01
Fly yourself, anywhere.
Legal pilot-in-command of single-engine aircraft in VFR conditions. Airports, cross-countries, coastal flying, island-hopping — anywhere CAAP VFR rules apply.
Investment Tier 2 First License
The license that
Modular Path · License 01
The license that
opens the sky.
Your Private Pilot License is the foundation of every aviation life. Legal to fly alone, with friends, with family. Legal to own an aircraft, cross countries, pursue any rating afterward. Three to six months. Weekend-flexible. Same fleet the airline cadets train on — same instructors too.
What you unlock
A lifetime license.
Not an expiring permit.
A PPL doesn't retire. Issued once by CAAP under ICAO Annex 1 standards, valid for the rest of your flying life, recognized across every major civil aviation authority with bridge training. This is not a short course — it's a career-grade certification that happens to take three to six months.
02
Fly your family and friends.
Passenger-rated from day one of your license. The PPL is built for the person who wants to share the sky — Sunday lunches in Bohol, weekends in Siargao, the quickest weekend escape in the Visayas.
03
Own an aircraft.
A Cessna 172 is a house with wings. With a PPL, you can legally own and operate it — park it at a regional airport, fly it on weekends, lease it to a flight school, share costs with a partner.
04
Build toward a career (or don't).
Every professional pilot license — CPL, Instrument, Multi-Engine, Flight Instructor, ATPL — starts with a PPL. You can climb the ladder at your own pace, or stop right here for life. Both are real pilot careers.
The Path
Three phases.
One signed logbook.
CAAP requires specific milestones in a specific order. Every PPL student at every school follows this structure. What differs is the airspace, the fleet, and the instructor roster. Ours is Class-C MCIA, Cessna 172 Skyhawk, and the same instructor team that trains airline cadets — nothing downgraded for recreational flyers.
- 01Weeks 1–4 · ~30 days
Ground School
110 hours across 10 CAAP subjects: Principles of Flight, Aircraft General Knowledge, Air Law, Navigation, Meteorology, Human Performance, Operational Procedures, Flight Planning, Radio Telephony, and EQC C-172. Classroom + self-study. Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm, minimum 3 hours per day.
You earn: Student Pilot License · NTC Radio License · English Language Proficiency - 02Weeks 5–20 · dual + solo
Flight Training
42 hours in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk + 5 hours of simulator. Dual instruction (with instructor) builds the foundation — takeoff, traffic pattern, stalls, emergency procedures. Solo flights build command. Cross-country flights build navigation fluency. Every hour logged under CAAP supervision at a live international airport.
You fly: Cessna 172 Skyhawk · same aircraft the airline cadets use - 03Final week · checkride day
CAAP Checkride
Written examination followed by a practical flight test with a CAAP Designated Pilot Examiner. Pre-flight inspection, standard maneuvers, emergency procedures, navigation, and landing. Pass, and your Private Pilot License is issued the same week. You are now legally pilot-in-command.
You leave with: Private Pilot License (CAAP) · ICAO-recognized · convertible to FAA, EASA, CASA
On pace vs off pace. Most students complete in 3 to 4 months on a full-time schedule, 5 to 6 months on a weekend schedule. Training extending beyond 6 months incurs industry-standard duration fees for continued aircraft and instructor time — see the four-layer pricing model for full disclosure. Finish on schedule, pay only the base package.
Your weekend flight range
A PPL unlocks
the Philippine archipelago.
The Cessna 172 has a 640-nautical-mile range. From MCIA, that puts every iconic Philippine destination within a single weekend's flight time — no commercial airline schedule, no boat connections, no all-day transit.
Who this is for
Four kinds of people
sit in our PPL cohort.
The Hobbyist
Has always wanted to fly. Grew up looking up at aircraft. A PPL is the life goal, not the career. Weekend lessons, private flying forever after — that's the plan. No CPL, no airline, no apologies.
The
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
The Professional
Executive, doctor, lawyer, founder. Manages time in hours and airports. A PPL means skipping commercial airlines on short Philippine routes. Owns — or will own — a Cessna, parked at a regional airfield, ready for Friday afternoon.
The
Professional
Professional
The Family Flyer
Has a partner or children who deserve the coast from above. Wants to land in Palawan, Siargao, Coron, Bohol on a weekend without checking Cebu Pacific availability. A PPL makes that Saturday possible.
The
Family Flyer
Family Flyer
The Career Starter
Future CPL holder. Future airline pilot. But wants to enter the craft deliberately — earn PPL first, log hours, confirm the calling, then progress through the Modular Ladder at their own pace instead of committing 18 months upfront to the Cadet track.
The
Career Starter
Career Starter
Real story · PPL alumni
Dave Junker.
GM by weekday. Pilot by weekend.
Your training aircraft
The Cessna 172 Skyhawk.
The most trained-on aircraft in history.
Over 44,000 units produced since 1956. The aircraft that trained the majority of pilots in the modern aviation age. Forgiving, communicative, honest — a student airplane by design. Every takeoff tells you what the wings are doing; every landing rewards the decisions you made two minutes earlier.
Engine
Lycoming IO-360 · 180 HP
Seats
4 · dual controls
Cruise speed
122 knots
Range
640 nautical miles
Useful load
~840 lbs
Certification
CAAP + ICAO standard
Before you enroll
Six requirements.
One application form.
- 1High school graduate — at minimum. Diploma or transcript required.
- 217 years or older at enrollment. CAAP issues the PPL from age 17.
- 3English proficiency — ground school and radio communication are in English. ICAO ELP testing can be arranged.
- 4CAAP Class-2 Medical Certificate — issued by a CAAP-approved aviation medical examiner before flight training begins.
- 5NBI or Police Clearance — standard security check for student pilot license issuance.
- 6Good physical + mental health — general fitness, correctable vision, no disqualifying conditions.
International students additionally need a passport, Affidavit of Support (parent or sponsor), birth certificate, and will be assisted with the Special Study Permit (SSP) process. Full checklist in the package PDF.
The Modular Ladder
PPL is rung 01.
You choose how far you climb.
Every pilot license above PPL — Commercial, Instrument, Multi-Engine, Flight Instructor, ATPL Theory — builds on this foundation. Many students earn the PPL, fly recreationally for years, then return for the next rung when life allows. Others march straight through. Both are real pilot lives.
Questions we hear most
What PPL students
usually want to know.
Do I need any flight experience to start?
No. PPL is designed for zero-hour students. Most of our cohort has never touched an aircraft control before day one.
Can I train only on weekends?
Yes — roughly 40% of our PPL students are working professionals on a weekend schedule. Ground school can be compressed into weekends, and flight training is scheduled in 2–3 hour blocks on Saturdays or Sundays. The full program takes 5–6 months on a weekend pace vs 3–4 months full-time.
Is the PPL valid internationally?
Yes. CAAP-issued licenses are ICAO-compliant under Annex 1. To fly in the US, Europe, or Australia, you'll convert to the local authority (FAA, EASA, CASA) via a bridge examination — a standard process for internationally-trained pilots.
Can my PPL hours count toward a CPL later?
Every hour logged counts. CPL requires 200+ total flight hours; your PPL 42 hours are the first deposit. Students who return for CPL a year or two later typically arrive with 80–150 hours already logged from recreational flying.
What happens if I can't finish in 6 months?
CAFS offers a 2-month grace period beyond the standard 3–6 month window. Beyond that, duration-based fees apply for continued aircraft and instructor time — this is industry-standard across every CAAP school. See the four-layer pricing model for the full structure.
What's not included in the base package?
Training materials, pilot supplies (headset, iPad, charts), CAAP Class-2 medical, NBI clearance, checkride fees, accommodation, and local transport. Everything itemized in the package PDF.
What's the fleet like beyond the Cessna 172?
For PPL, training is on the Cessna 172 Skyhawk exclusively. For advanced ratings you'll progress to Cessna 210 complex singles and the Beechcraft Baron 58 for multi-engine work. Same hangar, same instructor team.
Your first cockpit
The next step is a 45-minute
Discovery Flight — not a form.
Before you commit to 3–6 months of training, spend 45 minutes at the controls of a Cessna 172. Feel the wings respond. See the coast of Cebu from 3,000 feet. If it's your calling, it will be obvious. If it's not, you'll know that too. Either way, you walk away with clarity.