Pilots Area

The EASA PPL (Private Pilots License)

Here at the Ulster Flying Club we love new students regardless of their age, you’re never too young to experience aviation and never too old to learn to fly.

There has long been a misconception that flying is for the wealthy; well this simply is not true! The cost of learning to fly can be spread over a period of time, determined by you. Whether you want to gain you licence in 6 months or 2 years the overall cost will generally be the same.

A good starting point is a Trial Lesson, this gives you the opportunity to fly the airplane yourself and see how much you enjoy it. Normally your instructor will give you a short brief before the flight, they will carry out the necessary checks, take-off and once the airplane is established in level flight let you have control. Your instructor will then take control of the aircraft for landing. You will have just completed your first lesson towards gaining your pilots licence! If you decide to continue your training, a course of 45 hours must be completed before your skills test (driving test for airplanes) can be taken. The course requirements and approximate costs are laid out below.

At first glance this may seem a lot but remember you can space this out over any period of time, however it is recommended that you do not leave too a gap long between lessons. We suggest a lesson at least every three weeks to avoid recapping the previous lesson.

PPL starter packs are available from the shop and will save you some money as your training begins.

How much will it cost me?

Below is an approximate guide of how much it could cost to learn to fly in one of our Cessna 152 2 seater aircraft, we have 2 such aircraft at the club and a further 3 larger Cessna 172 4 seater aircraft!