The Private Pilot License (PPL)
I will be posting many articles under this title, and today I have chosen the topic on: What you need to study and do to become a licensed Private Pilot and hold a PPL (Private Pilot License) for a single engine land aircraft with VFR rating (visual flying rules).
Requirements vary depending on the country you are being licensed in, but in general these are the prerequisites and the phases a pilot to be will pass through in ground lessons and practical flying lessons:
Phase 1: Student pilot
First, you become a student pilot and these are the requirements to submit and register for a student pilot in a flying school or flying academy:
1) 18 years old +
2) Good command of the English language
3) Valid category 1 or 2 medical certificate
4) Money of course!
Being a student pilot you will be studying ground lessons on the following topics:
- Air-law
- Stroke engines
- Meteorology
- Aerodynamics
- Navigation
- Medical
While attending the ground lessons, your instructor will be taking you for dual instruction practical flying lessons, where you will start flying the aircraft on the left seat. Ground lessons could vary, but usually it will take around 25 hours.
In the practical flying lessons, you would need at least 45 hours of flying hours as follows: 17 hours dual instruction, 3 solo hours cross-country, 5 hours instrument time. In addition to 12 hours must be solo and 8 hours of the cross-country with triangular flight not less than 150 nautical miles including 2 full-stop landing.
Phase 2: Solo student pilot
This is a very important phase in every pilot's flying experience. Every pilot will remember the day when his instructor clears him for the solo. After flying at least 10 hours of dual instruction, the instructor will evaluate your student pilot's flying capabilities and if you are ready in terms of knowledge, practice and mentally, the instructor will ask the student pilot to do his first solo, i.e. flying the aircraft on his own for the first time, with at least one take-off and one landing.
Phase 3: A licensed private pilot with VFR rating
After successfully finishing the required flying hours and the ground lessons, the student pilot will sit for a written exam to answer 100 multiple choice question on all the subjects he studied. The passing grade is usually at 70%.
Later, the student pilot will have a check-ride by an examiner instructor. If the instructor is satisfied with the results of the check-ride, he will sign-off his approval for licensing the pilot. Usually, during the check-ride the instructor will ask the student to do basic maneuvers of take-off and landing in normal and short fields, flying the circuit of an airport, climbing and descending turns, in addition to steep turns, approaching the stall and recovery from a stall with many navigation questions and practices.
When you become a licensed private pilot, you are allowed to fly the plane solo and you may take passengers with you but without charging them for the flight.
I will be posting many articles under this title, and today I have chosen the topic on: What you need to study and do to become a licensed Private Pilot and hold a PPL (Private Pilot License) for a single engine land aircraft with VFR rating (visual flying rules).
Requirements vary depending on the country you are being licensed in, but in general these are the prerequisites and the phases a pilot to be will pass through in ground lessons and practical flying lessons:
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| That is me, ready for a flight above Jeddah in KSA |
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| Me (on the left) at the glass cockpit of a Cessan 172 G1000 |
Phase 1: Student pilot
First, you become a student pilot and these are the requirements to submit and register for a student pilot in a flying school or flying academy:
1) 18 years old +
2) Good command of the English language
3) Valid category 1 or 2 medical certificate
4) Money of course!
Being a student pilot you will be studying ground lessons on the following topics:
- Air-law
- Stroke engines
- Meteorology
- Aerodynamics
- Navigation
- Medical
While attending the ground lessons, your instructor will be taking you for dual instruction practical flying lessons, where you will start flying the aircraft on the left seat. Ground lessons could vary, but usually it will take around 25 hours.
In the practical flying lessons, you would need at least 45 hours of flying hours as follows: 17 hours dual instruction, 3 solo hours cross-country, 5 hours instrument time. In addition to 12 hours must be solo and 8 hours of the cross-country with triangular flight not less than 150 nautical miles including 2 full-stop landing.
Phase 2: Solo student pilot
This is a very important phase in every pilot's flying experience. Every pilot will remember the day when his instructor clears him for the solo. After flying at least 10 hours of dual instruction, the instructor will evaluate your student pilot's flying capabilities and if you are ready in terms of knowledge, practice and mentally, the instructor will ask the student pilot to do his first solo, i.e. flying the aircraft on his own for the first time, with at least one take-off and one landing.
Phase 3: A licensed private pilot with VFR rating
After successfully finishing the required flying hours and the ground lessons, the student pilot will sit for a written exam to answer 100 multiple choice question on all the subjects he studied. The passing grade is usually at 70%.
Later, the student pilot will have a check-ride by an examiner instructor. If the instructor is satisfied with the results of the check-ride, he will sign-off his approval for licensing the pilot. Usually, during the check-ride the instructor will ask the student to do basic maneuvers of take-off and landing in normal and short fields, flying the circuit of an airport, climbing and descending turns, in addition to steep turns, approaching the stall and recovery from a stall with many navigation questions and practices.
When you become a licensed private pilot, you are allowed to fly the plane solo and you may take passengers with you but without charging them for the flight.
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