Ultralight pilot license (UL): training, aircraft and costs

At some point, many spotters have had enough of looking through the fence. The wish to sit at the controls yourself is there – but professional pilot training with six-figure costs is not an option for most people. This is where the ultralight license comes in. In Germany, it is one of the most accessible paths into your own cockpit: compact training, comparatively light aircraft, many schools at small airfields. This guide shows you what the UL license allows, how the training works, which aircraft you fly along the way and how to calculate the costs realistically.

Ultralight pilot license: the short answer

The ultralight license is officially called the Luftfahrerschein für Luftsportgeräteführer (air sports equipment pilot license). It is a purely German license, regulated in the Ordinance on Aviation Personnel (LuftPersV), and entitles you to fly air sports equipment of the registered type in daytime. For the classic three-axis aircraft, you need at least 30 flight hours, at least five of them solo, theoretical training in seven subject areas, an LAPL medical and a passed theory exam and practical exam. You can start at 16, and you get the license at 17 at the earliest.

The UL license thus sits alongside the EU licenses you may already know. How LAPL and PPL differ and what the private pilot license PPL(A) offers is explained in guides of their own. The key difference: ultralights fall under national law, the training is leaner, but the privileges are limited to the class of air sports equipment.

What actually counts as ultralight?

“Ultralight” is not a marketing term but a class of aircraft in its own right. In Germany, ultralight aircraft count as air sports equipment (Luftsportgeräte) and have at most two seats. For two-seat three-axis aircraft, the maximum takeoff mass limit is 600 kg today – considerably more than in the early years of the class. Many current ultralights therefore look like a normal light aircraft at first glance.

Within the class, the law distinguishes several types of equipment, and you need a separate rating for each:

Equipment type	Control	Typical look at the airfield	Minimum flight time under LuftPersV
Three-axis aircraft (aerodynamically controlled)	stick or yoke, rudder, ailerons	looks like a small airplane with a canopy	30 h, of which 5 h solo
Trike (weight-shift controlled)	weight shift on the wing	open undercarriage with seat and engine under a hang glider-style wing	25 h, of which 10 h with an instructor and 5 h solo
Gyrocopter	freely spinning rotor, propeller pushes	small rotorcraft, often with tandem seats	30 h for beginners under DULV training
Ultralight helicopter	powered rotor	very small, light helicopter	40 h, of which 10 h solo

On top of that come powered paragliders and hang gliders, plus a special class: ultralights with a maximum of 120 kg empty mass. These devices are exempt from type certification, and the medical requirement does not apply to them. For most beginners, however, the 120 kg class plays a minor role, because the usual training aircraft are considerably heavier.

Who issues the UL license?

Unlike with EU licenses, the Federal Aviation Office (Luftfahrt-Bundesamt) is not the first point of contact for ultralights. Section 31c of the Aviation Act allows tasks to be delegated to authorized bodies. For ultralights, these are in practice two associations: the Deutscher Ultraleichtflugverband (DULV) and the Deutscher Aero Club (DAeC). They set the content and course of training, organize the exams and issue the licenses.

Important when choosing a school: the DULV points out that it only issues licenses to student pilots who were trained at a flight school listed in its database. So check which association your school is registered with before signing a contract, and ask directly if in doubt.

Requirements before your first flight

Before you climb into the cockpit, you should sort out a few points:

• Age: Training can start at 16, the license at 17 at the earliest.
• Medical: An aeromedical certificate at least for the LAPL. What happens during the examination and how the classes differ is covered in the guide to aeromedical fitness. Get the medical done early – it would be annoying to hit a problem only after ten flight hours.
• Training registration: The flight school registers you with the association. With the DULV, the registration must arrive no later than eight days after training starts.
• Documents: A copy of your ID and, if applicable, proof of existing licenses or a radiotelephony certificate.

How the training works

Training consists of two parts that usually run in parallel: theory and practice. How fast you progress depends mainly on the weather, your availability and how busy the school and its aircraft are.

The theory

Section 42 LuftPersV specifies seven subject areas:

1. Air law and radio communication
2. Navigation
3. Meteorology
4. Aerodynamics
5. Aircraft knowledge and technology
6. Behavior in special cases
7. Human performance

The DULV divides the content into two modules: Module I with air law, navigation, aeronautical radio and meteorology, Module II with technology and behavior in special cases. For beginners with no prior flying background, the DULV provides for 60 hours of theory instruction at the flight school.

As a spotter, you have a real head start here. If you can already read METARs and TAFs, know the airspace classes and are familiar with radio phraseology, you already have a good part of meteorology, air law and radio in your head. AIP aerodrome charts are then no longer new territory for you either.

The practice

For three-axis aircraft, in addition to the 30 hours of total flight time with at least five hours solo, the LuftPersV requires, among other things:

• takeoffs and landings at different airfields
• off-field landing practice with an instructor
• at least two cross-country flights with an instructor of at least 200 kilometers each with an intermediate landing
• instruction in special flight conditions and in how to behave in emergencies

The DULV additionally requires at least three solo cross-country flights of over 50 kilometers with an intermediate landing. In practice, training starts with traffic patterns: takeoff, climb, turns, approach, landing – again and again until the routines are second nature. Then comes the first solo flight, for many the most emotional moment of the entire training. After that come navigation, cross-country flights and emergency procedures.

The exam

Under § 43 LuftPersV, you show in a theoretical and a practical exam that you have the necessary knowledge and skills. The exams cover the seven subject areas, handling and operating the respective type of equipment and behavior in special flight conditions and emergencies. With the DULV, external examiners conduct the exams in most cases, and they may not work at your flight school.

Shortcuts for pilots with prior experience

If you already fly gliders, powered aircraft or other air sports equipment, training can be shortened considerably in some cases:

• Glider and helicopter pilots can have up to 20 hours as pilot in command credited toward the 30 hours for three-axis aircraft. What the path into gliding looks like is covered in the guide to the glider pilot license SPL.
• Trike pilots get a maximum of five hours credited when switching to three-axis aircraft.
• Holders of an aircraft license or a glider license with a touring motor glider rating must, according to the LuftPersV, additionally be trained at an approved facility; the DULV names no fixed minimum number of hours for them, but all sections of the training record must be documented.
• Gyrocopter converts with a three-axis or PPL license only need Module II of the theory with the DULV and no fixed minimum number of hours.

Which aircraft you fly in training

Most schools train on three-axis aircraft, often high-wing or low-wing types with two side-by-side seats. Types such as the Comco Ikarus C42, the Flight Design CT family or the Eurostar EV97 are widespread. Alongside them, at many airfields you see more modern low-wing composite aircraft that, with glass cockpits and retractable landing gear, are more reminiscent of touring aircraft. In Germany, three-axis aircraft usually have a ballistic rescue system on board – a parachute that catches the entire aircraft. Such a system is not mandatory for gyrocopters.

If you prefer open-air flying, you end up with the trike, and if you are after an unusual flight picture, with the gyrocopter. Gyrocopters have a loyal following and flight schools of their own in Germany; their rotor turns through the airflow, and a propeller provides thrust.

For spotters, the UL scene is a rewarding hunting ground. Many types are only around in small numbers, and at airfield festivals they stand wing to wing. How to tell them apart from classic certified light aircraft such as the Cessna 172, the Piper PA-28 or the Diamond DA40 is shown in the guide Identifying light aircraft. The AERO Friedrichshafen trade show, where ultralight flying traditionally plays a big role, offers an overview of new types.

What the UL license costs

There is no uniform price for the ultralight license. Hourly rates, theory packages and fees differ from school to school, from region to region and depending on the aircraft. Rather than relying on flat amounts from forums, you are better off calculating with the price list of your preferred school. These items belong in the calculation:

Item	What is behind it	What to watch for
Flight hours	Rental of the aircraft, often including instructor	Is it billed by engine time or flight time? Is the instructor extra?
Theory	Lessons, study materials, online access	Flat rate or per hour? Repeats included?
Exams	Theory and practical exam, examiner fee	Who pays the examiner’s travel and flight time?
Medical	Examination with the aviation medical examiner	Expires regularly and has to be renewed
Fees	Training registration, license issue by the association	Check the association’s current fee schedule
Landing and airfield fees	on cross-country flights to other airfields	Are they included in the hourly price?
Buffer	Extra hours beyond the minimum	Many students need more than 30 hours

With this calculator, you can estimate your costs yourself. The preset numbers are pure placeholders – replace them with your flight school’s prices.

After training, ongoing costs are added: rental or your own aircraft, medical renewals and the flight hours you have to log to keep your license current. If you want to fly a lot in the long run, also look at clubs that operate aircraft jointly.

After the exam: rights and obligations

With the license, you may fly air sports equipment of the registered type in daytime. Under § 44 LuftPersV, it also covers aeronautical radio outside airspaces B, C and D, provided radio training was part of your training. For controlled airspace around larger airports, you need a separate radio certificate. How frequencies are organized is explained in the guide Understanding aviation radio frequencies.

For passengers, you need a separate privilege on the three-axis aircraft. For this, the DULV requires five cross-country flights of at least 50 kilometers with an intermediate landing after you get your license, two of them with an instructor totaling at least 200 kilometers, and a practical test. In addition, in the last 90 days you must have made at least three takeoffs and three landings on a comparable type before you take someone along.

The license itself has no expiry date. To use it, however, you must stay current: on three-axis aircraft, § 45 LuftPersV requires at least twelve flight hours in the last 24 months, six of them as pilot in command, twelve takeoffs and twelve landings and a one-hour refresher flight with an instructor. Alternatively, you pass a proficiency check with a recognized examiner. Everything is documented in the logbook.

The UL license as a stepping stone

For many, the ultralight license is the goal: weekend flights, trips to other airfields, flying as a hobby. For others, it is an entry point to find out whether flying is really the right thing before investing larger sums in a private pilot license or even a professional career. An overview of all the routes into the cockpit is in Becoming a pilot. If you are more into rotors, the guide Becoming a helicopter pilot has the alternative.

A good opportunity to get to know the scene is airfield festivals in Germany: there you can talk to schools and clubs and often take a sightseeing flight. Where the small airfields and UL sites near you are is shown in the guide Finding small airfields on maps, and how to photograph there is explained in Spotting general aviation. For the history of light, unpowered flight, a visit to the German Gliding Museum on the Wasserkuppe is worthwhile.

Conclusion

In Germany, the ultralight license is a comparatively direct route into your own cockpit. The rules are clear: at least 30 flight hours on the three-axis aircraft, five of them solo, seven theory subjects, an LAPL medical and two exams. The license is issued by the authorized associations, not by the Federal Aviation Office. The costs depend heavily on your school and your learning pace – so a close look at the price list is worth more than any flat figure. As a spotter, you bring a real head start with your weather, radio and airspace knowledge.