FAA PPL A Add on

[tinyjohnston]

Hey

I have a FAA CPL H and am looking to get a FAA PPL A add on.

Anyone know what is involved in getting this??

Anyone Done this?? Any Advice??

Thanks in advanced....

Tiny

[S-Works]

You don't get an 'add on' you go and do a fixed wing PPL. You will get some credit for flight time but otherwise you do the full course. Flying fixed wing is nothing like flying rotary and vice versa. I did a PPL(H) after a thousand or so hours of fixed wing quite a few years ago and got 5hrs credit.

Mind you give me a plank any day!

[B2N2]

According to the regs; you need 25 hrs of SE instruction and 10 hrs of SE solo of which 5 solo XC.
25 is not a lot by the way if you consider:

• min 3 hrs DXC
• 3 hrs instrument
• 3 hrs night

That leaves you 16 hrs to get the hang of flying fixed wing.
For a PPL add-on you will not have a lot of advantages.
For the CPL you will because it states 250 hrs of "flight time" which can be a combination of everything; fixed wing, rotary, glider, hot airship, balloon, you name it.

[nh2301]

Indeed. A total of 50 hous of heli time is all that's required for CPL, and I suspect most take this long even for PPL, even if it's not required, so it's probably worth it.

[mattpilot]

Skip the PPL and go find a 141 school that does a CPL add-on. The minimums on some of the approved courses some 141 schools have make it quite reasonable to get the CPL add-on even if you only plan on doing personal flights - so why not get the CPL.

I had a CPL(A) and went and got a PPL(H) addon and then upgraded to CPL(H) part 61. Took a total of some 75 hours. A 141 school had an approved course for a straight CPL(H) addon for only 50 hours - to bad it was to far away from me. THey have similar courses that go the other way.

[MartinCh]

bose-x, UK CAA or JAA reqs are tad different. Much less 'cross-crediting'..

B2N2 states it correctly.
I presume you have at least one FAR/AIM gym weight around or FAA website should you please..

NH2301, well, that's why some heli schools advertise 50hr heli CPL add-on. Well, some prodigy guys and gals might do it within 'reasonable minimums', ie learning to fly helis ASAFP to fly enough solo and post-PPL PIC time and more importantly some XC time as well. I don't really get FAR in terms of this 50hr minimum when it's so unlikely one gets that good in helis that fast and satisfies PIC and XC time requirement (35 PIC helis and 10h XC) plus night VFR solo in helis, etc Well, ehm, hmm, right. 50hrs is all everyone with planks FAA CPL needs..

Not many fixed wing schools advertise airplane CPL add-on as it's not so easy on the eye in terms of minimums (not to mention proficiency for some) and not many rotary guys go FW to get CPL. I've seen only one US website mentioning CPL (A) 'add-on'.

As with any ratings and certificates, one must not only satisfy stated minimums, but also proficiency to pass the checkride.
Unless FAA system changes considerably, I'm planning to take advantage of this cross-crediting towards airplane CPL (time from helis and gliders) to cut out some 'hole-boring' hour building when I will be proficient enought to pass checkride. "Cutting slack" on heli training, hmmm. Not that easy, guys. Even if you pass with sub-100TT helis, how likely are you getting heli CFI job??
REMOVED EDIT: After "Whirls'" reminder I went to that post I remembered, but it was HillerBee, not WhirlXYZ with low heli TT according to his past posts, but I think that's just luck and being great with the stick.

That was CFIing in S300 naturally, not in R22 which is famous for SFAR73 (min 200TT helis and 50 R22/R44 mix to instruct in R22/44) making it any quick add-ons useless unless you have daddy who'll let you play with his chopper doing something commercial and he can afford staggering insurance premiums for such low time heli pilot..

FAR 61.129 (probably bit outdated thing but handy as it's on certain site)
For an airplane single engine rating:

If you are applying for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single engine class rating, you must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot (of which 50 hours, or in accordance with FAA Part 142, a maximum of 100 hours may have been accomplished in an approved flight simulator or approved flight training device that represents a single engine airplane) that consists of at least:

100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes.

100 hours of pilot in command flight time, which includes at least 50 hours in airplanes and 50 hours in cross-country flight in airplanes.

20 hours of training on the areas of operation as listed for this rating, that includes at least 10 hours of instrument training, of which at least 5 hours must be in a single engine airplane, 10 hours of training in an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, or is turbine-powered, one cross- country flight of at least 2 hours in a single engine airplane in day VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure, one cross-country flight of at least 2 hours in a single engine airplane in night VFR conditions, consisting of a total straight-line distance of more than 100 nautical miles from the original point of departure.

10 hours of solo flight in a single engine airplane, including one cross-country flight of not less than 300 nautical miles total distance and as specified, and 5 hours in night VFR conditions with 10 takeoffs and 10 landings (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

[IFMU]

You can always find the latest regs here:
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations:

or google e-cfr. You want to select title 14, aeronautics & space.

§ 61.109 Aeronautical experience.

(a) For an airplane single-engine rating. Except as provided in paragraph (k) of this section, a person who applies for a private pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 40 hours of flight time that includes at least 20 hours of flight training from an authorized instructor and 10 hours of solo flight training in the areas of operation listed in §61.107(b)(1) of this part, and the training must include at least—

(1) 3 hours of cross-country flight training in a single-engine airplane;

(2) Except as provided in §61.110 of this part, 3 hours of night flight training in a single-engine airplane that includes—

(i) One cross-country flight of over 100 nautical miles total distance; and

(ii) 10 takeoffs and 10 landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport.

(3) 3 hours of flight training in a single-engine airplane on the control and maneuvering of an airplane solely by reference to instruments, including straight and level flight, constant airspeed climbs and descents, turns to a heading, recovery from unusual flight attitudes, radio communications, and the use of navigation systems/facilities and radar services appropriate to instrument flight;

(4) 3 hours of flight training in preparation for the practical test in a single-engine airplane, which must have been performed within 60 days preceding the date of the test; and

(5) 10 hours of solo flight time in a single-engine airplane, consisting of at least—

(i) 5 hours of solo cross-country time;

(ii) One solo cross-country flight of at least 150 nautical miles total distance, with full-stop landings at a minimum of three points, and one segment of the flight consisting of a straight-line distance of at least 50 nautical miles between the takeoff and landing locations; and

(iii) Three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop (with each landing involving a flight in the traffic pattern) at an airport with an operating control tower.

The short read on this is at least 30 hours, 20 dual, and 10 solo. It helps to achieve the minimum hours if you combine tasks, i.e. do your dual cross country at night. I did it the other way around, started with a private SEL rating and got a private rotorcraft-helicopter rating. I don't think starting from a commercial helicopter pilot rating buys you anything extra.

I found each successive private rating easier to earn as there is a lot of overlap. Airspace, radio work, navigation, weather, regulations, all are similar. The flying part isn't so bad.

-- IFMU

[englishal]

Basically with the FAA, as long as you meet the minimum requirements and can pass the flight tests then you can get the certificate.

Me and a friend considered doing the CPL(H)/IR and the instructor reckoned it'd take about 50 hrs to convert A to H, based upon our current experience levels and how quickly we learned to fly the thing. We already met many of the requirements based upon our plank certificates, and the hardest thing would actually be learning to fly the helicopter

So, see which requirements you have already met, then seach the FARs for the requirements to be issued a PPL (A) and see what you are short of.

IFMU sums it up nicely ....

[MartinCh]

IFMU, I agree your FAR excerpt is more 'spot on' as the original question was about getting FAA PPL(A), not CPL(A). Just some guys started to talk about CPL add-ons so I floated with the stream.
Naturally, cross crediting is touch pointless as people tend to get PPL(A) when they learned to fly the aircraft well enough. That is usually some hours past 40TT anyway. AFAIK, it's usually glider pilots who don't have problem to get to required level before FAA mins for PPL(A).

EnglishAl,
That's what I meant in my wee essay. It's about flying the aircraft, especially helis proficiently enough, not what CFR states as doable on a paper.

[malc4d]

I did the private heli add-on then later the cpl add-on.
As you already have the heli cpl, I would do the cpl add-on, not the private. But it does increase the cost a tad. ( but you're most prob. bankrupt after the CPL-H ).
Are you looking to go as far as a multi rating ?

[tinyjohnston]

Thanks for the reply's....

Have any of you gone from having a CPL (H) to a CPL(A)??

So it looks as of i need 30 hrs total as a min.

Thanks

Tiny

[IFMU]

One of my co-workers went from a private helicopter rating to a private airplane rating. But he's off getting married, I'll have to ask him when he returns.

-- IFMU