Private Pilot's Licence

What's a Private Pilot's Licence?

A Private Pilot's Licence (PPL) is the first stage of your flying. The holder of a PPL is entitled to carry passengers and can fly more-or-less anywhere within New Zealand. With a PPL you can take your family or friends off for a weekend away, go for a scenic flight around your local area, or just go flying for the pure enjoyment of it. Some of our pilots even fly from New Zealand to countries in the South Pacific. If you're interested in a Flying career, a Private Pilot's Licence is the best way of beginning. After gaining your PPL you can then gain more flying experience, and can work towards some of the other courses we provide, such as a Commercial Pilot's Licence (CPL), Instrument Rating, Multi-Engine Rating, to name just a few. More information about a career in aviation is available from our office.

Is there an age limit?

Anyone of any age can learn to fly and our pilot’s range in age from early teens to over 70's. The only legal requirement is that you must be 16 or over to fly solo. There's no upper age limit for learning to fly. And what a great hobby to have when you're retired!

What are the medical requirements?

The medical assessment for a Private Pilot is carried out by a Civil Aviation approved Doctor. If you are of good average health you probably won't have any problems getting a PPL (Class 2) medical. Wearing glasses doesn't prevent you from getting a Class 1 (Commercial Pilot's) or Class 2 (Private Pilot's) medical except in some exceptional cases.

How do I get a PPL?

There are two parts to gaining a PPL, flight training and theory. To gain a PPL you must complete a minimum of 50 hours flight training (30 with an Instructor, and 20 solo). You must also pass a Flight Radio Telephone Operators Licence and five theory exams: Navigation, Meteorology, Aviation Law, Aircraft Technology, and Human Factors in Aviation.

UH-OH... Theory Exams!

Most of the theory is directly related to what you will learn during your flight training, so most people find it quite interesting and relevant to their flying. The theory exams vary in length, but on average are one hour in duration. They are not especially difficult but you do need to learn your subjects. We can arrange for examinations to be sat on demand once you are ready. At Flight Training Manawatu we run classes to introduce you to the theory you will need for your exams. The textbooks we use cover all the material you will need to know for the exams and our Instructors are always available to help students with their groundwork.

How do I know if I'll like flying?

 At Flight Training Manawatu we have three special introductory packages to give you the chance to find out -

• The Flight of Discovery ($39) is a 20 minute flight with one of our friendly instructors where you will get the chance to fly the plane yourself.  This is a great way to get an introduction into the basics of flying. 
• Our Three-Flight Package ($199) incorporates the first three lessons of the PPL syllabus. With each flight being half an hour in length, this package will save you 30%.
• Our Flying Start Package ($2638) provides for 12 hours flying (to approximately First Solo), and includes a headset and logbook. The flying is at the normal rate but the accessories (headset, headset bag and logbook) are provided at cost price.

The Flying Training...

At Flight Training Manawatu we train students to PPL standard in Cessna 152's - they are 2-seater, high wing aircraft. We use them because they are good training aircraft that are well suited to the Feilding Aerodrome. We also choose to train in Cessna aircraft because the rest of our fleet are similar in type, so when you have a PPL and want to fly something with more than two seats, the conversion is simple. When you are nearly ready to sit your PPL Flight Test (which is about 1 hour long), our Chief Flying Instructor will put you through a mock Flight Test to make sure that you know what to expect, and that you are ready to sit the test.

How long does it take to get a PPL?

There are no rules or regulations concerning how long you should take to do your training. If you have plenty of spare time, you could gain your Licence in as little as two months. On the other hand, if you're working and you want to fit your lessons around other commitments, there's no reason why you can't spread the training over 12-18 months. It's entirely up to you.

Do I need any qualifications or special equipment?

No - just bring yourself and plenty of enthusiasm!

Great, but how much does it cost?

The cost of flying is similar to some other interests you could have - skiing, horse-riding, scuba diving, motor sports, etc. You have a minimum of 50 hours training to complete, exams, medical assessments, books, and so on. There is no up-front, lump-sum payment to be made. You just pay for each flying lesson as you take it, based on flying time (eg if a flying lesson lasts 36 minutes you pay for .60 x the hourly rate = .60 x $190 = $114). Lastly, we charge no landing fees when you fly at Flight Training Manawatu. This will save you at least $15.00 on every flight and up to as much as $1000.00 over the duration of your PPL. See the About Us page for all our flying rates.

Once I have a Private Pilot's Licence - what then?

The options are virtually limitless, so here's just a few things that our own pilots do with their licences that may give you an idea -

• Some of our pilots use their licences for business travel, finding it easier and more convenient to fly themselves to meetings and seminars.
• Others use the Licence as a springboard to other types of flying - aerobatics, tail wheel aircraft, twin engine flying, night flying, formation flying and so on.
• Some of our pilots fly themselves to other countries - one regularly flies to islands in the South Pacific on holiday. You can even use a New Zealand PPL to fly aircraft in other countries when on vacation.
• Many other pilots that fly with Flight Training Manawatu use their Licence for a variety of pleasure pursuits, including taking friends and family white baiting on the West Coast of the South Island, skiing in Queenstown, fishing in the Marlborough Sounds, and boating in the Bay of Plenty. Sharing the cost of travel in our 4-seater aircraft is extremely competitive with any other form of travel.
• Other pilots will use the PPL as a prelude to professional licences in preparation for an airline or top dressing career for example.

I can't afford to buy an aeroplane - how easy is it to hire one?

The average Private Pilot doesn't do enough flying to justify owning an aeroplane, so fortunately hiring one is pretty simple and straightforward. Once you have your Licence and want to hire an aeroplane, we have several aircraft that you can choose from. There is our 2 seater Cessna 152’s, our 4 seater Cessna 172’s, which are all great aircraft to take passengers for that scenic or cross-country flight. In addition we have two twin engine aircraft (Navajo and Partenavia). Hiring an aircraft isn't like a car where you pay per day. If you take an aircraft away you only pay per hour while you are in the air, so if you fly to Taupo for a few days skiing then all you pay for is the 2 hours flying (it's free while sitting on the ground).

Have a browse of the website for more information or please feel free to call in, or telephone, and talk to one of our staff. See the Contact Us page for our email address and how to find us! - We're here to help you.