Licence Re-validation

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Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

I am planning my mid-life crisis for next year, and have agreed with she-who-must-be-obeyed that instead of following 2 of my friends into German sports car ownership, I should get my PPL back.

I last flew in 1988, and only had around 55 hours (it only took 38 to get your licence then...), apart from a few left seat flights in Wessex which I don't count.

I have looked around the CAA website to try and get some guidance on where to send my logbook so that they can tell me what I need to do to regain my currency, but cannot find any mention, if anyone can give me a clue on where to look, I would be most grateful.

My general feeling, from a safety point of view, is that after all of this time I should just do the entire JAA PPL course, including Ground Exams, from end to end.

Finally any feedback on Conington or NSF at Sibson flying clubs? Conington is closer to me and I have lunched at the flying club a couple of times recently, and they seem a good outfit, but NSF has an interesting range of aircraft....

Original post

Member for

19 years 11 months

Posts: 452

I can't give you the answer, but the place to look is LASORS. This can be downloaded from the CAA website, and is the bible for flight crew licencing in the UK. The 2006 version has just been published, but watch it's about 11.8Mb so best for broadband downloads.

Once you have made no sense of that, then pop into a flying club and chat with the CFI.

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 2,764

seventeen years is a long time so be ready to have to do quite a lot. I would probably give the CAA a call and definitely start talking to schools as you will also get a good idea of how good/friendly/professional they are.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

Thanks chaps, yes I think I will pop up to Conington in the new year and have a chat with them.
One of my colleagues keeps a 172xp there and says that it is a nice friendly club with some good instructors, and of course having a 986M hard runway helps as well!

I will download LASORS in the meantime......

Member for

19 years 7 months

Posts: 33

From Lasors

F1.5 RENEWAL OF SINGLE-ENGINE PISTON
– SEP (LAND), TMG CLASS RATINGS

Where licence holders have been unable to renew a
SEP (Land) or TMG Class Rating for a period
exceeding 5 years from the date of expiry*, they will be
required to complete the following requirements:

i) Complete the Skill Test in accordance with
Appendices 1 & 3 to JAR-FCL 1.240 with a JAR
Authorised Examiner.
ii) Pass an oral theoretical knowledge examination
conducted by the Examiner as part of the Skill
Test.
iii) The LST/LPC form, completed as a renewal,
should be sent to CAA PLD for endorsement,
together with the appropriate fee as per the
Scheme of Charges.
iv) The Examiner should make no licence entry.

I,m guessing you were issued with a lifetime licence thatb long ago.So really you will need sufficient training to reach the required standard posted above.Good luck :)

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 9

Wessex Boy,

Crack on and get it done, whatever the hours required you will enjoy them all and, excuse me for the bluntness but, you're running out of time!!

I hadn't flown for nearly 30 years but renewed my license into a NPPL this year. Reasons for NPPL instead of renewing the old lifetime PPL were a) no interest in night/imc/foreign flying and reduced cost/frequency/stringency of medical requirements. Like you I previously had around 70 hours total time.

There is another 'break point' if the lapse is >10 years. Basically you have to do all excercises again and including all exams plus the now essential R/T license. I did around 20 hours incl nav test, skills test. I did not do the long X/C but possibly should have done. Notwithstanding, CAA/NPPL authorities signed it all off. Check with LASORS.

When you start flying again, be prepared for it all to be very familiar but somehow more difficult than you remember. I knew how to do everything but it took the first three hours or so before I could do more than one thing at a time and a further few before handling several things simultaneously.

Do look forward to the smug satisfaction and personal confidence boost of finding that you are still equal to the challenges you faced as a younger man.

Starting from scratch in May this year, I now have a share in a Chipmunk, am loving every minute of it, and wondering why on earth I didn't do it sooner.

Just do it!

Member for

20 years 3 months

Posts: 2,764

Wessex Boy,

Crack on and get it done, whatever the hours required you will enjoy them all and, excuse me for the bluntness but, you're running out of time!!

I hadn't flown for nearly 30 years but renewed my license into a NPPL this year. Reasons for NPPL instead of renewing the old lifetime PPL were a) no interest in night/imc/foreign flying and reduced cost/frequency/stringency of medical requirements. Like you I previously had around 70 hours total time.

There is another 'break point' if the lapse is >10 years. Basically you have to do all excercises again and including all exams plus the now essential R/T license. I did around 20 hours incl nav test, skills test. I did not do the long X/C but possibly should have done. Notwithstanding, CAA/NPPL authorities signed it all off. Check with LASORS.

When you start flying again, be prepared for it all to be very familiar but somehow more difficult than you remember. I knew how to do everything but it took the first three hours or so before I could do more than one thing at a time and a further few before handling several things simultaneously.

Do look forward to the smug satisfaction and personal confidence boost of finding that you are still equal to the challenges you faced as a younger man.

Starting from scratch in May this year, I now have a share in a Chipmunk, am loving every minute of it, and wondering why on earth I didn't do it sooner.

Just do it!


Couldn't agree more.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

Thanks for your words of encouragement! Looking back, with my 20:20 hindsight, I wasted far more cash than it would have taken to keep my licence going, and my stable of Radio Control a/c plus the workshop probably cost me as much as getting my PPL back!

So, looking at the rulings above, I may have to do an abridged PPL course, covering all aspects (including groundschool), but not necessarily the full 45 hours.

I think I will play it by ear and do as much as I need to feel safe.

My aim is to build up to my IMC/Night/Twin ratings over the coming years so we can borrow Conington's Duchess or Seneca and go see a bit of Europe...

I am also quite taken by the Yak 18T, it's like a 4 seat warbird!

Member for

19 years

Posts: 81

I know all the instructors at Conington very well and they are a good bunch. The airfield itself has good facilities and nearly a 1000 metres of hard runway so you can leave your wellies at home too!

Speak to Gavin Forrest (the CFI) initially and Graeme Tough is your man if you go for the twin rating. Good luck and maybe see you there some time.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

My aim is to build up to my IMC/Night/Twin ratings over the coming years so we can borrow Conington's Duchess or Seneca and go see a bit of Europe...


Good luck with all this. I hope you achieve all your ambitions over time.

I must admit I've let my Multi-Rating lapse. It was a great idea in principle, but at £200+ per hour and some (necessarily) stringent currency requirements, plus the need to put a certain number of hours on the aircraft per day if taking it away, I eventually found it impracticable.

Moggy

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

I know all the instructors at Conington very well and they are a good bunch. The airfield itself has good facilities and nearly a 1000 metres of hard runway so you can leave your wellies at home too!

Speak to Gavin Forrest (the CFI) initially and Graeme Tough is your man if you go for the twin rating. Good luck and maybe see you there some time.

Simon,
Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!
I had heard good things about Graeme from my friend with the 172 (he is doing his IMC with him), he also took my wife on a trial flight a few years ago, and I liked his approach (part of my long-term marketing campaign...).

I will head up there in late January, speak to Gavin and plan my assault.

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

Good luck with all this. I hope you achieve all your ambitions over time.

I must admit I've let my Multi-Rating lapse. It was a great idea in principle, but at £200+ per hour and some (necessarily) stringent currency requirements, plus the need to put a certain number of hours on the aircraft per day if taking it away, I eventually found it impracticable.

Moggy

The multi-rating is a far-off goal, hopefully by then my income curve will catch-up and cross-over the wife's expenditure curve....now that's a long-term dream! (and a bit of fantasy land!) :D

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 16,832

Ah, but will your income curve catch up with the twin rental curve? ;)

Moggy

Member for

18 years 6 months

Posts: 1,077

Ah, but will your income curve catch up with the twin rental curve? ;)

Moggy


I probably have more chance of that than catching up with the wife.....