Frequently Asked Questions

You will receive an internationally recognized license (EASA PPL) that allows you to fly exactly the same aircraft as with a PPL license from any other school. This is possible because we teach a number of hours of the training (8 hours) on a single-engine piston aircraft (reciprocating engine). This is required for the mandatory longer flights and navigation components of the training. The advantage is that after training with us you will receive the single-engine piston class and the endorsement in your logbook that also allows you to fly electrically on the Velis. Read everything about our courses.

Yes, but not all of them. We operate seven aircraft, five of which are fully electric. These are certified aircraft of the Light Sport Aircraft (CS-LSA) type. The endurance (time in the air) of these aircraft is a maximum of 50 minutes. You then land with at least 10 minutes of battery reserve. The majority of a flight training course can be flown with these. For the longer navigation flights we use a Pipistrel Virus SW 121. This is exactly the same aircraft as our electric Velis, only equipped with an efficient but conventional engine. For this aircraft we, of course, offset all emissions with the help of Just Diggit. In 2023 we hope to have newer aircraft so that this will no longer be necessary.

The Pipistrel Velis Electro falls into the Light Sport Aircraft category. The maximum takeoff weight is 600 kg. It is therefore a light and small aircraft with two seats. The wingspan is over 10 meters. If you want to know more about this aircraft, visit the manufacturer's website.

Initially we are not talking about distance but about "endurance". The time an aircraft can stay airborne. This is because wind, for example, has a major influence on distance. Most flights will depart from Teuge and land at.... Teuge. The range is therefore 0. If you used the full 22 kWh in the air and flew at an average of 80 knots (130km/h), you would reach 130 kilometers. However, that is unlikely to happen. By law there must be at least a 10-minute reserve after landing for flights to and from the same airfield (A→A). Flying to another airfield requires a 30-minute reserve (A→B flights). So there is not much more than 60 km left. Not an aircraft to go on holiday with. But very suitable for lessons! Come and try

Absolutely! You can book the aircraft here. Please note that you may only fly electrically in the Velis if you have successfully completed our conversion training. More information about this course can be found on the E-conversion page.

The demonstrated crosswind for the Pipistrel Velis Electro is 15kts. That means that if the wind — measured from a perpendicular to the runway — is stronger than 15kts, it is not safe to fly. A good site to keep an eye on this is: https://metar-taf.com/nl/EHTE (see the 'crosswind' heading)

Charging takes about as long as the time you can fly with it. Allow roughly an hour!

For a trial lesson you don't need to know anything yet. You fly with an experienced instructor. He or she decides when it is safe and responsible for you to fly yourself. A trial lesson is therefore for everyone! Do read the reviews from people who previously took a trial lesson. That gives a good impression.

Of course! Because all lessons are one-on-one with an instructor, each lesson is tailored to the student. Experienced pilots usually fly the entire flight themselves and advanced exercises will be included. We have already given trial lessons to many 737 pilots, F16 pilots and even astronauts. All of them enthusiastic 😉.

Two options: you either book a full lesson each or you share one lesson between the two of you. The latter we call the Duo Trial Lesson.

We have many people who take two or more full trial lessons with us and then come with two or more people. We can arrange it so that you receive the briefing together, get to know the aircraft together and then both go up, each with your own instructor. Indicate on your order that you would like to fly together, and we will make sure the instructors are informed. After your order you will receive a link with the available options.

What a great idea! You can easily do that here. Enter the name of the person you want to surprise, complete the payment, and the rest will take care of itself. This way you'll receive a personalized surprise video that you can send via, for example, WhatsApp. And you, or the person you're gifting the lesson to, can easily schedule the trial lesson online yourself.

No, we’ll do that for you. Just pick a day that suits you best. We will then send you a message if the lesson needs to be moved due to bad weather. Usually we can determine that the day before. In some cases on the day itself.

Like most flight schools, we require a minimum age of 8 years for trial lessons. Unless you are 8 years old and taller than 1.95m (see question about height). Or 8 years old and heavier than 90kg (see question about weight).

As an upper limit we use 90kg. If you are heavier, please call us. We will then see whether we can schedule a lighter instructor.

The Pipistrel Velis is not a very large aircraft. As a rule we therefore use a maximum length of 1.95m. Taller people have flown in it before. But whether it fits or not depends, for example, on the length of your legs. So if you are taller than 1.95m, contact us. Or come and try it on first ;)

Often we only know for sure a day in advance whether a lesson or flight will take place. If it cannot, we will always contact you by phone. We take your travel time into account. If it cannot take place, we will immediately look for a new date or you can rebook it online yourself.

This: https://metar-taf.com/nl/EHTE is a very useful site! You can also see which runway is in use (26 or 08) and the weather factors associated with it. An important factor is the crosswind. It must not exceed 15kt (knots). And the cloud base should (preferably) be higher than 1500ft (foot).

There are a number of them. Strong winds, low-hanging cloud or fog are the most persistent. Rain does not necessarily have to be a problem. If the forecasts don't look good, we usually contact you the day before to reschedule your lesson.

Teuge is an uncontrolled airfield. That means you don’t need to ask permission to start your engine or to depart. That makes the flow of traffic very easy. As a result it is rarely very busy. On Fridays and at the weekend it is slightly busier than during the week. But don’t let that stop you from planning something on those days!

All courses can be given in English. Your English level should off course be sufficient for that. High school certificate is fine. There’s no EASA specification on entry levels for the PPL course.

The Language Proficiency Exam (LPE) is mandatory before the PPL exam however we suggest you do most of this (theorie, radio telephony, medical and LPE) as soon as possible.

A student is allowed to fly solo at 16 and obtain a license at 17. However, there is no minimum age for lessons. For all lessons before your first solo flight you can therefore even be younger than 16.

Usually within a week! The first step is to book your flight or training with us. This can easily be done on the website. Here you indicate the month when you want to start so we have a clear idea for our planning. If necessary, we can tell you whether there is availability before you place your order. We will quickly send you a message with an overview of possible dates on which you can schedule your flights.

Sure! That’s what these products are for. Even after your assessment you buy your lessons in blocks of six and decide for yourself whether to continue or not. When you also start your theory, it’s wise to decide whether you want to take the entire course, because you will be putting quite a bit of time into it.

The E-Conversie is formally a so-called "difference training" within the SEP class (Single-engine piston rating). This means four flights with an instructor (Indeed, not 4 hours but 4 flights, count on 40-45 minutes per flight) and then a solo flight with three circuits. The flights are signed off in the logbook. That is sufficient for the law.

If you want to know (much) more, here you can find the regulations.

https://www.easa.europa.eu/sites/default/files/dfu/Easy_Access_Rules_for_Part-FCL-Aug20.pdf

Here you can find the following explanation (Copied March 23, 2021)

FCL.710 Class and type ratings – variants

Regulation (EU) 2019/1747

(a) Pilots shall complete differences training or familiarisation in order to extend their privileges to another variant of aircraft within one class or type rating. In the case of variants within a class or type rating, the differences training or familiarisation shall include the relevant elements defined in the OSD, where applicable.

We always recommend taking a PPL course. The main reason is that the PPL course makes you a better pilot. You fly more hours, do more exercises, and the exam is more demanding. In addition, with a PPL you can do more after your training than with an LAPL. For example, flying outside Europe or taking further training. All of this is somewhat more difficult with an LAPL. Due to lack of interest and the reasons above, we currently do not offer the LAPL.

Yes, but there are a number of conditions.

1. You purchase a trial lesson from us and indicate that you are interested in the E-conversion.

2. Before the trial lesson you have thoroughly studied the entire POH (Pilot’s Operating Handbook) of the Velis.

3. If you choose to continue the conversion training, you will gain access to the Pipistrel Academy e-learning environment. We expect you to have completed the theory and passed the knowledge test before you do the second flight. After that you will fly 3 dual flights and 1 solo. We will deduct the cost of the trial lesson from the cost of the full conversion training.

You receive an internationally recognized certificate (EASA PPL) that allows you to fly the exact same aircraft as with a PPL certificate from any other school. This is possible because we teach a number of hours of the training (8 hours) on a single-engine piston aircraft (piston engine). This is necessary for the required longer flights and navigation components in the training. The advantage is that after training with us you receive both the single-engine piston class and the endorsement in your logbook that also allows you to fly electrically on the Velis. Read all about our courses.

Absolutely! You can rent our aircraft here.

Please note. You must first complete the conversion training (E-Rating) (4 dual flights and 1 solo flight, 8-10 hours of theory self-study). Once the conversion is completed you can definitely rent our Velis.

To be allowed to fly, you must be able to speak and understand English at a reasonably good level. English LPE 4 (Language Proficiency Endorsement level 4) is 'normal' English. The average Dutch person speaks English at this level.

Yes. This is possible. If you are not satisfied with us, it is possible to transfer the hours you have completed to another flight school. Each flight school will handle this slightly differently. We will of course help you to find out. In most cases you can take a significant number, or all, of your hours with you.

The reverse also applies. If you want to continue a training you have already started with us, call or email us, and we will find out what is possible in your case.

75 to 100 hours using e-learning. On top of that, one can receive 5 days of guidance from a trainer.

The more often you fly, the sooner you can take your exam. It’s entirely up to you. That said, 4 or 5 flights per day is kind of the maximum. You could therefore (theoretically) complete the 45 hours for your PPL in a few weeks. But your fellow students might also take a year or longer. It’s up to you! Some regularity will help you get the hang of it faster. Note. In addition to the practical lessons you will also have to pass your theory exams. You can do this before or during your training.

Almost everyone starts with a trial lesson. This is a full lesson including briefing, flying yourself and a good amount of time in the air. Really already a beautiful experience (according to our customers, of course). After that comes an assessment of 5 lessons (6 including the trial lesson). If you continue after that, the next set of lessons follows. And so on. So you don't pay for the entire course at once. You set the pace, decide whether you want a break or want to stop completely. As long as you enjoy it, and you think it's worth the money, you keep flying. If not, you don't.

Both are possible! We load both airplanes and cars. You can simply place your airplane on our E-Deck platform. Please make sure you pay your landing fees to the harbour master yourself.

Sure. Bus 15 stops a few minutes' walk from our hangar. According to 9292 it is about 25 minutes in total from Apeldoorn station. On weekends you will need to reserve the bus. Our address on Google Maps

Paying in advance is much more pleasant for us, and for you as well, than paying afterwards. First of all, all the less pleasant administrative work is already done before you fly. We don’t have to talk about money on your flying day. The instructor won’t be walking around with a card reader and no, there’s no cash register or change either. It’s only about flying! You can fully enjoy it. You also don’t have to worry afterwards about invoices to be paid. And for us; after a nice day of teaching we don’t have to arrange payment plans or send annoying reminders. And honestly, it’s of course convenient for us to keep accounts receivable low. After all, we have to pay for the aircraft, the insurance and the hangar rent in advance.

If you still want to cancel your lesson and you let us know well in advance, no problem! We will simply refund your money. This also applies if a lesson has to be rescheduled due to bad weather and you decide not to come. See our terms and conditions

From: Can I claim the costs as study expenses?

With a PPL you are not allowed to carry out commercial activities. Therefore, in most cases you may not claim the training as business expenses. The tax authority's website states: “The training or study is aimed at your current or future profession.” If you continue after your Private Pilot License to obtain a Commercial Pilot License (CPL) or an Instructor Rating you can try, however our advice: investigate thoroughly, consult an accountant or tax advisor, or ask the tax authority directly.

Unfortunately we are not yet at every airport in the country. But who knows 😉... Some people solve that by booking multiple flights per day. Some even 4 and a few manage to do 5 per day. You can also stay overnight nearby and fly a full day the next day. See, then you make good progress and travel time is no longer really the problem. Once you have your license you simply take the plane.

Checking oil level? 10 minutes of warm-up? Not necessary. With four switches the prop starts silently and you taxi to the runway. After that you immediately have full power available. And then you fly. Yes. Electric flying is a little different. But not a world of difference either.

Yes. But certainly not silent. Compare it to an electric car. If you drive very slowly you hear nothing. The motor is quiet. You only hear noise once you pick up speed. Air resistance and, in the case of a car, also tires on the road. With an aircraft we also deal with air resistance and, moreover, a propeller. You will definitely still hear that. Still, the aircraft is quieter than conventional aircraft of this size with an internal combustion engine. According to the manufacturer's website the noise level is 60 dba. That doesn't mean much to most people. More important is how the sound is perceived by the surrounding area.

Read more about the research on the noise of our electric aircraft conducted by TU Delft.