Your SEP rating lasts 24 months
Your licence itself does not expire, but the SEP class rating on it does. The expiry date is written in the licence, and you need a valid rating, and a valid medical, to fly as pilot in command.
Your journey to a pilot's licence
From your first time at the controls to your skills test, and every flight after. Here is how the Private Pilot's Licence works and how we help at each step.
From first lesson to licence
These are the steps every UK PPL(A) student takes, flown at your own pace and booked around your own diary.
Step 1: Book a trial lesson
60 minute lesson · Minimum age 14 · No experience needed
Your first time at the controls. Fly with an instructor who will hand over when the time is right and talk you through the basics of flying the aircraft yourself.
£300 in the Cessna 152 or £360 in the Cessna 172. See the trial lesson
Step 2: Start your lessons
Minimum age 14 to start · Membership required · Fly weekly or in blocks
Lessons are booked when it suits you. Each one starts with a briefing on the ground, then you fly the exercise with your instructor: climbing, turning, stalling, circuits and, before long, landings.
PPL training is for members, so join before your first lesson. Pay as you go, or buy a starter pack of 5, 10, 20 or 40 hours up front. Every pack includes your first four study books and a logbook. See starter packs
Step 3: Get your medical
Class 2 medical · Needed before first solo
You need a Class 2 medical certificate before you fly solo. It is carried out by a CAA approved Aeromedical Examiner (AME). Book it early so any questions are cleared up before you need it.
Step 4: Pass the ground exams
9 theory exams · Radio licence
There are nine theory exams, set by the CAA. You also take a practical radio test for your radio licence.
- 010 Air Law
- 020 Aircraft General Knowledge
- 030 Flight Performance and Planning
- 040 Human Performance
- 050 Meteorology
- 060 Navigation
- 070 Operational Procedures
- 081 Principles of Flight
- 090 Communications
Classroom briefings with an instructor are £32 an hour. A full ground school course is coming soon.
Step 5: Fly solo
Minimum age 16 · 10 hours solo
When your instructor is happy, you fly your first solo circuit. From there you build solo time and learn to navigate, finishing with a solo qualifying cross-country of at least 150 nautical miles with full stop landings at two other airfields.
Step 6: Take your skills test
Minimum age 17 · At least 40 hours flown
The final flight is with a CAA examiner, covering everything from pre-flight checks to navigation and emergencies. Pass, send your application to the CAA, and you are a private pilot with a Single Engine Piston (SEP) rating.
What it costs
All prices include VAT. Lesson prices include the aircraft and your instructor.
Flying lessons
| Option | Cessna 152 | Cessna 172 |
|---|---|---|
| Trial lesson, 1 hour | £300 | £360 |
| Lessons, per hour | £292.30 | £364.30 |
| 5 hour starter pack | £1,600 | £1,900 |
| 10 hour starter pack | £3,000 | £3,800 |
| 20 hour starter pack | £5,900 | £7,300 |
| 40 hour starter pack | £11,700 | £14,600 |
Lessons and starter packs need a membership. Starter packs include your first four study books and a logbook. To fly solo on the 20 and 40 hour packs you need a Class 2 medical and the Air Law exam. A fuel surcharge applies if the fuel price changes.
Ground study
- Classroom briefings
- £32 /hr
- Ground school course
- TBCComing soon
One to one briefings with an instructor on any of the nine theory subjects, booked around your lessons.
Enquire about ground studyKeeping your rating valid
Passing your skills test is the start. Your licence comes with a Single Engine Piston (SEP) class rating, and that rating needs looking after.
Revalidate by experience
The usual route for pilots who fly regularly. Over the 24 months your rating is valid, fly:
- 12 hours in single engine pistons
- At least 6 of those hours in the 12 months before it expires
- 6 hours as pilot in command
- 12 take-offs and 12 landings
- A training flight of at least 1 hour with an instructor
Then an examiner signs the rating off in your licence.
Or take a proficiency check
Not flown enough hours? Pass a proficiency check with an examiner in the 3 months before your rating expires instead. Your new expiry date runs on from the old one.
If your rating has lapsed
You can still get it back. A lapsed rating is renewed with refresher training with an instructor, then a proficiency check with an examiner. How much training you need depends on how long it has been, and we will work it out with you.
This is a guide to the rules set by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. Always check the dates in your own licence, and ask us if you are not sure where you stand.
Flying with us after your licence
Hire our aircraft, fly your revalidation training flight, or bring your own aircraft and book an instructor.
Hire and training flights
| Option | Cessna 152 | Cessna 172 |
|---|---|---|
| Self hire, per hour | £229.80 | £301.80 |
| Training flight, per hour | £292.30 | £364.30 |
| Advanced, IR(R) and night, per hour | £303.80 | £375.80 |
Self hire needs a membership and is charged per tacho hour, including fuel and the Rochester landing fee. You fly a checkout flight with an instructor before your first hire, so enquire about the checkout before buying hours.
Instruction only
Flying your own aircraft? Book one of our instructors for your training flight or check.
- Basic and check flights
- £65
- Advanced
- £74
Ready to start your journey?
Book a trial lesson to see if flying is for you, or get in touch and we will talk you through training, your rating or hiring our aircraft.