What's a Private Pilot's Licence?

A Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) entitles you to carry passengers and fly more-or-less anywhere within New Zealand. With a PPL you can take your family or friends off for a weekend away, go for a scenic flight around your local area, or just go flying for the pure enjoyment of it. If you're interested in a Flying career, a Private Pilot's Licence is the best way of beginning. After gaining your PPL you can then gain more flying experience, and can work towards other qualifications, such as a Commercial Pilot's Licence (CPL), Instrument Rating, Multi-Engine Rating, to name just a few.
 

Is there an age limit?

Anyone of any age can learn to fly and our pilot’s range in age from early teens to over 70's. The only legal requirement is that you must be 16 or over to fly solo. There's no upper age limit for learning to fly. And what a great hobby to have when you're retired!
 

What are the medical requirements?

The medical assessment for a Private Pilot is carried out by a Civil Aviation approved Doctor. If you are of good average health you probably won't have any problems getting a PPL (Class 2) medical. Wearing glasses doesn't prevent you from getting a Class 2 (Private Pilot's) medical except in some exceptional cases.
 

How do I get a PPL?

There are two parts to gaining a PPL, flight training and theory. To gain a PPL you must complete a minimum of 50 hours flight training (30 with an Instructor, and 20 solo). You must also pass a Flight Radio Telephone Operators Licence and five theory exams: Navigation, Meteorology, Aviation Law, Aircraft Technology, and Human Factors in Aviation.
 

What's this about Theory Exams?

As the theory is directly related to what you will learn during your flight training most people find it quite interesting and relevant to their flying. The theory exams vary in length, but on average are one hour in duration. They are not especially difficult but you do need to learn your subjects. We run classes to introduce you to the theory you will need for your exams and we can arrange for examinations to be sat on demand once you are ready. The textbooks we use cover all the material you will need to know for the exams and our Instructors are always available to help students with their groundwork.
 

How long does it take to get a PPL?

There are no rules or regulations concerning how long you should take to do your training. If you have plenty of spare time, you could gain your Licence in as little as two to three months. On the other hand, if you're working and you want to fit your lessons around other commitments, there's no reason why you can't spread the training over 12-18 months. It's entirely up to you.
 

How much does it cost to get a PPL?

The cost of flying is similar to some other interests you could have - skiing, horse-riding, scuba diving, motor sports, etc. You have a minimum of 50 hours training to complete, exams, medical assessments, books, and so on. There is no up-front, lump-sum payment to be made. You just pay for each flying lesson as you take it, based on flying time. See our fleet page for all our flying rates.