NPPL to PPL Bridging Course
- Feb 20
- 7 min read
Updated: Mar 5
Navigating aviation regulations can sometimes feel as complex as learning to fly the aircraft itself. If you are exploring the NPPL to PPL conversion, you might be wondering exactly what is required under current regulations. At QuizAero, we are the student pilot's friend, and we have designed this comprehensive guide to walk you through the entire process clearly and encouragingly.
Whether you are seeking to understand the flight hour requirements or looking for the best way to pass your theoretical tests, our NPPL to PPL Bridging Course (available via our Bitesize platform) has everything you need to succeed.
Table of Contents
The UK Licensing Landscape
The aviation landscape in the UK has been streamlined under the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Licensing and Training Simplification programme. A notable aspect of the current system is that the CAA no longer issues the Light Aircraft Pilot Licence for aeroplanes, commonly known as the LAPL(A).
If you already hold a UK-issued Part-FCL LAPL(A), rest assured that your licence remains entirely valid. However, for new students, the NPPL(A) is now the sole sub-ICAO licence issued in the UK.
Additionally, the legacy Simple Single Engine Aeroplane (SSEA) rating has been fully transitioned to the standard Single Engine Piston (SEP) rating. A fantastic benefit of holding this SEP rating on an NPPL is that it allows you to fly microlights after completing differences training, removing the need to hold a separate microlight rating.
The Value of Microlight Hours
Under the current regulations, we have excellent news regarding flight experience. Dual instruction hours flown in a three-axis microlight legally count towards the 40-hour minimum flight time requirement for the Part-FCL PPL(A).
While these dual hours are credited, there is a specific restriction regarding your solo flight time. Your required 10 hours of supervised solo flight time must be completed entirely in a non-microlight aeroplane, such as a standard SEP aircraft.
NPPL to PPL Upgrade Flight Requirements
Transitioning to a full PPL(A) involves making up the flight hour deficit between the two licences. You must undergo a pre-course assessment with an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) or Declared Training Organisation (DTO) to establish your specific training needs based on your logbook.
You must also meet specific cross-country requirements. The upgrade mandates at least five hours of solo cross-country flight time. This must include a qualifying cross-country flight of at least 270 km (150 NM), featuring full-stop landings at two different aerodromes other than your departure point.
Once your flight hours are achieved and your bridging exams are passed, you will need to pass the standard PPL(A) Skill Test with an examiner. When it comes to your medical, while a Pilot Medical Declaration (PMD) can technically be used with a UK Part-FCL PPL, it heavily restricts your privileges to those of a LAPL (such as a maximum of four persons on board, aircraft not exceeding 2,000 kg MTOM, and flying only within UK airspace). To unlock the full, unrestricted privileges of your new Part-FCL PPL, you will need to hold at least a valid Class 2 or LAPL Medical Certificate.
The Bridging Exams Explained
The bridging exams act as differences training specifically designed for pilots who originally took restricted NPPL exams (the Microlight papers) and need to reach the full ICAO-compliant theoretical knowledge standard.
To clarify a point that is often misunderstood, the "NPPL exams" are actually the microlight exams. Historically, these paper-based exams were used exclusively for the NPPL with a microlight class rating. Under current regulations, these exams can now be used to gain an NPPL with any class rating (including the SEP). The exam papers are microlight-centric, meaning they ask questions specific to microlights. The CAA has stated that they will be updated at some point in the future to be more relevant to SEP pilots too and rewrite the microlight-specific focus. If you are currently taking the NPPL exams, you should look at our highly-acclaimed Microlight Bitesize course.
There is a major exemption to note regarding your theoretical training. When you initially train for your NPPL, you actually have a choice to make. You can choose to sit either the five NPPL exams or the standard nine Part-FCL PPL exams. If you know from the beginning of your flying journey that you eventually want to upgrade to a full PPL, it is highly recommended to take the nine Part-FCL exams from the start. Doing so means you are entirely exempt from the bridging process later on. On the other hand, if you are certain you will only ever stick with the NPPL, you might choose to take the five NPPL exams instead, as they are typically considered easier and quicker to complete. If you took this latter route, you will need to sit the specific bridging exams on the CAA E-exam system to upgrade to a full PPL(A).
What to Expect in the 5 Bridging Exams
Depending on your previous qualifications, you will sit up to five bridging exams.
CAP 3175A (Air Law and Operational Procedures)
This exam covers international ICAO conventions, the rules of the air, transponder operating procedures, and the specific protocols for emergency and precautionary landings. The combination of Air Law and Operational Procedures is exactly how it was before the UK joined EASA. While they remain separate exams for the PPL even after the UK withdrawal from EASA, they have been combined again for the NPPL to PPL conversion. The learning objectives detailed in CAP 3175A represent both syllabuses combined, maintaining the exact same learning objective numbering.
Although you may have previously taken an Air Law exam for your NPPL, the laws governing national licences are different. Therefore, you must study the subject again in this new context of ICAO-compliant licences. While much of the material is the same (such as aerodrome operations and rules of the air), the Air Law and Operational Procedures exam covers the subjects in much more depth, plus the addition of Operational Procedures brings all new material that was not previously examined at the NPPL level.
CAP 3175B (Aircraft General Knowledge)
This paper outlines the focus on complex systems for heavier aircraft, testing your knowledge of hydraulic fluids, landing gear, nose wheel steering, brakes, secondary flight controls, and direct and alternating current electrical principles. This subject goes into more detail than the NPPL Aircraft Technical exam (currently known as the Microlight Technical exam). This exam is exactly the same as the Part-FCL Aircraft General Knowledge that a student would take under the standard PPL(A) training.
CAP 3175C (Flight Performance & Planning, and Navigation)
This paper involves Centre of Gravity calculations using arithmetic and graphic methods, understanding single-engine performance data, and mastering radio navigation aids such as VOR, ADF, DME, and GNSS. The syllabus for this exam is an amalgamation of the Part-FCL Flight Performance and Planning syllabus and the Navigation syllabus. However, numerous items have been removed to prevent you being tested twice on subjects already examined sufficiently at the NPPL level.
The subjects that have been removed from the Flight Performance & Planning section are:
VFR navigation plan (033.01.01.01 to 033.01.01.05) covering routes, courses, charts, and communications planning data.
Fuel planning (033.01.02.00 to 033.01.02.01).
Pre-flight calculation of fuel required (033.01.03.00 to 033.01.03.02) including calculation of extra fuel and total fuel logs.
Pre-flight preparation (033.02.00.00 to 033.02.02.01) covering AIP, NOTAMs, ground facilities, alternate aerodromes, airways, and meteorological briefings.
With regards to the Navigation section, everything has been removed apart from Radio Navigation (VOR, ADF, DME, and GNSS). This means calculations such as heading and groundspeed (the triangle of velocities) should not be examined.
CAP 3175D (Principles of Flight)
While you covered the basics of aerodynamics in your NPPL Aircraft Technical exam (currently known as the Microlight Technical exam), this bridging paper expands on those concepts significantly. You will explore subsonic aerodynamics, basic airflow, aerodynamic forces, and lift and drag coefficients. Because this paper is identical to the standard Part-FCL Principles of Flight exam taken by ab-initio PPL students, you will need a broader understanding of how these forces apply to larger aircraft, making extra study essential.
CAP 3175E (Communications)
This fifth exam is only required if you have not already passed the Communications paper or do not currently hold a Flight Radio Telephony Operators Licence (FRTOL).
Practical Syllabus Additions
The practical training syllabus includes a dedicated Partial Power Loss module. Instructors will train you to manage insidious partial power failures (integrated into exercises 12, 13, and 16). They will teach you to quickly diagnose the issue and prioritise safe airspeed over maintaining altitude. Students should be warned that partial power loss is now a discretionary emergency item that the examiner can test you on during the PPL(A) Skill Test under Section 5(d).
There is also an optional Moving Map Display module. Devices like SkyDemon are highly encouraged for pre-flight planning and diversions. However, the examiner will strictly prohibit their use during the en-route navigation phase of your Skill Test to ensure your fundamental dead reckoning skills are up to standard. If you'd like to learn more about the introduction of Moving Map Displays in the PPL syllabus and our thoughts on it, check out our article Children of the Magenta Line.
How QuizAero Supports the Transition
Tackling these five technical bridging exams is made simple and accessible with QuizAero. We have a new Online Ground School product in our highly acclaimed Bitesize Format which covers the Bridging Course syllabus in its entirety.
Our platform uses high-quality videos and 3D animations to help you understand systems and processes in a way that no study book can! This moves you away from dry textbooks, and provides you with a simple and fun way to pass your exams.
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