Private pilot license PPL(A): process, cost and duration

At some point, some spotters are no longer satisfied with just watching. Not everyone wants an airline cockpit right away, but flying a pattern yourself on the weekend, flying to the coast with friends or seeing an airfield from above that you have only known from the fence – that is exactly what the PPL(A) private pilot license is for. This guide shows you the process from sign-up to the exams, explains what the cost depends on and how long the duration realistically is.

What the PPL(A) is and what it allows you to do

The PPL(A) is the European private pilot license for airplanes; the “A” stands for aeroplane. It is regulated in EU Regulation 1178/2011, in the Part-FCL annex. The license is valid in all EASA member states without you having to have it converted anywhere.

With the PPL(A) you fly without remuneration as pilot in command (PIC) or co-pilot, in non-commercial operations. You may take passengers and share the direct flight costs with them as long as all occupants pay a share. You may not earn money with it. The privileges of the lighter LAPL are included in the PPL.

In training you earn the SEP (land) class rating for single-engine piston airplanes. Those are the aircraft you see at every regional airfield: Cessna 172 and Cessna 152, Piper PA-28 or the Diamond DA40 from Diamond Aircraft. Multi-engine aircraft, night flying or instrument flying are additional ratings you can add later.

PPL or LAPL: which license suits you?

Besides the PPL there is the LAPL(A), the light aircraft pilot license. You can find a detailed comparison in the article LAPL or PPL. The LAPL is leaner but has tighter limits: aircraft up to 2,000 kilograms maximum takeoff mass, no more than three passengers and only within the EASA area. In return, an LAPL medical is enough instead of Class 2.

Feature	LAPL(A)	PPL(A)
Area of validity	EASA states	ICAO-compliant, internationally recognized
Aircraft	up to 2,000 kg maximum takeoff mass	without this limit, depending on rating
Passengers	no more than 3	without this limit, depending on aircraft
Medical	LAPL medical	Class 2
Path to professional pilot	only by upgrading	basis of the modular route

If you only want to fly a four-seater in Germany and neighboring countries, the LAPL will serve you well. If you want to stay flexible, go abroad beyond EASA, fly bigger types or eventually head toward ATPL training, the PPL is the better choice. A later switch is possible: under Part-FCL, LAPL holders can upgrade to the PPL with a shortened additional training course. Cheaper ways into the air are also the glider license (SPL) and the ultralight license.

The requirements

Before you may fly solo, a few points have to be settled. It is best to take care of them early so training doesn’t stall shortly before the first solo.

• Age: For the first solo flight in an airplane you must be at least 16; the license is available from 17. You can start theory and flight hours with an instructor before that.
• Class 2 medical fitness: The examination is done by an aeromedical examiner (AME). It is less extensive than the Class 1 for professional pilots. Details are in the article Aeromedical fitness.
• Security background check (ZÜP, Zuverlässigkeitsüberprüfung): In Germany, the Aviation Security Act (Luftsicherheitsgesetz) requires a check by the aviation security authority (Section 7 LuftSiG), which is repeated regularly. Your flight school tells you when to submit the application.
• Radiotelephony certificate: No radio certificate, no radio – and so hardly any flight. For VFR flying in Germany that is a BZF, more on that below.
• English: If you use English on the radio, you also prove your language proficiency. The level determines how often you have to renew it.

Club or flight school?

Approved training organizations (ATO) and, for the private licenses, declared training organizations (DTO) may provide training. Many flying clubs are organized as DTOs. In practice you have two routes:

At a club you pay an admission fee and membership dues and often help with airfield operations. In return you get to know the field and the people you will fly with later. A flight school is more of a service provider: you book hours and you get them. Look at both, ideally on a trial flight or at an airfield open day. You can find small airfields near you with the guide Finding airfields on maps.

The process step by step

Flight training in detail

Part-FCL requires at least 45 hours of flight training for the PPL(A). That includes at least 25 hours with an instructor and 10 hours of supervised solo flight, of which at least 5 hours are solo cross-country. One of these flights must be at least 270 kilometers (150 NM) long and include full-stop landings at two airfields other than the departure field. Up to 5 of the 45 hours may be completed in an approved flight simulator (FSTD).

45 hours is the minimum, not the average. Many students need more like 50 to 70 hours, depending on how regularly they fly, how the weather cooperates and how quickly the landings come together. Long breaks cost money because after every break you have to get back into it first.

If you already hold a license for another aircraft category, for example as a helicopter pilot, then under Part-FCL 10 percent of your PIC time is credited, at most 10 hours. That doesn’t replace the solo cross-country requirements.

Theory: nine subjects

The theory covers nine subjects: air law, human performance, meteorology, communications, principles of flight, operational procedures, flight performance and planning, general aircraft knowledge and navigation. As a spotter you may already know half of it: if you can read METARs and TAFs, understand the airspace classes or know how to interpret the ICAO chart, you have a head start.

You take the exams with the competent authority. A paper counts as passed if you reach at least 75 percent of the points. You must pass all subjects within 18 months from the end of the calendar month of your first exam attempt. After that, the result stays valid for the issue of the license for 24 months, so you should also manage the practical test within that period.

The radiotelephony certificate

In Germany, the radio certificate is a separate exam alongside the license. For VFR pilots there are two variants: the BZF II allows radiotelephony in German within Germany, the BZF I additionally in English. If you plan vacation flights abroad, take the BZF I right away. The AZF is the certificate for instrument flying.

The exam consists of theory and a practical radio exercise. As a spotter with scanner experience you have a real advantage here because you already have the procedure and tone in your ear. To prepare, the articles on radiotelephony phraseology, the ICAO spelling alphabet and the question English or German in aviation radio help.

The practical test

At the end comes the test flight with an examiner (flight examiner). It consists of several parts: preparation and flight planning, departure, flight maneuvers and procedures, navigation, emergency procedures and approach with landing. You take the test on the same class you were trained on.

If you fail one item of a test section, that whole section counts as failed. If you don’t pass all sections in two attempts, Part-FCL requires further training before you try again. Once you have passed, you apply for the license with the competent authority. In Germany, for the PPL without an instrument rating, that is the aviation authorities of the federal states.

What does the PPL(A) cost?

There is no flat sum that is right for everyone. Roughly expect a five-figure amount. Where exactly you end up depends mainly on one number: flight hours times hourly rate. And because almost nobody finishes with exactly 45 hours, the number of hours is the biggest lever.

These items belong in your calculation:

• Aircraft rental: Usually billed by flight time or engine running time, often including fuel. Ask whether the price is “wet” or “dry”.
• Flight instructor: For dual-control hours the instructor is added, often much cheaper or volunteer at a club.
• Landing and approach fees: Every landing at another field costs money; with many traffic patterns it adds up.
• Theory course and study material: In-person or distance course, study software, charts, computer and plotter.
• Medical, ZÜP, radio certificate: Examination with the aeromedical examiner plus fees for the security background check and the radio exam.
• Exams and license: Fees for the theory exam, the examiner and issuing the license.
• Equipment: Your own headset is convenient but not strictly necessary on day one.
• Club: Admission fee, annual dues and possibly work hours or substitute payments.

How long does the PPL take?

Here too: it depends. An intensive course at a flight school with fixed dates and good weather can be done in a few months. If you fly mostly on weekends at a club alongside a job or studies, you often need longer than a year. Winter slows things down because short days and poor VFR weather allow fewer flights.

A few factors you control yourself:

• Regularity: Better one hour every week than two once a month. That way you have to repeat less.
• Theory in parallel: If you finish theory early, you can concentrate fully on flying later.
• Understanding weather: With tools like Windy and other weather maps you spot good flying days earlier.
• Prepare at home: The introduction to flight simulation helps with radio, procedures and orientation – it doesn’t replace flight hours in a real aircraft.

After the exam: keeping your license valid

The license itself doesn’t expire, but the class rating does. The SEP class rating is valid for two years. You can renew it in two ways:

• With flight experience: Within the last twelve months before expiry, 12 flight hours in the class, of which 6 hours as PIC, 12 takeoffs and 12 landings, plus a refresher flight of at least one hour with a flight instructor. In the community this is simply called “12/12/1”.
• With a proficiency check: A test flight with an examiner within three months before expiry.

For passenger flights you additionally need recent experience: at least three takeoffs, approaches and landings in the last 90 days. And of course your medical must be valid.

Many newly minted private pilots extend their license later, for example with the night rating, the multi-engine class or instrument flying. The difference between VFR and IFR is explained in the article VFR and IFR. If you are heading toward a career, you will find the routes in the guide Becoming a pilot.

What your spotter knowledge gives you

Spotters start the PPL with advantages. You know aircraft types and registrations, have probably already spent hours listening to aviation radio and know how an airfield works. If you spot general aviation at small fields, you have seen traffic patterns, trainer aircraft and touch-and-goes countless times already.

The change of perspective is still big: suddenly you are the one flying the pattern while someone below raises a camera. That is why many pilots stay spotters too – except that now the hangar holds types they have flown themselves.

Conclusion

The PPL(A) is the classic route into your own cockpit. The rules are clear: at least 45 hours of flight training with solo flights and a long cross-country flight, nine theory subjects, a Class 2 medical, a radio certificate and, in Germany, the security background check. You control the cost mainly through the number of hours and the choice between club and flight school, and the duration through your regularity.