Becoming a microlight pilot
The microlight is the most direct and the most affordable way into flying. At the BYAC you train on an Aeroprakt A22LS, a two-seat fixed-wing machine that is natural to handle and offers exceptional visibility.
0
Minimum age for the license
0 à 40 h
Flying hours on average for the license
0 € / h
Hourly solo rate for the Aeroprakt
0 h
Airplane pilot conversion (3 to 6 h)
What you need to start
Training can begin earlier, flying dual with an instructor. It is the earliest route to flying as pilot in command.
Medical fitness
No visit to an aeromedical examiner as for the PPL or LAPL: a certificate of no contraindication less than a year old is enough, and your own doctor can issue it. A valid class 1, class 2 or LAPL medical replaces it. At later renewals, a health questionnaire takes over.
Membership
Annual membership of the microlight section and a federation insurance license from the French microlight federation, both required for any flying. The detail is on the pricing page.
From first lesson to license
Joining the microlight section
You join the club and take out the insurance license required for any flying. An introductory flight with an instructor is still the best way to check the aircraft suits you before committing.
The common written exam
A multiple-choice paper of 60 questions in 90 minutes, sat at an examination centre approved by the French microlight federation: air law, meteorology, principles of flight, navigation and safety.
The class knowledge check
On top of the common paper comes a check of the knowledge specific to the class you fly — here, fixed-wing. Your instructor conducts it on the ground, on the aircraft you will be flying.
Flight training
This is the great difference from the PPL and the LAPL: no minimum duration is imposed. The program follows your progress, and you fly until you are ready, no more and no less. At the club, expect 25 to 40 hours for a complete beginner.
The practical test
A check of procedures and of your ability to fly safely. It can take the form of continuous assessment through the course or a dedicated flight: your instructor assesses it, with no outside examiner.
License in hand
The authority issues your microlight pilot license in class 3 (fixed-wing). You then fly as pilot in command, with one passenger aboard the Aeroprakt.
Converting from airplanes to microlights
Hold a PPL or a LAPL? The hours and the reflexes are already there. What remains is getting used to a lighter machine, more sensitive to wind and far cheaper to fly: three to six hours usually does it.
This page is based on the French national rules for microlights and on the syllabus of the French microlight federation. These texts change: the conditions in force at the DGAC (ecologie.gouv.fr) and the FFPLUM (ffplum.fr) are the ones that count.