A private pilot licence (PPL) or private pilot certificate is a type of pilot licence that allows the holder to act as

pilot in command The pilot in command (PIC) of an aircraft is the person aboard an aircraft who is ultimately responsible for its operation and safety during flight. This would be the captain in a typical two- or three- pilot aircrew, or "pilot" if there is only ...

of an

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

privately (not for

remuneration Remuneration is the pay or other financial compensation provided in exchange for an employee's ''services performed'' (not to be confused with giving (away), or donating, or the act of providing to). Remuneration is one component of reward managem ...

). The basic licence requirements are determined by the

International Civil Aviation Organization The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO ) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that coordinates the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international sch ...

(ICAO), but implementation varies from country to country. According to ICAO, an applicant must be at least 17 years old, demonstrate appropriate knowledge and skill, and hold at least a Class 3 medical certificate. Different PPLs are available for different categories of aircraft, such as aeroplane, helicopter, airship, etc., and are not interchangeable, although experience from a PPL in one category may be credited towards the issue of another.

Issuing authorities

Private pilot licences are issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. Standards vary, and PPLs are not automatically recognised by other countries, but in some countries the holder of a foreign PPL may obtain permission to fly on a temporary basis. In the United States the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has the authority to issue a PPL or another pilot license. In Europe, civil aviation authorities issue licences based on common

EASA The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is an agency of the European Commission with responsibility for civil aviation safety in the European Union. It carries out certification, regulation and standardisation and also performs inve ...

standards.

Categories

The aircraft categories described by ICAO for the purposes of the PPL are

aeroplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

airship An airship, dirigible balloon or dirigible is a type of aerostat (lighter-than-air) aircraft that can navigate through the air flying powered aircraft, under its own power. Aerostats use buoyancy from a lifting gas that is less dense than the ...

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

and

powered lift A powered lift aircraft VTOL, takes off and lands vertically under engine power but uses a fixed-wing aircraft, fixed wing for horizontal flight. Like helicopters, these aircraft do not need a long runway to take off and land, but they have a sp ...

. Many countries issue PPLs in additional categories such as

sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...

(glider),

balloon A balloon is a flexible membrane bag that can be inflated with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. For special purposes, balloons can be filled with smoke, liquid water, granular media (e.g. sand, flour or rice), ...

powered parachute A powered parachute, often abbreviated PPC, and also called a motorized parachute or paraplane, is a type of aircraft that consists of a parafoil with a motor and wheels. The FAA defines a powered parachute as ''a powered aircraft a flexible or ...

, and

weight-shift control Weight-shift control as a means of aircraft flight control system, aircraft flight control is widely used in hang gliders, powered hang gliders, and ultralight trikes. Control is usually by the pilot using their weight against a triangular contro ...

Aeroplanes

The aeroplane PPL is the most popular category of PPL. In the United States in 2022, of 164,000 people with PPLs, 158,000 were for aeroplanes only. In the United Kingdom in 2021, there were 22,500 holders of the PPL(A), and 2,200 holders of the PPL(H). According to ICAO, the applicant for a PPL(A) must have at least 40 hours experience as a pilot of aeroplanes (35 hours on an integrated course), of that no more than 5 hours in a

flight simulator A flight simulator is a device that artificially re-creates aircraft flight and the environment in which it flies, for pilot training, design, or other purposes. It includes replicating the equations that govern how aircraft fly, how they rea ...

. Credit may be given for

flight time Flight time or block time is an aviation term referring to the total amount of time spent piloting aircraft, and serves as the primary measure of a pilot's experience. Flight time is defined by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as ...

in other aircraft categories. The applicant must have at least 10 hours of solo flight time, including at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time with at least one cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM) including two full-stop landings at different aerodromes. In

states, the minimum experience for a PPL(A) is 45 hours. In practice, most students take about 50–70 hours to complete the course. Applicants for the PPL(A) must be at least 17 years old. There is no minimum age to begin flight lessons, however, students must be 16 to fly solo. In the United States, a

student pilot certificate In the United States, a student pilot certificate is issued to a pilot in training, and is a prerequisite for the student to fly alone in the aircraft. Prior to April 1, 2016, it could be issued by a medical doctor who is also an authorized aviati ...

is required to fly solo. In addition to the licence, PPL(A) holders must gain

class rating Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to: Common uses not otherwise categorized * Class (biology), a taxonomic rank * Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects * Class (philosophy), an analytical concept used di ...

s or

type rating A type rating is an authorization entered on or associated with a pilot license and forming part thereof, stating the pilot's privileges or limitations pertaining to certain aircraft type. Such qualification requires additional training beyond ...

s appropriate to the aircraft they wish to fly. Typically a PPL(A) holder would first be issued a "single-engine piston land" class rating, which permits him/her to fly aircraft with a single piston engine. To fly seaplanes or multi-engine aircraft requires further training, and more complex aircraft require a type-specific rating. Other ratings include the

instrument rating Instrument rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under instrument flight rules (IFR). It requires specific training and instruction beyond what is required for a private pilot certificate or commercial pilot c ...

to fly in

Instrument Meteorological Conditions In aviation, instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) are weather conditions that require pilots to fly primarily by reference to flight instruments, and therefore under instrument flight rules (IFR), as opposed to flying by outside visual ref ...

, the

night rating A night rating permits an aircraft pilot to fly at night under visual flight rules. The alternative is flight by instrument flight rules (IFR), under which visual reference to terrain and traffic is not required. In aviation, "night" is defined as ...

to fly at night, and various levels of instructor rating.

Additional endorsements

A number of endorsements are available for specific skills. Endorsements only require instruction and a flight instructor's signature in the pilot's logbook; they do not require any flight test or submission of documents to the national civil aviation authority. Endorsements available in the United States include: * Tailwheel (pilots who have logged pilot-in-command time on tailwheel aircraft prior to 15 April 1991 are exempt from this requirement) – Tailwheel endorsement not applicable in Canada * Complex airplane (aircraft with a variable-pitch propeller, flaps, and retractable landing gear) * High-performance (more than 200 horsepower per engine) * Pressurized aircraft endorsement for aircraft that have a service ceiling or maximum operating altitude, whichever is lower, above 25,000 feet MSL (mean sea level). *

Night vision goggle A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD) or night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The ...

operations Other aircraft operations for which the FAA does not require an endorsement that typically require additional training are glider towing and aerobatics. The FAA also does not require an endorsement for some commercial activities like banner towing. Aerial application (crop seeding, spraying and dusting), whether conducted by a commercial certificate holder operating for hire or by a private pilot treating a crop in which he is the owner of a substantial share, requires an Authorization under Part 137 of the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Helicopters

According to ICAO, the requirements for a PPL(H) are similar to the PPL(A). The qualifying cross-country flight must be at least 180 km (100 NM), and the applicant must have received at least 20 hours instruction in helicopters. In the United States, the legal aircraft category is known as

rotorcraft A rotary-wing aircraft, rotorwing aircraft or rotorcraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotor wing, rotary wings that spin around a vertical mast to generate lift (force), lift. Part 1 (Definitions and Abbreviations) of Subchapter A of Chapt ...

, which is subdivided into

s and

gyroplane An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-dr ...

Airships

According to ICAO, applicants for a PPL(As) must have at least 25 hours flight time as pilot of airships, including "3 hours of cross-country flight training in an airship with a cross-country flight totalling not less than 45 km (25 NM); 5 take-offs and 5 landings to a full stop at an aerodrome with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern at an aerodrome; 3 hours of instrument time; and 5 hours as pilot assuming the duties of the pilot-in-command under the supervision of the pilot-in-command."

Balloons

In the United Kingdom, the balloon equivalent of the private pilot licence is known as the Balloon Pilot Licence (BPL). Classes are: *

Hot-air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

class (divided into four groups) *

Gas balloon A gas balloon is a balloon that rises and floats in the air because it is filled with a gas lighter than air (such as helium or hydrogen). When not in flight, it is tethered to prevent it from flying away and is sealed at the bottom to prevent t ...

class * Mixed balloon class * Hot-air airship class In the United States, the minimum age for a balloon private pilot certificate is 16. In the United States, some limitations may be placed on the certificate, such as "limited to hot air balloons with airborne heater" or "limited to gas balloons", unless the pilot has had appropriate flight training in the other type of balloon and received a logbook endorsement.

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

FAR 61.115 – Balloon rating: Limitations
retrieved 19 April 2020

Sailplanes

For gliders ( sailplanes), the licence is known as a Sailplane Pilot Licence (SPL), and has lower requirements than an aeroplane PPL. In the United States and Europe, the minimum age for a sailplane private pilot certificate is 16.

References

External links

FAA Registry: Airmen Certification InquiryPrivate Pilot Practical Test Standards for Airplane
(FAA, August 2002)
Computer Testing Supplement for Recreational Pilot and Private Pilot
(FAA, 2004) {{Authority control Aviation licenses and certifications