Come and Learn to Fly or take a trial lesson with the south of England’s longest-running, trusted and premier flight school – AirBourne Aviation Ltd. We have been teaching pilots since 1980 and offer full in-house NPPL(A) Microlight training, including all exams and skills test.
The NPPL(A) Microlight is the cheapest way to get your wings in a 3 axis fixed wing aircraft and has the shortest training requirement, but it does come with restrictions. As the name suggests, it is a national licence and is only valid for VFR flights within the UK., although there are reciprocal arrangements with some EU countries which allow you to fly within their airspace but not all.
Unlike some flight schools, we are open and transparent about your training costs, which you will find below with VAT included. We do not offer package deals but prefer a “Pay as You Go” system which we find is generally preferred by our students.
NPPL(M) (National Private Pilot Licence) Training Costs:
£170 per flight hour – Flying with an Instructor – Including VAT and home-based landing fees.
£45 per hour for any one-to-one ground school sessions you require.
Our initial flight training is conducted using a fleet of five Comco Ikarus C42a aircraft. We also have a tailwheel EuroFOX for advanced training and tailwheel conversions.
The minimum licence requirement is 25 hours of flight training. In addition, you must complete five exams and pass a General Skills Test (GST). All training, examinations and Skills Test are conducted in-house at our Popham Airfield school. See below for further detailed information.
So why not take a Trial Lesson with a Airbourne Aviation so that you can find out at first-hand how achievable and what great fun it is. If you haven’t already done so you can buy a voucher for your first lesson now from on our Gift Voucher page.
If you would like to discuss the options for gaining your wings, or to have a look around our school, please drop in for chat or give us a call on 01256 398254
The National Private Pilot’s Licence for Microlights (Additional Information)
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.
The NPPL may include in it, aircraft Class Ratings that allow the holder to fly specific classes of aircraft, such as microlights.
To obtain a NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating you must complete flight training with a UK Civil Aviation Authority Certificated Flight Instructor entitled to instruct on microlights.
Flight Training Requirements:
The Microlight Class Rating can be issued with either of two options, either Without Operational Limitations or With Operational Limitations.
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
The minimum flight training required for the grant of a NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating With Operational Limitations is:
Minimum total flight time under instruction 15 hours
Minimum flight time solo 7 hours
The Operational Limitations at initial issue are:
- The pilot may not carry any passenger
- The pilot may not fly with a cloud base less than 1000 feet above ground level or with less than 10 kilometres visibility
- The pilot may not fly further than 8 nautical miles from take-off.
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 and all the navigation flight training within the twenty-four month period immediately prior to applying for your licence. The GST must be taken and passed within the nine-month period immediately prior to applying for your licence.
Ground Training Requirements
The training 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 Factors and Aircraft Technical subjects. The examinations must have been passed within the twenty-four-month period immediately prior to applying for your licence.
There is one further examination to complete, which is a demonstration of your 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 on microlight aircraft. It is usual, but not mandated, 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-month period immediately prior to applying for your licence.
Allowances For Holders of Other Licences and Ratings
Pilots holding licences or ratings for other classes of aircraft, current or expired, may be entitled to allowances against the minimum hours required for the NPPL(M). Student pilots with uncompleted courses may also be eligible. For further details, see the BMAA website. Search “Licence credits”
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.
Removing The Operational Limitations from A NPPL Microlight Class Rating
To remove the passenger carrying Limitation the licence holder must have completed at least 25 hours of total flying in microlights (either under training or as a licensed pilot) and at least 10 hours solo flying in microlights. The holder’s experience is certified in their logbook by a flight examiner and the Limitation ceases to apply from that time.
To remove the other Limitations the holder must have completed at least 25 hours of total flying in microlights (either under training or as a licensed pilot) including at least 10 hours solo flying in microlights. Additionally, the holder must have completed the navigation training requirements specified in the syllabus within the twenty-four-month period immediately prior to applying to have the limitations removed.
Application to have these Limitations 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 are considered physically and mentally fit to do so.
For the NPPL there is provision for a pilot to declare themselves as physically fit to fly. The Declaration is made on-line on the Civil Aviation Authority web site. There are a number of disqualifying medical conditions that mean a pilot is unable to declare themselves as medical fit. If a pilot suffers from or has a history of these conditions or illness, then they must obtain a Medical Certificate from an UK CAA Approved Medical Examiner (AME). Details of disqualifying conditions are published on the CAA website. Search “Pilot’s Medical Declaration”.
Pilots must be aware of their responsibilities if they suffer from a decrease in medical fitness. The BMAA strongly recommends that student pilots make their medical declaration or obtain a Medical Certificate at the start of their training to ensure that they will be able to meet the required medical standards and do not wait until just before they are ready to fly solo, by which time they MUST have made a declaration or hold a valid Medical Certificate.
Personal Flying Logbook
This is an important document, look after it! You must produce this logbook as evidence of your training when you apply for your licence at the end of your course. Once qualified, you must continue to record all your flights. Your Pilot Rating needs to be revalidated every two years and your logbook contains the evidence of the necessary experience to do so. Your instructor will give you guidance when making the first line entry. Guidance is also provided on the BMAA website, available as a printable PDF download.