Fly with friends and family in your local area

What and where does an RPL let me fly?

• A single-engine aircraft under 1500kg max weight

• By day, in reasonable weather

• Within 25 nautical miles (46 km) of your starting point

• Carrying one passenger

You can add further flying permissions and privileges by undertaking additional flight training with the Airspeed Aviation Flight School.

What do I need to take the RPL course?

• To be at least 15 years old to go solo

• To be 16 years old to hold a Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL)

• Able to speak English clearly

• Obtain a medical certificate from your GP (limited to 1 passenger) or a Class 2 Medical from an Aviation specialist doctor (no passenger limit).

How much flight training is required for an RPL?

• The minimum flying hours by CASA rules is 25; 20 with an instructor and 5 solo

• You will do a flight test with a Flight Examiner (usually, our Chief Flying Instructor) for your Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL)

• You will need to complete some written exams to check your Aviation knowledge, and a computer-based test set by CASA.

What does the Airspeed Flight School RPL course cost?

Basic flight training in a small single-engine aircraft cots around $300 per flying hour depending on the aircraft and different airports.

The total cost for a Recreational Pilot Licence is normally around $11,000-$15,000 (including GST), depending on your choice of aircraft and training location.

What if I want to fly further or carry more people?

Not a problem. Once you have earned your Recreational Pilot Licence, you can expand your flying privileges by earning additional endorsements from further training at one of our four NSW bases.

Flight training that expands your RPL flying privileges:

Controlled Aerodrome & Controlled Airspace: fly in higher-density airspace with Air Traffic Control, including Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Bankstown and Camden. (You will do this with your RPL if you train with us at our Tamworth base)

Flight Radio Endorsement: this is a normal part of your training package and comes as “standard” with all Airspeed Aviation Pilot Licence courses.

Recreational Navigation Endorsement: allows you to fly beyond the 25nm limit of the standard RPL, and navigate cross-country anywhere in Australia.

The next step after a Recreational Pilot Licence is the Private Pilot Licence (PPL) which brings you additional privileges such as Night Flying, Instrument Ratings, Aerobatics, Formation Flying, and Multi-engine.