The National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL) is a UK specific pilot’s licence developed in 2002. It is not an internationally recognised licence and does not automatically entitle the holder to fly aircraft in other countries
however, many European countries like France and Germany allow pilots holding an NPPL microlight license to exercise the freedom of their license in those countries airspace subject to their nation aviation rules.
To obtain a NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating you must complete flight training with a UK Civil Aviation Authority authorised flying instructor entitled to instruct on microlights.
Age Limits
The minimum age to start flying training towards the grant of the licence is 14 years. There is no maximum age. You can go solo at 16 and be granted your licence when you are 17.
Flight Training Requirements
The Microlight Class Rating can be issued with either of two options. The options are Without Operational Limitations or With Operational Limitations.
The minimum flight training required for the grant of a NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating With Operational Limitations are as follows:
Minimum total flight time under instruction 15 hours
Minimum flight time solo 7 hours
The Operational Limitations at initial issue are:
1.The licence is valid for flight in the UK only.
2.The pilot may not carry any passenger.
3.The pilot may not fly with a cloud base less than 1000 feet above ground level or with less than 10 kilometres visibility.
4.The pilot may not fly further than 8 nautical miles from take off.
The minimum flight training required for the grant of a NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating Without Operational Limitations is:
Minimum total flight time under instruction 25 hours
Minimum flight time solo 10 hours
Minimum total navigation flight time 5 hours
Minimum solo navigation flight time 3 hours
As part of your flight training you must take and pass a test with an authorised flight examiner to demonstrate your ability to fly a microlight through all the manoeuvres that you will have learned during training. The test is called a General Skills Test (GST). The flight time of the GST can count towards the minimum total flight time required to obtain the NPPL but not towards the solo minimum time.
To ensure that when your licence is issued your skill level and knowledge is current you must have completed the minimum solo flight time, all the navigation flight training and the GST within the nine month period immediately prior to applying for your licence.
Ground Training Requirements
The Microlight syllabus lists the subject matter that an applicant for a Microlight Class Rating must understand. There is no minimum requirement for training by an instructor to achieve this knowledge but the applicant must have demonstrated a knowledge of the subject matter by passing examinations.
There are written examinations in five subjects. Meteorology, Navigation, Aviation Law, Human Performance
and Limitations and Aircraft Technical subjects. The examinations must have been passed within the twenty four months immediately prior to applying for your licence.
There is one further examination to complete your demonstration of knowledge of the aircraft type that you have used to complete your GST. This examination is an oral examination and must be conducted by a flight examiner entitled to examine in microlight aircraft. It is usual, but not required, that the examination is conducted at the same time as the GST by the same examiner. The ground oral examination must have been passed within the nine months immediately prior to applying for your licence.
Licence application
Application for the grant of a NPPL with a Microlight Class rating must be made in writing on the NPPL Microlight Licence application form through the BMAA Licence Administration Centre at the BMAA office address. We will guide you through the whole process to ensure you concentrate only of flying and passing your ground exams.
Removing the Operational Limitations from a NPPL Microlight Class Rating
To remove Limitation 2 the holder must have completed at least 25 hours of total flying in microlights and at least 10 hours solo flying in microlights. The holder’s experience is certified in their log book by a flight examiner and the Limitation ceases to apply from that time.
To remove Limitations 3 and 4 the holder must have completed at least 25 hours of total flying in microlights, at least 10 hours solo flying in microlights. The holder must have completed the navigation training requirements
specified in flight Exercise 18 within the nine month period immediately prior to applying to have the limitations removed. Application to have Limitations 3 and 4 removed must be made in writing on the NPPL Microlight Licence application form through the BMAA Licence Administration Centre at the BMAA office address.
Medical requirements
A pilot may only fly microlights as Pilot In Command in the UK if they hold valid medical certification.
The NPPL medical certification can be by a Self Declaration signed by the pilot and then countersigned
by the pilot’s General Practitioner (GP). The pilot must be registered with the GP who countersigns the Declaration and the GP must be a UK registered GP with a current licence to practice. Where a pilot is registered to a Medical Practice it is acceptable that any GP member of the Practice can countersign the Declaration. It is a requirement that the GP who countersigns the Declaration has access to the pilot’s medical notes.
Non U.K. students will require a Class JAR FCL Class 2 medical which can be arranged locally on request. It is strongly recommended that you obtain your medical prior to commencing flight training.
