Eyeofthebeholder's post is a good starter for 10 but there is no hard and fast rule.
Yes you need to pass a medical (which is very thorough) and a number of exams.
I got my licence in 1983, I went solo in 12 hours and the enitire course from never having been in an aircraft before to being able to pilot one took 6 weeks.
I'm a little out of date regarding how much it would cost today but I'd say that £10K wouldn't be too far out.
Many people serious about flying professionally go to the US after gaining the PPL to clock up hours ... Florida is a great choice ... Fab flying weather pretty much all year round ... Crazy numbers of light aircraft flying there though so you need eyes up your ar**
Flying itself is the easy bit
Hmmnnn ... Keeping it in the air is pretty easy after a few lessons, flying accurately to height and heading though (and smoothly so your passengers don't throw up all over you) does take some practice and is where the skill comes in.
Take off is relatively easy to get to grips with though it is the most dangerous phase of any flight and the safety techniques take some mastering (what to do if your engine fails during takeoff etc) ... Landings take far more practice and a natural perception of when to stop pointing at the ground and start raising the nose (called flaring) which some people don't have and never manage to master.
Plenty of people go through flight training and never get a PPL due (in 99% of cases) to an inability to safely land the aircraft.
It isn't a cheap hobby and the best way to keep hours up to a safe level once qualified is to buy a part share in an aircraft ... Note the SAFE level bit ... People who only fly the minimum hours necessary to keep their certificate of experience current are disasters waiting to be investigated IMO.
If you can get the plane to take off in Flight Sim do a proper circuit as described in the manuals and land again (or do a Touch-and-go) you are well on your way!
I wish
The first time you fly a circuit with your instructor and then you land and he gets out and tells you to fly a circuit alone you will know what I mean ... What a rush ... And a far better laxative than any vindaloo
It really isn't anything like sat in your living room on MS Flight Sim.
If you are only going to be flying locally on fair weather days, you might want to consider the NPPL. You do not cover the navigation and therefore you fly less hours
Not strictly true ... You may fly anywhere in the UK on a NPPL and you absolutely DO do navigation (which is one of the most difficult aspects of flying once airborne).
Training for NPPL includes the following ...
22 hours dual instruction (to include 1 hour instrument appreciation);
10 hours solo flight (to include 4 hours solo cross-country flight time and one cross-country flight in the course of which full stop landings at two aerodromes other than aerodrome of departure shall be made;
Navigational Skills Test (NST) (minimum of 1 hour duration and to be taken prior to undertaking the qualifying solo cross-country flight);
General Skills Test (GST) (minimum of 1 hour duration).
The theoretical knowledge requirements are the same as for the JAR-FCL PPL (Aeroplanes). There are seven written examinations and one oral examination. These are as follows;
Air Law.
Meteorology.
Navigation & Radio Aids.
Aircraft (General) & Principles of Flight.
Flight Performance & Planning.
Human Performance & Limitations.
JAR-FCL Communications (PPL).
There will also be one oral exam in Communications.
An applicant may not take the General Skills Test until all associated flying training has been completed and the associated theoretical knowledge examinations have been passed.
The General Skills Test shall be taken within 6 months of the completion of training and all sections of the test must be completed within 6 months of the first attempt. If the applicant does not pass all sections of the skill test at the first attempt, the section(s) that have been failed may be attempted in a further test(s).
There is no limit to the number of tests that may be taken.
Medical requirements for the NPPL are less onerous then for a PPL.
Bob: Don't forget that to take passengers for profit does require a commercial pilot's licence ... You cannot do this
legally on a PPL/NPPL
Good luck
MW
