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PPL LAPL medical downgrade - watch out!

As most people know, at least those “elderly” above 40 or 50 the PPL medical lasts for one year, but includes LAPL medical for two years. At the same time PPL privileges includes LAPL privileges.

This means that you can fly on PPL privileges the first year, and LAPL privileges the second year. Money and time saved, and fuzz of organizing an AME is avoided. Of course, it this implicitly means that LAPL privileges is in fact OK for the flying you do (VFR etc.). I have done this the last couple of times, and all is OK.

There is however a catch that is not all that obvious. The renewal of the SEP rating is on a bi annual basis. If this gets out of sync with your medical, you are in trouble. This happened to one guy here. He needed to renew his rating, but was on his “LAPL privilege year”. The answer he got was NO. You cannot renew your SEP without a valid PPL medical. There is a 50/50 chance this will happen when you enter the age of 1 year medical. Be aware of this if you plan to only go to the AME once every second year The renewal of the SEP rating has to be done within the year following the validity of your PPL medical. This means one extra trip to the AME for the unlucky ones

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway
You cannot renew your SEP without a valid PPL medical

That depends on the state of licence issue. Some competent authorities, eg DCA in Cyprus, permit examiners to endorse the licence despite the medical certificate lapsing.

London, United Kingdom

You cannot renew your SEP without a valid PPL medical

I am sure that is not right in general. You just need the examiner/instructor to be PIC.

But some examiners do apply that rule here in the UK. I had it once, just once.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Qalupalik wrote:

You cannot renew your SEP without a valid PPL medical

That depends on the state of licence issue. Some competent authorities, eg DCA in Cyprus, permit examiners to endorse the licence despite the medical certificate lapsing.

That is mine understanding for the UK as well – your license will be endorsed and you can even fly LPC if needed for that endorsement.
The only difference is going to be that if you have your a valid Class 2, then that time is logged as PIC (or variation of), without your medical it will be something like P/UT.

EGTR
But some examiners do apply that rule here in the UK

Unless the licence must be re-issued by UK CAA, there is no such rule. Further, it is contrary to the policy in para 2.3.2 of the UK Flight Examiners’ Handbook: “Checks, tests and assessments of competence for rating or certificate issue, renewal or revalidation may be carried out on individuals whose licence or medical is out of date.

arj1, yes, p/ut should also be used when the rating is being renewed rather than revalidated. UK FEH para 4.6.3.

London, United Kingdom

Qalupalik wrote:

That depends on the state of licence issue. Some competent authorities, eg DCA in Cyprus, permit examiners to endorse the licence despite the medical certificate lapsing.

That’s what I would have thought as well. The examiner however did not. He just refused to renew unless a valid medical existed. But just to be clear. This is not a renewal or anything requiring instructional flight ours. This was just the usual sign-off, which the CAA themselves could have done. What do the EASA regs say about this? A_A ?

The elephant is the circulation
ENVA ENOP ENMO, Norway

Is a UK “Personal Medical Declaration” acceptable in the UK?

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

You can apply for an NPPL with no medical so maybe you can also apply for an LAPL with no medical.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

LeSving wrote:

This means that you can fly on PPL privileges the first year, and LAPL privileges the second year.

Watch out even more, as this is not the case in other countries. I thought so and was told, Switzerland does not allow anyone to fly with LAPL privileges unless he downgrades his PPL irreversibly to LAPL. Not sure if it is still so, but if it wasn’t, I would certainly not go through the medical every year. PPL requires Class 2, always.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Mooney_Driver wrote:

Switzerland does not allow anyone to fly with LAPL privileges unless he downgrades his PPL irreversibly to LAPL

The inclusion of LAPL privileges in a PPL was done by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1747 which does not appear to have entered into force in the EFTA states (link).

EU rule:
FCL.205.A PPL(A) — Privileges
(a) The privileges of the holders of a PPL(A) are to act without
remuneration as PIC or co-pilots of aeroplanes or TMGs engaged in
non-commercial operations and to exercise all privileges of holders of
an LAPL(A).

EFTA rule:
FCL.205.A PPL(A) — Privileges
(a) The privileges of the holder of a PPL(A) are to act without
remuneration as PIC or co-pilot on aeroplanes or TMGs engaged in
non-commercial operations.

London, United Kingdom
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