Commercial Pilots Licence

We are approved and equipped to deliver training towards the JAA Commercial Pilots Licence in accordance with the demanding European JAR-FCL regulations. This licence is the basis for employment as a pilot within Europe and elsewhere.

The CPL course offered at Sussex Flight Centre includes a Multi-Engine (ME) Class Rating, which permits the holder to fly aircraft with more than one piston engine. Flying multi-engine aircraft is more complex in terms of handling and engine management, and it is vital that the necessary skills are taught correctly and with the utmost attention to detail. At SFC, this is always the case, and we never cut corners in training our customers.

Our CPL course has the following pre-rentry requirements:

1. You must hold a Private Pilots Licence (PPL) and have attained a minimum of 150 hours of total flight time and 70 hours of pilot-in-command time. If you do not meet this requirement, you can obtain the qualification and experience through our sister organisation, Sussex Flying Club (SFC).
   
2. You must hold a Class 1 medical issued in the UK by the Civil Aviation Authority
   
3. You must have achieved a pass in all fourteen theoretical CPL or ATPL examinations at a UK CAA test centre within the previous 36 months (please contact us for further details regarding these examinations)
   
4. You should hold a Night Qualification (can be obtained through Sussex Flying Club if not held)
   
5. You must pass a pre-entry assessment flight with our CFI to assess whether additional training is required to achieve the necessary level of competence before entering the course.

Our course is structured as a 28-hour programme which includes 19 hours of instruction in a single engine aircraft (Piper PA28) and 9 hours in a multi-engine aircraft (Beechcraft BE76).

The course can be completed within four weeks if required, or tailored around your needs, however for continuity all training, the course duration should not be planned to exceed eight weeks.

At the end, a skill test is conducted by a CAA flight examiner. The hours prescribed by the CAA / JAA are a minimum requirement. It is assumed that the student’s practical, theoretical knowledge and ability is in accordance with the minimum course entry experience requirements. Additional training may be required in the individual case to achieve the required standard.

 

Multi Engine Class Rating

The Multi-Engine Class Rating entitles its holder to fly Multi-Engine Piston aircraft. On the one hand, the ME rating is required both by CPL holders whose goal is to become an airline pilot. But also, Private Pilot Licence holders who only fly recreationally may attain the Multi-Engine Rating if their goal is to further their flying skills on a considerably more complex machine - either as an added challenge or for additional safety. We are ideally positioned to train you towards your Multi-Engine Rating, no matter what your reason may be for requiring this qualification.

To start training towards your ME Class Rating you must already hold a JAA (European) Private Pilots Licence or Commercial Pilots Licence.

The course consists of 7 hours of instruction in a multi-engine aircraft (Beechcraft BE76), a groundschool element, and a written multiple-choice examination. At the end of the course, a skill test is conducted either by one of our in-house flight examiners or a CAA flight examiner.