Fly regularly (2-3x/month minimum). Practise cross-country, passenger flights, controlled/uncontrolled aerodromes. Join a flying club. Consider a night rating. Build toward SEP revalidation (12 hours). Keep learning — fly with experienced pilots, attend safety seminars.
3 takeoffs and 3 landings in preceding 90 days in same type/class. For night with passengers: additional 1 takeoff, approach, landing at night in 90 days. These are minimums — refresher training is good practice after any gap.
SEP valid 24 months. Revalidation by experience: within final 12 months, log 12 hours in SEP (6 PIC, 12 T/Os and landings, 1 hour refresher with instructor). Instructor with FCL.945 privileges signs revalidation. Alternative: proficiency check with examiner (45-60 min flight test).
You cannot fly at all — not solo, not with passengers. Renewal requires: training as required, then proficiency check (flight test) with examiner. Once passed, new 24-month period begins. Your PPL itself stays valid. Prevention is easier than cure.
Join a flying club (20-40% cheaper). Fly with friends and split costs. Hour-build in Eastern Europe/Spain/Greece. Use Wingly for cost-sharing passengers. Volunteer as safety pilot. Fly cheaper aircraft types. Use off-peak/midweek rates.
Spain (Mallorca, Andalusia), Greece (Crete, Rhodes), Poland, Czech Republic, Romania. Rates EUR100-160/hr wet. Some offer structured hour-building packages with accommodation. Flying a rented aircraft around the Mediterranean for 1-2 weeks logs 30-50 hours while touring.
Flight-sharing platform where pilots post planned flights and passengers book seats, contributing proportionally to direct costs. Pilot cannot profit. Wingly handles logistics, insurance verification, payments (taking a fee). Can reduce per-flight costs by 50-75%.
Night Rating (5hr), BIR (variable), CB-IR (40hr min), MEP (~6-10hr), Aerobatic Rating, Mountain Rating, Seaplane Rating, TMG class rating, FI rating (requires 200hr total), tailwheel/complex differences training, type ratings for specific aircraft.
Member-owned organisations operating aircraft at cost. Annual membership EUR200-1000 plus hourly rates (20-40% below commercial rental). Based at grass strips or regional airfields. Find via national aero club federations (AOPA, DAeC, KNVvL, etc.), local airfields, or online directories.
