National Private Pilot Licence (NPPL)
A more basic first licence for UK only recreational flying with a less restrictive medical.
Typical Duration
3-24 Months
(Train at your own pace)
Minimum Hours
32 hours
Aircraft Types Used
Price
From £13,000
Based on an estimate for a minimum hours course. For hourly prices take a look at our pricing page
NPPL Course Overview
Similar to the Private Pilot's Licence, the National Private Pilot's Licence (NPPL) course will develop the nessasary skills to take you from zero flight experience to a licenced private pilot.
Your journey will begin in one of our Cessna 152 or Piper PA28 aircraft, both fantastic training aircraft and perfect for beginners. We will teach you in a building block approach, developing technical and non-technical skills from lesson 1, following the UK CAA approved NPPL course.
You will begin by learning the basics. Effects of controls, Straight & Level flight, Climbing, Descending and Turning, all as separate lessons to reinforce the important basic hand flying skills. We will then introduce Takeoff & Landing. As the course progresses, we will teach you how to communicate with Air Traffic Control (ATC) and to handle non-normal scenarios - preparing the student pilot towards the pivotal moment in their flying journey - the first solo flight!
The course will then focus on further skill development and introduction of visual navigation flying. You will fly around the local Shoreham area and start to venture further afield on longer navigation flights, including land-away lessons.
Intertwined with the flying will be the equally important theory lessons. We know different people learn in different ways, and are proud to use a blended approach to the theory subjects, offering an in-house online learning platform as well as 1:1 theory lessons with our instructors. We will teach you everything you need to pass the theory exams, but more importantly the theory you need to safely navigate the skies when you obtain your licence.
The culmination of all of your hard work will be the NPPL skills test and upon passing this, you will become a licenced pilot! Able to fly alone, or with friends*, in a single-engine piston (SEP) aircraft in UK airspace.
Flying Course Structure:
Minimum 32 hours of flying, to include a minimum of:
- 22 hours Dual Instruction
- 10 hours of Supervised solo flying - including the Qualifying Cross Country Navigation (QXC)
- NPPL Skills Test
Exercise 1 to Exercise 11 (Basic Flying)
The course begins by introducing the fundamental principles of flight and effects of controls. You'll learn to safely climb, descend, turn and manoeuvre the aircraft with confidence before progressing to slow flight, stall recognition and recovery, and spin avoidance.
Exercise 12 & 13 (The Circuit)
Once you've mastered the fundamentals, you'll move on to circuit training. The circuit is where you'll learn to safely take off and land the aircraft. Each circuit consists of taking off, climbing away, flying a rectangular traffic pattern and returning to land on the same runway however instead of making a full stop landing you will perform a touch and go.
Rather than coming to a full stop, you'll carry out a touch-and-go—landing before applying full power and taking off again. This allows you to practise multiple take-offs and landings in a single lesson, building the consistency and confidence you need ahead of your first solo flight.
Exercise 14 (First Solo)
Once you have confidently mastered the circuit and passed the required theory exams it will be time for your first solo flight. Your instructor will first fly several circuits with you, before stepping out of the aircraft and allowing you to complete a circuit entirely on your own.
This will be your first flight in command of the aircraft.
Exercise 15 to Exercise 19
After completing your first solo, you will build further experience with solo circuit flying over the following lessons before progressing to more advanced exercises. These include advanced turning, forced landings without power, precautionary landings, and instrument appreciation.
You will then move on to Exercise 18: Navigation. Here you will learn how to safely navigate under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), developing the skills needed to fly solo from Shoreham to another airfield and return.
Once you are ready, you will complete your Qualifying Cross-Country (QXC) flight. This involves flying solo to another aerodrome, before returning to Shoreham.
The Skills Test
Once you have completed all five theory exams and finished your flight training, you will take your Skills Test. This is the final stage of the course.
The test lasts approximately two hours and is flown with an examiner. During the flight, you will be asked to demonstrate the full range of skills you have developed throughout your training.
Once you have passed, you will be able to apply to the CAA for your NPPL licence and SEP rating.
NPPL Theoretical Knowledge Exams
There are 5 theory exams you must pass in order to obtain your licence, all of which can be completed in-house:
a) Air Law
b) Human Performance
c) Meteorology
d) Navigation
e) Aircraft General Knowledge
Near the end of your PPL course there is also a practical Radiotelephony oral exam completed by our in-house FRTOL examiner.
Medical
A key difference between the PPL and NPPL is the medical requirements. If you find you have medical issues which preclude the issue of either a Class 1 or Class 2 medical then you may still be eligible for a less restrictive LAPL Medical. This medical will allow you to obtain an NPPL licence and provides an alternative route into recreational flying.
Student pilot must have either made a valid Pilot Medical Declaration (PMD) or hold a valid Part-MED Class 1, 2 or LAPL Medical Certificate when flying solo under supervision.
For information regarding the medical requirements for the PMD please refer to the CAA Website.
Why choose us for your NPPL training?
- Instructor continuity - we will allocate you no more than 2 instructors for your course. This allows you to build a good relationship with your instructors and ensures good continuity between lessons.
- Blended online learning - we have a bespoke in-house learning platform to provide you with the study materials you need to pass the exams.
- Airline- style training from Day 1. Our instructors will develop the whole pilot, not just the hand flying skills. Integrated into the course are fundamental Threat and Error management principles and scenario based training events - arming you with the skills you need to deal with any scenario when flying alone.
Ready to Get Started?
Contact us to discuss courses, start dates and your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can commence training towards an NPPL from age 14.
An applicant for an NPPL(A) SEP(Land) shall be at least 17 years of age.
The minimum age for the first solo flight is 16 years of age.
However, we recommend you wait until at least your 15th birthday to start regular flying lessons. Why is this?
- Your NPPL exams have a 24 month validity period. By starting early, you risk the theoretical exams expiring and having to re-sit them.
- By flying infrequently to make the course last 3 years, you will have to complete more training overall, as you will experience skill-fade with long durations between lessons. This will result in more time spent reviewing previous exercises and not progressing through the course.
There are many similarities between the two licences, so it's important to highlight the differences.
The NPPL is a UK National Licence, valid only in UK airspace. This is compared to the Internationally recognised PPL where holders can fly British registered aircraft around Europe and the World.
Although not normally restrictive for private pilots, the NPPL restricts the holder to carry no more than three passengers.
You will notice that the course is shorter for an NPPL, at 32 hours for the NPPL course versus 40 hours for the PPL course. Whilst we always endeavour to complete all courses in the minimum timeframe, it has been found in the past that NPPL students require closer to 40 hours to meet the required standard to pass the NPPL skills test.