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Hello and help! (PPL or LAPL or UL)

Emir wrote:

You can fly microlights with it

Negative. At least where T/S is currently residing. May well vary between countries, though.
Or things should have changed much recently, perhaps according to SERA. But I don’t think SERA mentions microlight licenses at all.

Last Edited by at 18 Aug 14:23
EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Microlight (aka ultralight) are not regulated by EASA but by the local CAA, so it probably depends on the CAA. In Poland a ultralight registered as such will not count for SEP hours, but it will count if registered as an experimental plane. Go figure. That said, maintaining the SEP(L) rating probably isn’t that big of a deal – a skill test flight every two years.

tmo
EPKP - Kraków, Poland

An airplane is an airplane, is an airplane. If you don’t want to become a fanatic, light most here, including me – you can do most VFR flights in a modern UL for 1/5 or less of the cost. A Remos G3, one example, flies faster than your average Cessna, has a BRS system and it’s fixed cost can be be in the motorcycle category … and if you don’t care about payload or IFR flying, that’s what i would do.

And it’s a good start into flying. If you get crazy about it – you can always do the PPL.

If money is not a deciding factor: PPL

you can do most VFR flights in a modern UL for 1/5 or less of the cost. A Remos G3, one example, flies faster than your average Cessna, has a BRS system …

1/5? You are kidding, surely? You must be comparing totally different ownership/maintenance circumstances.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

One important factor is that T/S is a Brit but now living (temporarily?) in BE. Gaining a Belgian microlight license would be his lightest option, but that nice document will be next to worthless if he relocates outside Belgium. That’s why I recommended the PPL, too. We do not yet know however what kind or amount of flying he intends to do – perhaps he’s still finding that out for himself.

As for the LAPL: I can’t be sure but I do not think this license can today be trained for, in Belgium. Perhaps @Piotr_Szut knows more? And for all I understand it is but a small step down from the PPL, to most people the difference will be negligible.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Plan is to stay here for the long haul sic atm, and the intension is for flying to be done as a hobby, and once quaified, flying at least once a month (day trips in neighbouring airfields / countries, weather permitting – I live in Belgium after all ) with for example, a once a year longer tour for several days to a week, further afield.

EBCI Charleroi, Belgium
you can do most VFR flights in a modern UL for 1/5 or less of the cost.

I agree that sounds like a very impressive figure. My club charges 1,60 €/minute for a P92 ultralight, 1,85 € for a P2002; the C172 goes for 2,25 €/minute and the P2010 for 3,00 €. So the ultralights cost perhaps 60%, very roughly, that’s a long way from 20%.

Cost can however be much reduced by self-maintenance which is much more common on ultralights even though I was surprised to learn on these pages how much owner maintenance can be allowed on (certain?) certified planes. For some reason almost nobody seems to take advantage of that liberty, not at least at my field. OTOH people are always tinkering about their ultralights, up to and including structural repairs after crashing.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

Jan_Olieslagers wrote:

Or things should have changed much recently, perhaps according to SERA. But I don’t think SERA mentions microlight licenses at all.

SERA are the traffic rules. They say nothing about licenses. License rules are found in part-FCL — and microlight licenses are not mentioned there as they are national licenses — not EASA licenses.

Last Edited by Airborne_Again at 18 Aug 14:43
ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

That’s what I thought, AA, thanks for confirmation.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium

@Jamie: an option not mentioned is for you to get the French ultralight license. You would have to take the theory exam in French, but since you mentioned you have a fair deal of French that should be doable – I understand it is a matter of multiple choice questions only. The advantages of the French ultralight regime are many. Most importantly the license is for life with no kind of periodical check, not even a medical. Very many Belgian ultraliglight owners register their planes in France, informal estimates reach up to 50%. Training under French regime could be had at Buzet and Baisy-Thy airfields, just South of Brussels.

Another point to consider when comparing total cost of license: the PPL automatically includes a radio license, this is not the case for ultralight. So if you go the UL way you’ll have to separately pass the radio exam with its associated cost. To both, you would need to add ELP – unless taking the exams in UK, I suppose.

EBZH Kiewit, Belgium
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