Requirements

Embarking on the journey to become a pilot is an enjoyable challenge at Get Your Wings. We welcome aspiring aviators from the age of 14 and beyond. The weight limit for flying in a C42 is 110kg (17 stone) fully clothed, the person must also be sufficiently mobile to get in and out of the aircraft without difficulty.

Medical Requirements

Navigating the medical requirements is straightforward; if you can drive a car, you can fly a microlight (with a few exceptions).

The NPPL medical certification can be by a Self-Declaration made online at the Civil Aviation Authority website. If in doubt please discuss this with us at Get Your Wings.

We at Get Your Wings strongly recommend that student pilots obtain their medical declaration at the start of their training to ensure that they will be able to hold such a medical, and do not wait until just before they are ready to fly solo, by which time they must hold a valid medical.

Lessons

Each flying lesson includes a comprehensive briefing, an exhilarating flight, and a debriefing afterwards. To ensure a quality learning experience, we allocate a two-hour slot for each lesson.

License

Qualifying for the unrestricted pilot’s license requires a minimum of 25 flying hours. It’s not typical for individuals without prior flying experience to finish the entire training within this timeframe; usually, beginners need between 35-45 hours. However, the actual number of hours needed is highly individualised.

Many individuals opt to distribute the cost over a year or two of learning. On the other hand, for those inclined toward a more intensive approach, training can be condensed, potentially reducing the total required hours.

To obtain an 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. The minimum age to begin training for a UK NPPL is 14. You must be at least 16 to fly solo, and you must be at least 17 to hold a UK NPPL licence.

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 full Microlight syllabus can be found here.

The minimum flight training required for the grant of an NPPL with a Microlight Class Rating Without Operational Limitations is:

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 are current you must have completed the minimum solo flight time and all the navigation flight training within the 24 month period, and the GST within the nine months, immediately before 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 Factors and Aircraft Technical subjects. The examinations must have been passed within the 24 months immediately before 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 oral and must be conducted by a flight examiner entitled to examine on 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.

Applying for your licence

Application for the grant of an 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.

For more information please visit the BMAA’s website here

Difference training and sign-off for holders of a UK Part-FCL licence with a valid SEP class rating or valid SEP privileges to fly Microlights

Since 18 March 2020, you can validate your licence with Microlight hours. By incorporating Microlights or Light Sport Microlights into your flying routine, you not only keep your license valid but also unlock significant cost savings, potentially totalling hundreds of pounds. CAA Reference here

Difference training and sign-off for experienced microlight pilots transitioning to Light Sport Microlights (600Kg)

For experienced microlight pilots looking to upgrade to Light Sport Microlights (600Kg), specialised difference training and sign-off are available. This training facilitates a seamless transition, enabling pilots to adapt their skills to the new aircraft category effectively.

Difference training and sign-off for experienced Light Sport Microlight pilots (600Kg) transitioning to lighter Microlights (sub 475Kg)

For experienced Light Sport Microlight pilots looking to fly Microlights lighter Microlights (sub 475Kg), difference training and sign-off are available. This training facilitates a seamless transition, enabling pilots to adapt their skills to the lighter aircraft category effectively.

Check Lists

Whatever type of aircraft you fly you will find in aviation there will be a checklist for it! you can read about how and why checklists were introduced or view a few examples of checklists here