Frequently Asked Questions

You get an internationally recognised licence (EASA PPL) that allows you to fly on exactly the same aircraft as with a PPL licence from any other school. This is possible because we teach several hours of the training (8 hours) on a single-engine piston aircraft (piston engine). This is necessary for the mandatory longer flights and navigation components in training. So this has the advantage that after training with us, you get both the single-engine piston class and within it the endorsement in your logbook that allows you to also fly electric on the Velis.  Read all about our training programs.

We fly with five aircraft, four of which are fully electric. These are approved aircraft of the type Light Sport Aircraft (CS-LSA). The endurance (time in the air) of these aircraft is a maximum of 50 minutes. You land with at least 10 minutes of reserve in the battery. The majority of a flight training can be conducted with this. For longer navigation flights, we fly with a Pipistrel Virus SW 121. This is exactly the same aircraft as our electric Velis, only with an efficient but conventional engine. For this aircraft, we obviously compensate for all emissions with the help of Just Diggit. In 2023, we hope to have newer aircraft, making this unnecessary.

The Pipistrel Velis Electro falls under 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.

We are initially not talking about distance but about "endurance". The time an aircraft can fly. This is because the wind, for example, has a significant impact on the distance. Most flights will start from Teuge and land at.... Teuge. The range is therefore 0. If you were to use the full 22 kWh and fly at an average of 80 knots (130 km/h), you would cover 130 kilometers. However, that is unlikely to happen quickly. Legally, there must be at least 10 minutes of reserve after landing for flights to and from the same airport (A→A). Flying to another airport means 30 minutes of reserve (A→B flights). So, there is not much more than 60 km left. Not an aircraft to go on vacation with. But very suitable for lessons! Come and try it out

Certainly! 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 training can be found on the E-conversion page.

The demonstrated crosswind for the Pipistrel Velis Electro is 15kts. This means that if the wind -measured from a perpendicular angle 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' section)

Charging takes about as long as the time you can fly with it. Keep in mind it's about an hour!

For a trial lesson, you don't need to know anything yet. You will fly with an experienced instructor. He or she will determine when it is safe and responsible for you to fly on your own. A trial lesson is therefore for everyone! Be sure to read the reviews from people who have taken a trial lesson before. 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 will have advanced exercises on the schedule. We have already given trial lessons to quite a few 737 pilots, F16 pilots, and even astronauts. All of them are enthusiastic 😉.

Two options: You both book a full lesson or you share one lesson together. We call the latter 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 organize it so that you receive the briefing together, get to know the airplane, and then also go up in the air together, each with your own instructor. Indicate with your order that you would like to fly together, and we will ensure that the instructors are informed. After your order, you will receive a link with the possible options.

What a great idea! You can easily do that here. Fill in the name of the person you want to surprise, check out, and the rest will take care of itself. This way, you will receive a personalized surprise video that you can send via, for example, WhatsApp. And you or the person you are gifting the lesson to can easily schedule the trial lesson online.

No, we will do that for you. Just schedule a day that works best for you. Then you will receive a message from us if the lesson needs to be rescheduled due to bad weather conditions. Usually, we can determine that the day before. In some cases, on the same day.

Like most flight schools, we have 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).

We set the upper limit at 90kg. If you weigh more, please give us a call. We will see if we can schedule a lighter instructor.

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

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

This: https://metar-taf.com/nl/EHTE is a very handy site! Here you can also see which runway is in use (26 or 08) and all weather factors that come with it. An important factor is crosswind. It may not be higher than 15kt (knots). And the cloud base should (preferably) be higher than 1500ft (feet).

There are a few. Strong winds, low-hanging clouds, or fog are the most persistent. Rain doesn't necessarily have to be a problem. If the forecasts don't look good, we usually contact you a day in advance to reschedule your lesson.

Teuge is an uncontrolled airport. This means that you do not need to ask for permission to start your engine or to take off. This makes the flow of traffic extremely easy. As a result, it is rarely very busy. On Fridays and during the weekend, it is indeed a bit busier than on weekdays. But don't let that stop you from planning something on those days!

All courses can be given in English. Your English level should of 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 (theory, radio telephony, medical and LPE) as soon as possible.

A student may fly solo at 16 years old and obtain a license at the age of 17. However, there is no minimum age for lessons. Therefore, for all lessons before your first solo flight, you can even be younger than 16.

Usually within a week! The first step is to book your flight or training with us. This can be done easily on the website. You specify the month you want to start so that we have a good idea for our planning. If necessary, we can indicate 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 purchase your lessons in blocks of six and decide for yourself whether to continue or not. At the moment you also start with your theory, it is wise to determine for yourself whether you want to follow the entire course, as you will be investing quite a bit of time in it.

The E-Conversion 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, expect 40-45 minutes per flight) and then a solo flight with three circuits. The flights are logged 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 will find the following explanation (Copied March 23, 2021)

FCL.710 Class and type ratings – variants

Regulation (EU) 2019/1747

(a) Piloten moeten verschillenopleiding of vertrouwdheidstraining voltooien om hun bevoegdheden uit te breiden naar een andere variant van een vliegtuig binnen één klasse of type rating. In het geval van varianten binnen een klasse of type rating, moet de verschillenopleiding of vertrouwdheidstraining de relevante elementen omvatten die zijn gedefinieerd in de OSD, waar van toepassing.

We always recommend doing a PPL training. The main reason is that you become a better pilot from the PPL training. You log more hours, do more exercises, and the exam is more challenging. Additionally, with a PPL after your training, you can do more than with an LAPL. For example, flying outside of Europe or pursuing further training. This is all a bit more difficult with an LAPL. Due to a lack of interest and the reasons mentioned above, we are currently not offering the LAPL.

Yes, but there are a few conditions.

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

2. You have thoroughly reviewed the entire POH (Pilot’s Operating Handbook) of the Velis for the trial lesson.

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

You will 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 mandatory longer flights and navigation components in the training. The advantage of this is that after training with us, you will receive both the single-engine piston class and the endorsement in your logbook that allows you to fly electrically on the Velis. Read all about our training programs.

Sure! Here you can rent our airplane.

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

To be able to fly, you need to be able to speak and understand English at a decent 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 your completed hours to another flight school. Each flight school will handle this slightly differently. We will, of course, help you figure this out. In most cases, you can take a significant number, or all, of your hours with you.

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

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

The more you fly, the sooner you can take your exam. It's entirely up to you. At least, 4 or 5 flights per day is a bit of a maximum. So you can (theoretically) complete the 45 hours for your PPL in a few weeks. But your fellow students might take a year or longer to finish. It's up to you! Some regularity will help you master it faster. Note that, in addition to the practical lessons, you will also need to pass your theory exams. You can do this before or during your training.

Almost everyone starts with a trial lesson. This is a complete lesson including briefing, flying by yourself, and a substantial amount of time in the air. Truly a wonderful experience already (also according to our customers of course). Then follows a assessment from 5 lessons (6 including the trial lesson). If you continue afterwards, the next set of lessons will follow. Etcetera. You do not pay for the training all at once. You determine the pace, whether you want a break or want to stop completely. As long as you enjoy it, and you find it worth the money, you keep flying. Otherwise not.

That can be both! We load both planes and cars. You can simply place your plane on our E-Deck platform. Just make sure to settle your landing fees with the harbor master.

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

Paying in advance is much more pleasant for us, and also for you, than paying afterwards. First of all, all the less enjoyable administrative work is done before you go flying. We don't have to talk about money on your flying day. The instructor doesn't walk around with a card machine and no, there is also no cash register and no change. It's all about flying! You can fully enjoy it. Even afterwards, you don't have to worry about the invoices to be paid. And for us, after a nice day of teaching, we don't have to make payment arrangements or send annoying reminders. And honestly, it is of course nice for us to keep the accounts receivable low. After all, we also have to pay for the airplanes, the insurance, and the rent for the hangar in advance.

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

Or: Can I declare the costs as study costs?

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

Unfortunately, we are not yet at all the airports in the country. But who knows 😉... Some people solve this by booking multiple flights per day. Some even manage 4, and a few can do 5 per day. You can also stay nearby and fly for a full day the next day. Then it really picks up, and travel time is no longer a problem. Once you have your license, you just take the plane.

Checking oil level? Warm up for 10 minutes? Not necessary. With four switches, the prop starts silently and you taxi to the runway. After that, you have full power at your disposal immediately. And then you fly. Yes. Electric flying is just different. But not a world of difference either.

Yes. But certainly not completely silent. Compare it to an electric car. When you drive very slowly, you hear nothing. The engine is quiet. You only hear sound when you pick up speed. Air resistance and, in the case of a car, also tires on the road. With an airplane, we also deal with air resistance and, moreover, with a propeller. You can definitely still hear that. Nevertheless, the aircraft is quieter than conventional aircraft of this size with a combustion engine. According to the manufacturer's website Is the noise level 60 dBA? That doesn't mean much to most people. What is more important is how the sound is perceived by the environment.

Read more about it onderzoek over het geluid van onze elektrische vliegtuigen carried out by TU Delft.