LAPL vs. PPL: differences between the private pilot licenses

If you have stood at the fence of a small airfield often enough, watching the Cessnas fly the traffic pattern, at some point you start wondering: why not do it myself? At the latest, at your first chat at the club, the question comes up that confuses many beginners: LAPL or PPL? Both licenses put you in the air as pilot in command, and both are European law. Still, they differ clearly in privileges, training, medical requirements and range. This guide compares the two private pilot licenses and helps you decide which one fits your plans.

LAPL or PPL: the short answer

The LAPL(A) – short for Light Aircraft Pilot Licence – is the leaner recreational license. It lets you fly single-engine piston airplanes or touring motor gliders up to 2,000 kg maximum takeoff mass, with no more than three passengers, generally within the EASA area. The PPL(A), the Private Pilot Licence, is the full private pilot license: without these mass and passenger limits, recognized internationally to the ICAO standard and the basis for further ratings.

Put simply: the LAPL is the cheaper, faster entry for everyone who wants to fly typical club aircraft in Europe. The PPL is the license with more room to move – for larger aircraft, flights outside Europe, multi-engine aircraft, instrument flying or as a stepping stone toward a professional pilot career.

Where the two licenses come from

Both licenses are set out in EU Regulation No 1178/2011, more precisely in its Annex I, which everyone simply calls Part-FCL. With it, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) replaced the national rulebooks. In Germany, the aviation authorities of the federal states usually issue the LAPL and PPL, and training takes place at approved training organizations – these can be flight schools or air sports clubs. How getting started at a club works in practice is described in the guide Becoming a member of an air sports club.

The LAPL was introduced with Part-FCL as a European specialty. The idea behind it: if you only fly small aircraft in your free time, you don’t need to go through the complete ICAO licensing framework. The PPL, on the other hand, follows the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization and exists in comparable form worldwide.

The “(A)” after both abbreviations stands for aeroplane, that is, airplane. Both licenses also exist for other categories, such as helicopters. For gliders there are separate rules with the sailplane pilot license since the overhaul – more on that in the article on the glider license SPL. This comparison focuses on powered flight in airplanes.

What you can fly with which license

The most important difference is in the privileges. The LAPL(A) sets a fixed framework for you, the PPL(A) is open in principle – it only requires the matching class or type rating for each aircraft.

	LAPL(A)	PPL(A)
Aircraft	single-engine piston airplanes (land, with an extension also sea) and touring motor gliders	all airplanes for which you hold a class or type rating
Maximum takeoff mass	up to 2,000 kg	no license-related limit
People on board	no more than 4 (you plus 3 passengers)	no license-related limit
Operation	non-commercial	non-commercial
International recognition	generally only the EASA area	ICAO-compliant, recognized worldwide
Further ratings	limited	multi-engine, instrument rating and more

For typical club operations, the LAPL framework is more generous than it sounds. The Cessna 172, the Robin DR400, the Piper PA-28 and the Diamond DA40 are single-engine piston airplanes and clearly below 2,000 kg. A Cirrus SR22 also falls into the LAPL class as a single-engine piston airplane – you just can’t have more than four people on board.

The line is drawn at anything with more than one engine or a turbine. The twin-engine Diamond DA42, the Piper PA-34 Seneca and the Tecnam P2006T require a PPL plus a multi-engine rating. The Cessna 208 Caravan is a turboprop and therefore not a LAPL aircraft either.

Comparing the training

In content, the two courses are very similar. You learn the same basics, fly the same exercises and at some point land alone for the first time. The difference lies mainly in scope.

Minimum flight hours

Part-FCL sets minimums for both licenses:

Requirement	LAPL(A)	PPL(A)
Total flight training	at least 30 hours	at least 45 hours (up to 5 of them creditable in a simulator)
of which with an instructor	at least 15 hours	at least 25 hours
supervised solo flight	at least 6 hours	at least 10 hours
of which solo cross-country	at least 3 hours	at least 5 hours
long cross-country flight	at least 150 km, one landing at another airfield	at least 270 km, landings at two other airfields
Minimum age at issue	17 years	17 years

These values are lower limits. Many students need more because weather, breaks or simply their own learning curve get in the way. So plan time and budget with a buffer.

Theory

For theory, the gap between the two licenses has closed. A 2020 amendment to Part-FCL established that a LAPL holder gets the theory for the PPL in the same category credited in full – both the instruction and the exam. You know the subjects from any training: air law, human performance, meteorology, communications, principles of flight, operational procedures, flight performance and planning, aircraft general knowledge and navigation.

Communications also includes radiotelephony. Many spotters already know the phraseology and the ICAO spelling alphabet well from listening in – a real advantage. How radio language is structured is shown in the article on radiotelephony phraseology. For radio communication in Germany you additionally need a radiotelephony certificate; check in advance whether your school includes that training.

Practical test

Both courses end with a practical test with an examiner. You show that you can handle flight preparation, traffic patterns, emergency procedures, navigation and radio with confidence. The procedure is similar, and the requirements are based on the privileges of the respective license.

Medical: LAPL medical or Class 2

Before you may fly solo, you need an aeromedical certificate. This is where the licenses differ noticeably:

• LAPL(A): A LAPL medical certificate is enough. The requirements are adapted to the lower risk, and the examination is leaner.
• PPL(A): You need at least a Class 2 medical certificate. The requirements are stricter, and as you get older you have to come in for the examination at shorter intervals.

Both certificates are issued by an aeromedical examiner. If you have a health history in particular, you should clear the medical before any other step. For some people the LAPL medical is attainable but Class 2 is not – then the decision has already been made. What happens during the examinations and how the classes differ is explained in the guide to aeromedical fitness.

Staying current: two different systems

After the test, the real pilot life begins. And here the two licenses work by different logic.

LAPL(A): rolling flight experience. The LAPL has no class rating that expires. Instead, before every flight as pilot in command you must be able to show that in the last 24 months you have flown at least 12 hours – as pilot in command or with or under the supervision of an instructor – including 12 takeoffs and landings, plus a refresher flight of at least one hour with an instructor. If something is missing, you make it up with an instructor or take a proficiency check.

PPL(A): class rating with an expiry date. With the PPL you fly single-engine piston airplanes with the SEP (Single Engine Piston) class rating. It is valid for two years. You can renew it either with a proficiency check in the three months before expiry or through flight experience: in the 12 months before expiry you need 12 flight hours in the class, of which 6 as pilot in command, 12 takeoffs and landings and a refresher flight of at least one hour with an instructor.

In practice the effort is similar – if you fly regularly, you meet both models along the way. The difference: with the LAPL you continuously check backward, with the PPL you keep a fixed date in view.

Abroad: where the LAPL hits its limits

Within the EASA member states you can fly with both licenses – in an aircraft registered in one of those states. A weekend trip to France, Austria or Italy is no problem with the LAPL.

Outside that area, things look different. The LAPL does not meet ICAO standards and is therefore generally not recognized in other countries. If you want to charter an airplane on vacation in the USA, Canada or South Africa, you need an ICAO-compliant license – that is, the PPL. The same usually applies to aircraft with foreign registrations based in Europe. If you often see N-registered aircraft at small airfields while spotting, now you know why their pilots wouldn’t get far with a LAPL alone.

Further ratings and career

The PPL is the foundation on which the rest of the pilot world is built. With it you can earn, among other things, a multi-engine rating, an instrument rating (more on that in the article VFR and IFR explained) or type ratings for more complex aircraft. The modular path to the commercial pilot license also typically builds on the PPL.

With the LAPL the options are more limited, but not zero. A night rating is open to LAPL holders under Part-FCL as well. For aerobatic and towing ratings, on the other hand, you should ask your flight school in each case which requirements apply to your license.

If a professional career appeals to you, the LAPL is not a detour, but not a shortcut either. Which paths lead to the airline cockpit is shown in the overview Becoming a pilot: all the paths, and what professional training costs in the article on ATPL training.

Upgrade: from the LAPL to the PPL

Many start with the LAPL and later realize they want more. Part-FCL explicitly provides for this path:

On paper you end up with similar minimum hours as with the direct PPL. The detour mainly costs you the additional training, a second test and a bit of organization – in return you fly on your own sooner.

Which license fits you?

There are, by the way, alternatives beyond these two licenses. If you mainly want to fly cheaply and light, also take a look at the ultralight license – with its own rules and its own aircraft class. If you would rather take off without an engine, gliding offers a classic club entry. And if you don’t want to commit to fixed-wing aircraft, read the article Becoming a helicopter pilot.

What spotters bring to training

Spotters don’t start from zero. If you listen to air traffic radio, you understand clearances and traffic pattern calls faster. If you spot general aviation, you know the typical trainers, you know what traffic patterns look like and you have already seen how an airfield works in a crosswind. And if you can identify light aircraft, you feel at home on a club’s apron right away.

Reading charts helps too. How to interpret aerodrome charts is shown in the guide to AIP aerodrome charts, and how to find small airfields in the first place is in the article Finding airfields on maps. An easy way into practice: an introductory flight at a club before you decide on a license.

What to watch out for

• Medical first. Without the right medical, the best planning is useless. Before the first contract, clarify whether the LAPL medical or Class 2 is realistic for you.
• Set your goals honestly. Do you just want to fly traffic patterns on weekends, or eventually head to Croatia and beyond? That decides the license.
• Check the fleet. Look at which aircraft your club or flight school has. If there are almost only four-seaters under 2,000 kg, the LAPL covers everyday flying.
• Compare costs, not just hours. Rental rates, club fees, exam fees, medical and materials make the difference – not just the number in the rulebook.
• Think about the upgrade. If the PPL is likely, the direct route can end up simpler than two tests.
• Keep up with the rules. Part-FCL is amended again and again. For details, rely on your flight school and the responsible aviation authority, not on old forum posts.

Conclusion

The LAPL and PPL are not competitors but two steps of the same staircase. The LAPL(A) gets you into the air with fewer hours and a lighter medical class – for club flying in Europe in single-engine piston airplanes up to 2,000 kg it is entirely sufficient. The PPL(A) costs more training but opens up the world: ICAO recognition, larger aircraft, further ratings and the option of a later professional career. If you’re unsure, you can start with the LAPL and upgrade later without repeating the theory. You can read more about the full license in the guide to the private pilot license PPL(A).