Tibohine Flying Club, based just outside Frenchpark Co. Roscommon, has been approved to start delivering the National LAPL. Known officially as the PPL with Restricted Privileges – the National LAPL was developed as a national equivalent to the EASA LAPL and mirrors its requirements exactly. It permits holders to operate national aircraft up to 2,000kg MTOM and a maximum of four seats. National aircraft are those types that operate on an Irish Flight Permit or National Certificate of Airworthiness.
One of the main benefits of the National LAPL is that it can be less restrictive than a microlight licence which limits holders to flying microlights (usually 2 seats and 450kg MTOM). It also brings the licencing standards up to date as it mirrors the tried and tested LAPL syllabus that has proven popular across the EU.
The National LAPL can also be used to fly the new Article 2(8)(a) aeroplanes, also known as ‘Opt-out’ aeroplanes. This category allows certain factory-built aircraft to operate up to 600kg MTOM on a Flight Permit. As these aircraft are designated as aeroplanes, they cannot be flown on a microlight licence.
For more information about Tibohine Flying Club, please visit their website at https://tibohine.weebly.com/ .
