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PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE

OVERVIEW

After building your base pilot skills in your Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) training, the Private Pilot Licence (PPL) training incorporates navigation and controlled airspace.  Achieving your PPL allows you to fly anywhere in Australia and the world (when in an Australian registered aircraft).

The PPL also removes the weight limits that apply to an RPL allowing you to take more passengers and fly larger aircraft.

Steps in your training

After completing all the sequences in the RPL, you will start your PPL training.

Phase 1: Introduction to Navigation

This phase introduces you to the various skills involved with visually navigating an aircraft.  From reading charts, interpreting weather, conducting in-air diversions and undertaking lost procedures, there are numerous new skills to learn.

Using a mixture of ground briefings, simulator sessions and practical flight lessons this phase will introduce you to navigating and controlled airspace.

For those who did the RPL in a 2 seater aircraft, this phase will also include familiarisation flights on the 4 seater aircraft used for navigation.

Phase 2: Navigation Consolidation

This phase consolidates your newly learnt navigation skills as we continue to fly around NSW visiting various different airports and types of airspace.  Throughout your PPL training you will get to experience remote rural strips (Coolah), busy general aviation airports (Bankstown) and large international airports (Canberra).

These varied experiences combined with some scenic views makes your PPL training very memorable!

The aero club also runs fly-outs to different locations throughout the year that you can join as part of your training.

During this phase you will also conduct two solo navigation exercises as well as sit the CASA PPL(A) theory exam.

Phase 3: Pre-Licence

This phase focuses on preparing you for the PPL Flight test. At the end of this phase you will sit the PPL(A) flight test with a flight examiner. This test involves both a ground theory and practical flight component.

Requirements

The legal minimum hours to be issued a PPL is 35 hours.  However, this is never achieved.  Realistically, the average hours of completion are 65-70 hours* inclusive of your RPL training. (* based on average pilot competency, actual hours may vary)

You must be 17 years old to be issued a PPL.

Cost

As mentioned above, almost every pilot requires more training than the legal minimum.  We quote our costs based on the average hours to give you a more realistic price estimate. 

Our quoted all-inclusive price for the PPL is $37,000 (this includes the cost of the RPL).  You do not need to pay this upfront; you simply pay for each flight and/or theory session at the conclusion of each lesson.

Component Cost
Flying $16,540
Based on average hours of completion. Hours may be lower or higher depending on competency level. This covers the flying, ground and simulator sessions found in the PPL syllabus
Ancillary Items $3,500
This covers the cost of textbooks, navigation equipment, landing fees, theory exam and the flight test fee for the PPL.
Total Cost $37,000 ($20,040 for PPL + $16,960 for RPL)

The ccac Advantage

Why choose CCAC?  There are many reasons:

  • Located just off the freeway, we are easily located for those in the Sydney, Central Coast and Newcastle area. 40 minutes from the Hornsby interchange and 30 minutes from the Wallsend interchange.
  • Highly experienced instructors. Combined our instructors have over 30,000 hours of instruction experience.  Many of our alumni are now using their pilot licence privately for their own business, to explore Australia and to do Angel Flight volunteer flights.  Commercially, we have alumni in numerous airlines both domestically and internationally as well as alumni in various sectors of the general aviation industry.
  • Warnervale Airport is located within our training area, this means it is only a few minutes from take-off until you are in the training area to complete your lesson. Additionally, we are an uncontrolled airport, so there is no wait for taxi and take-off clearances, and you get more time in the air per lesson.

What next?

What can you do once you have your RPL?

  • Hire one of our aircraft for private flights with family and friends. Or complete an aircraft familiarisation on one of the various aircraft in our fleet to give you more flying options.
  • Continue your training and progress from private operations to commercial operations with a Commercial Pilot Licence.
  • Add an endorsement to your PPL:
  • Add an operational rating to your PPL:
    • You can add a Multi Engine class rating, allowing you to fly aircraft with more than one engine.
    • You can add an instrument rating to allow you to fly in clouds and reduced weather conditions.  This can be either a private instrument rating or a command instrument rating.
    • You can add a night VFR rating to allow you to remove the daylight hours restriction.

Commercial Pilots Licence

Night Visual Rules (VFR)

Retractable Undercarriage Endorsment