asset_type: sequencing

body: The minimum flight hours, minimum age, solo and cross-country requirements and prerequisite licences for each pilot licence and rating, compared across the FAA (United States), EASA (European Union), the UK CAA (retained Part-FCL) and Transport Canada. One record is one stated requirement for one licence under one authority, with the provision citation. Answers 'how many hours do I need for a private pilot licence UK vs US', 'FAA PPL minimum flight hours 61.109', 'EASA PPL 45 hours', 'minimum age for a commercial pilot licence Canada', 'can simulator time count towards a PPL', and 'how many hours to convert an FAA PPL to a UK licence'. The UK kept the EU article numbering after Brexit and then changed the number inside it: FCL.210.A(a) reads 45 hours in EU law and 40 hours in UK retained law, amended with effect from 1 October 2025 by S.I. 2025/878. Same provision identifier, two different values, one of them recent.

key_field: licence

licence: Facts extracted from freely published primary law: US federal regulations via Cornell LII, EU regulations via EUR-Lex, UK retained EU law via legislation.gov.uk, and Canadian Aviation Regulations standards via Transport Canada. All four are public legal texts, published free and without login, and legal text is not privately owned. ICAO Annex 1 is deliberately not used: it is a paid ICAO document and its product is the compilation.

title: Pilot licence minimum hours, age and prerequisites by civil aviation authority

type: dataset


authority: UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)(1)

**Requirement:** dual instruction

**Value:** dual flight instruction as required to pass the licence skill test

**Amendment:** Words in Annex 1 point FCL.210.A(a)(1) substituted (1.10.2025) by The Aviation Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/878), regs. 1(4), 6(4)(b)(ii)

> [ F4 dual flight instruction as required to pass the licence skill test ] ; and

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

licence: PPL(A)

requirement: dual instruction

title: PPL(A) — Pilot licence minimum hours, age and prerequisites by civil aviation authority

type: sequencing


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(c)(2)

**Requirement:** dual instruction

**Value:** at least 15 hours of flight instruction in aeroplanes

**Condition:** in a training course at a DTO or at an ATO, including at least the requirements of point (a)(2)

**Amendment:** Substituted by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/359 of 4 March 2020 amending Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011

> at least 15 hours of flight instruction in aeroplanes in a training course at a DTO or at an ATO, including at least the requirements of point (a)(2).

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)

**Requirement:** simulator credit

**Value:** 5 of which may have been completed in an FSTD

**Amendment:** Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/445 of 17 March 2015 amending Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 as regards technical requirements and administrative procedures related to civil aviation aircrew

> hours of flight [ F3 time as a pilot, appropriate to the class rating sought, ] in aeroplanes or TMGs, 5 of which may have been completed in an FSTD, including at least:

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

requirement: simulator credit


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)(2)

**Requirement:** solo cross-country

**Value:** at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time

**Condition:** with at least 1 cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM), during which full stop landings at 2 aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure shall be made

**Amendment:** Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/445 of 17 March 2015 amending Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 as regards technical requirements and administrative procedures related to civil aviation aircrew

> 10 hours of supervised solo flight time, including at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time with at least 1 cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM), during which full stop landings at 2 aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure shall be made.

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

requirement: solo cross-country


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)(2)

**Requirement:** solo flight time

**Value:** 10 hours of supervised solo flight time

**Amendment:** Substituted by Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/445 of 17 March 2015 amending Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 as regards technical requirements and administrative procedures related to civil aviation aircrew

> 10 hours of supervised solo flight time, including at least 5 hours of solo cross-country flight time with at least 1 cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM), during which full stop landings at 2 aerodromes different from the aerodrome of departure shall be made.

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

requirement: solo flight time

value: 10 hours of supervised solo flight time


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)

**Requirement:** total flight time

**Value:** at least 40

> (a) Applicants for a PPL(A) shall have completed at least 40...

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/contents>

requirement: total flight time

value: at least 40


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(a)

**Requirement:** total flight time

**Value:** at least [ F2 40 ] hours

**Condition:** 5 of which may have been completed in an FSTD

**Amendment:** Word in Annex 1 point FCL.210.A(a) substituted (1.10.2025) by The Aviation Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/878), regs. 1(4), 6(4)(b)(i)(aa)

> Applicants for a PPL(A) shall have completed at least [ F2 40 ] hours of flight [ F3 time as a pilot, appropriate to the class rating sought, ] in aeroplanes or TMGs, 5 of which may have been completed in an FSTD, including at least:

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

value: at least [ F2 40 ] hours


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(b)

**Requirement:** total flight time

**Value:** reduced to 35 hours

**Condition:** if completed whilst undertaking a course at an ATO approved for that purpose

**Amendment:** Annex 1 point FCL.210.A(b) substituted (1.10.2025) by The Aviation Safety (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/878), regs. 1(4), 6(4)(b)(iii)

> The requirement for 40 hours flight time specified in (a) may be reduced to 35 hours, if completed whilst undertaking a course at an ATO approved for that purpose.

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>

value: reduced to 35 hours


body:
**Licence or rating:** PPL(A)

**Authority:** UK CAA (retained Part-FCL)

**Provision:** FCL.210.A(c)(1)

**Requirement:** total flight time

**Value:** at least 24 hours of flight time on TMGs

**Condition:** Applicants for a PPL(A) who hold an SPL with the privileges to fly TMGs; after endorsement of the TMG privileges

**Amendment:** Substituted by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/359 of 4 March 2020 amending Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011

> at least 24 hours of flight time on TMGs after endorsement of the TMG privileges; and

Source: <https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eur/2011/1178/annex/I/division/SUBPART+C/section/2/division/FCL.210.A>