What is the EASA Private Pilot’s Licence?
EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) is an EU institution responsible for civil aviation safety. EASA carries out certification, regulation and standardisation all of which is adopted uniformly by all EASA member countries — ensuring the same rules apply across the whole of EU. In Ireland, IAA (Irish Aviation Authority) is the body responsible for civil aviation safety and regulation.
The PPL (Private Pilot Licence) entitles pilots to fly an aircraft privately, for pleasure / leisure, either on their own or with non-paying passengers, e.g. friends or family members. The PPL is essentially the aviation equivalent of a drivers licence. Once obtained, the PPL licence is valid for life, but the required Medical Certificate, as well as aircraft-specific class rating must be renewed / revalidated periodically.
Upon completing your initial training with us and passing all exams, you will receive an EASA PPL licence with a Single-Engine Piston rating allowing you to fly privately (i.e. not for remuneration) a plane powered by a single piston-type engine, in daylight, in good meteorological conditions.
What are the Entry Requirements?
Legally, the applicants for the PPL must be at least 17 years old on the day of submitting the application for the issue of the licence, after completing all required training and passing the final exams.
There are no academic qualifications required for the PPL. To achieve your PPL licence, you will however need to pass a formal medical examination — and you would need a minimum of EASA Class 2 Medical Certificate.
What is required to obtain the PPL licence?
In order to obtain your PPL licence, you will need to complete all of the following:
- Obtain EASA Medical Certificate — at least Class 2. The initial examination, as well as renewals and revalidations can be done at an Aero Medical Centre (AeMC) or by an Aero Medical Examiner (AME). A list of both can be obtained on the Aero Medical Section of the IAA Website.
NOTE: This medical will be required before any student solo flights can commence - Complete PPL Ground School, comprising 9 subjects, and pass 9 Theoretical Knowledge Exams with the IAA
- Complete a minimum of 45 hours of flight training with a Flight Instructor, as well as around 30 hours of pre-flight briefings. These flights will include three Progress Test flights, each required as a sign-off to proceed to the next stage of flight training.
- Successfully complete English Language Proficiency test with an ELP Examiner
- Successfully pass the final Licence Skill Test with an IAA Examiner. You will then need to submit all required forms to the IAA and wait for your PPL licence to be issued.
How long is the PPL licence valid for?
The PPL licence is valid for life. However, in order to exercise the privileges of the PPL (i.e. to be able to use it to fly), you will need to:
- Have a valid EASA Class 2 (or higher) Medical Certificate. This will need to be revalidated / renewed periodically, depending on your age, and the Class 2 Medical can be revalidate with an Aero Medical Examiner.
- Revalidate your Single-Engine Piston rating every 2 years. This can be done either through flight experience (whereby you would need to have flown a minimum of 12 hours in the last 12 months before your rating’s expiry date, minimum 1 of those hours to be flown with an instructor, and minimum 6 of the 12 hours as Pilot-In-Command), or by doing a Proficiency Check with an IAA Examiner.