From LAPL to PPL:
Already hold a LAPL(A)? You do not start again. European rules (Part-FCL) provide for a straightforward additional course towards the PPL(A): every flying hour is credited, and the written exams are not retaken.
0h
Flying hours minimum after the LAPL
0h
Hours of instruction at the club (DTO)
0h
Supervised solo minimum
0
Written exams to retake
What Part-FCL says
Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 (Part-FCL) explicitly provides for crediting hours when a LAPL(A) holder goes on to the PPL(A).
AMC1 FCL.310
This provision credits in full the hours flown under a LAPL(A) towards PPL(A) training — no hour goes back to zero.
FCL.210.A
The article that sets the PPL(A) experience requirements: 45 flying hours minimum, including 10 hours solo of which 5 are solo cross-country.
No written exams
In France the LAPL and PPL written exams are the same, so there is nothing to retake. Only a class 2 medical certificate is additionally required.
Practical training certificate (French CAA form 66FormExa)
From your LAPL(A) to the issue of the PPL(A)
A review flight with an instructor
One assessment flight is enough to take stock of what you have flown since the LAPL. From there your instructor builds a programme around you, up to the standard expected at the PPL skill test.
Additional training — 10 hours of instruction
Sharper handling, longer cross-country flights, unusual situations to manage: this covers everything the PPL asks for beyond LAPL level.
Supervised solo — 4 hours minimum
Including at least 2 hours of solo cross-country. In particular you will fly a trip of at least 270 km (150 NM), with full-stop landings at two aerodromes other than the departure field.
The skill test
Once you are ready, your instructor puts you forward for the PPL skill test: a flight with an authorised examiner covering navigation, handling and emergency procedures.
PPL in hand
The authority issues your PPL(A) with the SEP class rating. Your privileges widen the moment the licence is issued.
What the PPL adds
A worldwide licence
Unlike the LAPL, the PPL is an ICAO-compliant licence. It travels beyond Europe: renting aircraft abroad, converting to other regulatory systems.
More aircraft, more passengers
The LAPL's 2,000 kg ceiling and three-passenger limit fall away, within the aircraft covered by your class rating.
The door to what comes next
Instrument flying (BIR, IR), the commercial licence (CPL), the instructor rating (FI) to pass it on in turn: all of these are built on the PPL.
Our instructors will review your logbook
Bring your logbook and your LAPL(A). Starting from what you have actually flown, we build the additional programme that takes you to the PPL.
This page is based on European EASA rules (the Aircrew Regulation — Part-FCL, point FCL.210.A) and on the arrangements published by the French civil aviation authority. These texts change: the conditions in force at EASA (easa.europa.eu) and the DGAC (ecologie.gouv.fr) are the ones that count.