Private Pilot License (PPL)
The average time required to obtain your PPL is 65 flying hours. You will be required to pass exams on 8 subjects during the course of your training. These subjects are:
- Principles of Flight,
- Airlaw,
- Meteorology
- Engines and Airframes,
- Human Performance,
- Restricted Radio License Theory
- Flight Planning and
- Navigation.
At the end of your training, you will be required to complete a final PPL test, which will include an oral exam and flight test encompassing both flying and navigation skills.
Once all the above requirements have been satisfactorily completed, you will be awarded with a PPL license. This will allow you to fly the aircraft you are rated on by day and in VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions). As the holder of a PPL you may not fly for reward, although you may carry friends as passengers if they wish.
The Private Pilot License is valid only on aircraft registered in South Africa (ZS or ZU registered aircraft). You may only fly types of aircraft on which you are rated on and have flown before. This means that if you were trained on a Cessna 172, you will need to do differences training before you may fly, for example, a Piper Cherokee.
At Cape Town International Aviation Academy, we are happy to perform differences training for PPL holders to a wide variety of aircraft. The time taken to complete the differences training depends on the degree of difficulty involved. It comprises a theoretical examination confirming that you are familiar with the technical aspects of the new aircraft, and then between two and ten hours of flying with an instructor in order to first obtain, and then demonstrate competence.
