had to be solo. In those days one was also required to carry out a solo spinning exercise and of course all the other requirements of the syllabus had to be met. The training culminating in a Final Handling Test with the CFI (although I think we called it a GFT in those days).

Hope this helps.

[NutherA2]

then submit the medical certificate to the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation for the issue of one of these:-

I believe the SPL was done away some many years ago; a Class 2 Medical Certificate is, I think, the only document needed to be held in order to enable a student to be sent solo by a Flying Instructor.

I await with some trepidation a more expert explanation......where are you Beags?

[sycamore]

I joined Luton Flying Club in Feb 1960,had a medical in March `60,and got a PPL in Aug `61. It was issued by the Ministry of Aviation,for PPL(Flying Machines) ,CA Form 604; hardbacked cover,but a pewky pale brown cover.Licence number was 57***;Ratings were Group A,B,C,Other(not landplanes,seaplanes or Amphibs.Sometime later it was renewed, and issued by the Board of Trade,Civil Aviation Division,PPL(Aeroplanes).
I don`t recall having a Student PL at all.
Don`t recall having Certificates of Experience,or signatures in logbooks until the `70s,except Medical Certs.Then it all changed .....

[D120A]

I have in front of me my Student Pilot Licence n. 73XX94 issued on 31 March 1966. It is valid for 2 years from the application date, until 21 March 1968. It has a medical certificate embedded in it with a 1967 date, presumably a renewal, (which specifies I wear my glasses).

The privileges of the licence are stated as me being "entitled to fly as pilot in command of an aircraft for the purpose of becoming qualified for the grant or renewal of a pilot's licence." It specifically excludes being PiC of an aircraft in which a person is carried. It also restricts me to the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man, and also only to flights carried out with the specific authorisation of a licence holder who is also a flying instructor.

I recall that this had to be applied for, and received, before you could be sent solo in the 60s. Presumably someone in the Ministry of Aviation took a hard look at the relevance of this practice some time later and binned it, replacing it with the far more sensible hurdles of the medical (and passing the Air Law exam, IIRC in 1991?) before going solo.

[Fitter2]

In '69 I had a Student Pilot's licence and PPL medical. I also had a gliding Silver C, which meant that I only had to do 3 hours solo, the GFT and the written papers to get a PPL. No minimum total hour limit. So with 7 hours and 5 minutes total time in a J3 Cub plus 20 minutes in a Pup 100 showing I could recover from spins in both directions, I had a brand new PPL (A) which let me climb into an RF4 and set about learning to fly. I'm slowly getting there...

[2 sheds]

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation ceased to be in title in 1959. Responsibility was transferred to the newly named Ministry of Aviation which remained until 1967.

2 s

[chevvron]

...when civil aviation came under the Board of Trade!!

[India Four Two]

I have in front of me my Student Pilot Licence n. 73XX94 issued on 31 March 1966

D120A,

"Aeroplanes, balloons and airships."

Mine was issued six months later but I don't have it any more. Can you refresh my memory about the wonderful language inside the cover, requesting help for the holder, if necessary. I vaguely remember something about "...commands and requires civil and military authorities..."

[D120A]

It says 'Flying machines, Balloons and Airships', but there is nothing at all on the inside cover, certainly nothing about anybody giving me any help or assistance.

Story of my life, really...

[old,not bold]

I learned at Sleap in '64-'65....Les Phillips was CFI aided by Bill Wyatt, Sid (?) Blakemore and of course the great Adam Wojda when he wasn't grounded by Les for yet another misdemeanour.

We did spinning, and had to demonstrate recovery from a fully developed one, but I do NOT remember being told to do a solo spin, or ever having the urge to do that.

One of Adam's many groundings was for teaching me to enter a spin in an Auster by slowing to 60KT flying straight and level, no flap, then suddenly and fast to heave the stick fully back and kick full rudder in the desired direction, then to hold that until the spin had developed, whereupon you started recovery action. I got quite good at that (was it the start of an incomplete flick roll?), but Adam got grounded once again after I had a ride with Les and he told me to spin and recover exactly as I had been taught.

Adam also got p****d off with being told to teach nice square circuits, and he had me going round doing what was very like a stall turn at each corner; "We'll show them square circuits" he said. Then he showed me how to keep the threshold in view and attainable if the engine failed when landing in an SE aircraft, steep slipping curved path from downwind to 200 ft or less on final, then slipping left and right alternately, 3-4 seconds each way. I think it was called "fish-tailing".

Grounded again; Les had eyes in the back of his head.

Sorry, thread drift; the sight of that SPL and mention of a solo spin took me back.

[oldandbald]

I was most fortunate to get PPL training as part of the UK ATCOCadet scheme and in January and February 1966 learnt to fly on Cessna 150s in East Anglia. We were expected to go out and practice spins solo. I did one and then I saw one of my colleagues doing his spins in the distance and seeingwhat it looked like decided not to do any more. Landed back later and declaredtask completed. Did cross country flights off snow covered airfields and got caught in a hail storm, but good memories overall.

Don’t remember having a Student’s Licence but I still have my brown cover PPL Licence from the time.

[oliveau]

Thanks guys; the information is most helpful.

It looks as though my book character in 1962 would need a medical, then demonstrate his competence in the air. Having done that he'd also need to submit his log book and hopefully he'd get his licence.
Well, that's how I've written it..........!

[2 sheds]

My recollection from that period is that a Student Pilot's Licence was required and that this was probably then traded in for the PPL when the course was complete and all the paperwork, logbook - and, no doubt, quite a few shekels - were submitted to the predecessor-in-title of the CAA.

2 s

Hi JB

[sycamore]

A note about `shekels`,as it`s been mentioned; an hour in an Auster in 1961 was £3.7s 6p , Tiger Moth £3.12s 6p ,and the Chipmunk was £5 5s(5 guineas).

[D120A]

And before a large number of people say how easy the baby-boomers had it, I was earning £12 a week at that time.

And houses were £3000. Do the sums, people, do the sums....

[2 sheds]

Cue the Four Yorkshiremen sketch!

2 s

[Lon More]

Inflation had struck just after that Sycamore. At Luton, by 1967 an hour in a C150 was 6 pounds 10 shillings; a pound more with instructor IIRC.