Conversion from UK licences(s) PPL(BA) / CPL(B) to the UK (formerly EASA) BPL
During the period 8th April 2020 to 8th April 2021, holders of the UK national licences had a ‘transition year’ to ‘convert’ their licence(s) to the BPL. Due to coronavirus, this period was extended to 8th December 2021. CAA exemption ORS4 1475 is the legal reference for the extension.
Please note that during the extension period (i.e. after 8th April 2021), the PPL(BA) & CPL(B) continue to be valid inside UK, but are only valid outside UK with the permission of the country concerned.
‘Convert’ is a poor term, since the UK licence(s) remains valid when the BPL is issued, for use within UK for on Annex 1 (non-Part 21) balloons. If your PPL(BA) or CPL(B) are not already in the modern format (A4 page to be folded to A7 and licence number beginning ‘GBR’) you may request (and pay) to have your UK licence(s) reissued at the same time your BPL is processed.
The BBAC has issued detailed briefings on the conversion process for pilots and instructors and guidance for students. These are available on this page. There is also a youtube video of the BBAC briefing sessions for pilots (delivered by Zoom during February 2021) which complements the briefing documents.
The BBAC is asking instructors and examiners to apply for their BPL as soon as they can, so that they can train students in the Part BFCL system.
For other pilots, there is no rush to apply and pilots can convert at a time of their choosing during 2021. However, the BBAC advises pilots to prepare (e.g. establish recency on base licence and any other privileges that require it) early in the 2021 flying season and to make their application before mid-2021. Anyone planning to fly outside the UK will either need to get a permission to use their PPL(BA) / CPL(B) from the country concerned, or will need to have their BPL in hand.
Please note that it may be possible to convert to the BPL even if you are out of currency on the PPL(BA), since the BPL uses a 24 months rolling period as opposed to the 13 months used by the PPL(BA). Please refer to the briefings provided.
There will be a risk of being grounded in December 2021 for those who apply towards the end of the ‘transition’, due to limited bandwidth at the CAA. Please bear in mind there are many thousands of glider pilots also working on a parallel process with the same deadline.
The fees applicable until 08/12/2021 are as follows: Fee to issue a BPL on basis of conversion of National Licence: £77 Fee to re-issue a UK PPL(BA) or a UK CPL(B) for life: £38 (per licence) Courier charge (optional instead of second class post): £15
You apply to transition your licence using SRG1104B which is available on the CAA website. This can all be submitted electronically by uploading your certified documents and emailing licenceapplications@caa.co.uk. If youd rather print the form and post the documentation to the CAA this is also possible. **Note – Dont send your original documents to the CAA, they only need certified copies and you want to ensure your documents dont get lost!
Yes, you can continue to fly as until 8th December 2021 on your UK PPL(BA) or CPL(B). You will only send copies of your current licence to the CAA so you will still have your existing licence “in hand”. After 8th December, until you have your BPL you will be limited to flying Annex I balloons only.
No, only Pilot in Command (PIC or P1) hours count towards currency / recency.
have to be current at the time of applying for the BPL?” collapse_text=”Does your existing licence [PPL(BA) or CPL(B)] have to be current at the time of applying for the BPL?” ]No, what is required is to meet the currency (recency) requirement for the BPL when you apply for it. To transition for the BPL you need at least 6 hours including 10 take‐off & landings (10 flights) in last 24 months. You might have lost currency on your PPL(BA) but still be eligible to transition to the BPL. For example, if you have not flown since 2019 and you exceeded 6 hours / 10 flights in 2019 (actually since 24 months before your application date) you would be fine to transition straight away and you would be current on your BPL
Both pilots can log the time they were acting as P1 (in command) for currency. Log the take off time and landing time (for example 1 hour) as a single flight but list your part of the flight in the P1 column (eg 30 mins) Technically there is no such thing as P2 in a balloon but everyone understands what you mean if you record the remaining time as P2.
If you checked out in the preceeding 24 months to your transition application you do not need to show the 6 hours / 10 flights recency requirement as your skill test (check flight) overrides this requirement.
No, Officers of the BBAC have managed to have this requirement removed. There is no need to complete an instructor flight ahead of converting. Once converted you will then need to complete an instructor flight at least every 4 years. If one is flying commercially they will need to complete a proficiency check (with an examiner) at least every 24 months to remain current, this requirement means those pilots will not also have to do an instructor flight.
The Certificate of Revalidation on a CPL(B) is maintained by either a C of T (Certificate of Test) or a C of E (Certificate of Experience). If it has expired, it requires a C of T to renew it. You cannot renew a C of E as this has to be renewed before it expires otherwise it becomes invalid.
It’s looking more likely we will have a flying season in 2021. There is no obvious legal basis to extend the transition end date beyond 8th December 2021. In the event of large numbers of pilots being affected by lack of flying possibilites, BBAC will work with CAA to see what alleviations can be negotiated, but we should not count on this as certain or even likely to be successful. BBAC will communicate news such as this this to members via Pilots Circular.
Yes, you can convert and continue to fly under a self declaration medical. However, this does limit you to only flying in the UK with maximum 4 peope on board.
These are different classifications of medical. A Class 2 is a grade above a LAPL and requires an ECG (Electrocardiogram) as well as some other requirements. Please see the details on the BBAC Medical page and the links from there on to offical CAA information.
A Class 2 medical can only be issued by an AME (Aeromedical Examiner). A LAPL Medical can be issued either by an AME or a GP, although many GPs are unwilling to do it due to the complexities involved with CAA, and may in any case charge more than an AME.
In law, for all the licences PPL(BA), CPL(B) or BPL when used outside the UK you need a Class 2 medical or higher. For “Metz” it may be that it is possible to arrange a ‘group validation’ with the French CAA of UK pilots who support their licences with a lower form of medical (LAPL or self-declaration). The BBAC are currently working with the meet organisers regarding this and will communicate to members if we are successful. Please note that the continuing use of the PPL(BA) and CPL(B) in the period 8th April 2021 to 8th December 2021 is only within the UK. Permission is required from the country concerned where flying on those licences outside UK. This permission will hopefully be part of the package arranged with “Metz”. After 8th December 2021 you will no longer be able to fly factory-built balloons on your PPL(BA) or CPL(B) but the medical requirements to fly abroad using your BPL will stay the same, you will need a Class 2 medical or higher unless there is an exemption in place with the relevant country’s CAA.
Examiners have every right to charge for their services, although the BBAC understands there are a number of examiners who will be happy to do this free of charge. Please be mindful that examiners are already busy people and are likely to have a lot of requests. Please do your best to make this as quick and simple for them by ensuring the scanned documents have space around the edge for the examiner to certify and that the quality is of a good standard.
On the BBAC Website you can view who the examiners are and where they are based via the Members’ Details page and click on the ‘visit this page’ link at the top. Or if youd prefer here is the direct link: https://members.bbac.org/club-overview/members-map/
You use the “Zoom” route for certification, i.e. to scan the documents, email the scans, do a Zoom with the examiner to show the originals (the examiner will have printed out the copies to certify). The examiner then emails the scanned certified copies back to the applicant, who can do his whole submission electronically. See notes in the crib sheet document and be aware several examiners have said they are fine with that approach.
IF you have an FRTOL (“radio operators”) licence AND you don’t have a BBAC Blue Card AND it doesn’t say on your PPL(BA) or CPL(B) that you have English Language Proficiency at level 4, 5 or 6 If this is the case you will need to complete the ELP form (SRG1199) and have this signed either by an examiner (native english speakers only) or a language school. This is submitted along with your licence conversion application and your ELP will be recorded on your BPL.
No, if you don’t have a radio licence you don’t need to do the ELP. However, now might be the easiest time to do the ELP since you will be “with” an examiner for the document certification (and it is free to have it noted on the licence at reissue). If you do the assessment and submit form SRG1199 along with the licence conversion then it will all get sorted. More details on page 3 of the crib sheet
If your FRTOL is recorded on your existing licence, no. If it is not recorded there but you have a separate FRTOL licence then you should submit a certified copy of that so it can be recorded on the new BPL
No, all PPL(BA) and CPL(B) holders will automatically get the tether rating on their BPL as long as they tick the tether rating box on the transition form. There is no need to show an example of a previous tether.
You will be able to transition the group rating of the largest balloon you have flown, either under instructor, or minimum 2 flights P1 in the last 4 years. This will give you the legal rating on your licence. In order to be able to use this rating you will need to meet the minimum hours requirement for that group: for group B: minimum 100 hours PIC for group C: minimum 200 hours PIC for group D: minimum 300 hours PIC
You will be able to transition the group rating of the largest balloon you have flown, either under instructor, or minimum 2 flights P1 in the last 4 years. This will give you the legal rating on your licence. In order to be able to use this rating you will need to meet the minimum hours requirement for that group: for group B: minimum 100 hours PIC for group C: minimum 200 hours PIC for group D: minimum 300 hours PIC
From 8th April 2021, use of the PPL(BA) and CPL(B) outside UK needs the permission of the country concerned. So in general, anyone flying outside UK must hold the BPL, or else deal with the local CAA of the country where they want to fly. For “Metz” a special arrangement may be possible and BBAC is looking into this. Please note that for any UK licence, you need a Class 2 medical to fly in outside UK, including “Metz”. The BBAC is working with the GEMAB (Metz) organisers to see if a medical exemption can be arranged. We will communicate to members if we are successful.
The tragic reality of the hard Brexit we have is that you can’t just waltz across a border with more than “personal effects” (other than “sporting equipment” which is a new definition of a balloon we are pursing). If you take a balloon “goods in transit” then paperwork is required. It was like this in the eighties and early nineties.
If you permanently imported a balloon to Europe (after finalising VAT and anything else….) then there is no limit on how long it can remain G-reg. There are plenty of G-reg balloons and aircraft which are permanently outside the UK. There is no easy route to “convert” a UK BPL to an EASA BPL, at least not yet. It might come but it has not been arranged. There is a protocol for getting an EASA licence if you have a non-EASA one but it requires a checkout, some exams and more. It would be similar to a pilot from say Brazil showing up in UK and wanting to get a UK licence. Think about it. Whilst we were in EASA, a UK pilot could only hold one BPL as it was a pan-EASA licence. Now a pilot can hold the UK BPL plus get one from an EASA state too.
This is a developing topic. As the UK is out of the customs union, balloons are effectively goods in transit and require a Carnet. The BGA (gliding) has already worked out an arrangement and a painful price. There is a post on the Forum and BBAC is working on this. Possible alleviations may come if we can find a way for a balloon to be “sporting equipment”.
Your PPL(BA) is valid for flying all G-reg balloons until 8th December 2021 in UK. After that it is only valid for Annex 1 (“non-Part 21” , homebuilts etc). The UK BPL is valid for all G-reg balloons indefinitely including overseas.
We have always needed a class 2 to fly in Europe (to support the PPL(BA) or CPL(B)). The requirement has been widely ignored and rarely enforced. Nothing changes in 2021 for the PPL(BA) and CPL(B). The BPL also needs a Class 2 now that UK is out of EASA. Previously the LAPL medical was sufficient for the BPL used privately.
To fly an EASA-reg balloon, you need either to get your UK licence (of any type) validated by the CAA of the country where the balloon is registered. This is a short term and usually chargeable action. Alternatively you need to get an EASA BPL. Tragically, the UK departure from EASA removes a UK BPL holder’s right to fly an EASA balloon.
Not that we know of. Many G-reg balloons are permanently outside the UK. However let us answer the question you did not ask: if you have done a temporary import at Calais, there will be a limit on how long the balloon can stay inside the EU for customs purposes. We think you can get Carnets of different lengths and costs. We will be collating information on this soon.
Yes, provided the AME that does the Class 2 can connect to the UK CAA’s IT systems to make the records there. (i.e. they are acreditted with the UK CAA as well as their home country). Note there are particular problems with data transfer, especially medical records, in and out of Germany due to their (national not EU) data security regulations.
Students on both PPL(BA) and BPL pathways need a LAPL medical or higher to fly solo or complete their skills test flight. Once they have completed their licence and have recieved the BPL they may then chose to fly on a self declaration medical instead (This limits you to flying in the UK only with max 4 on board). It is recommended to get the LAPL medical as early as possible when training, to insure against the possibility you don’t pass the medical later, having spent a lot of time, effort and money training.
Medicals are the same for PUTs and Pilots so have a look at the BBAC members site medical page. If after studying the online resources, you’re still not sure or have a specific question you can contact the BBAC Medical Officer (medical@bbac.org) within reasonable limits.
If training under the PPL(BA) pathway the tethered flight is valid for 2 years, if you don’t check out by this point you will need to complete another before you can check out. If training under the BPL pathway there is no validity limits on a flying hours, as well as the tethered flight. Exams have to be completed within a period of 18 months between the first paper you do and the last you do. Once all exams are passed, the “theoretical knowledge total pass” is valid for 2 years.
Exams have to be done in person with the examiner. Under the PPL(BA) pathway these are written paper exams. Under the BPL pathway these are done electronically but in the presence of an examiner.
You will complete the training for the PPL(BA) and once you have completed all requirements you will apply for the licence using the PPL(BA) form (SRG1115) & the BPL conversion form (SRG1104B). You will receive back a BPL Licence and also the PPL(BA), having paid the PPL(BA) fee of £196. Please note, although both are pilots licences, as of 8th December 2021 the PPL(BA) will only be useable on Annex I balloons after 8th December 2021, so having both doesn’t provide any additional benefits.
8th December 2021 is the deadline for applications to be received by CAA. You need to have completed all aspects of training and have submitted your licence application by this date.
This hasn’t been confirmed yet but our understanding would be that there would be a training conversion process onto the BPL pathway. This would likely mean that instructor flights can be carried over but not other flights or exams.
The red pilot log book is generic across aviation and can be bought from a variety of places including Zebedee. The dark blue hardback Pilot Training Record Book can be purchased directly from the BBAC DTO.
The BPL Pilot Training Manual (V4) has sample questions and the syllabus for the BPL exams. This is available for BPL students within the BPL area of the DTO pages on the members’ website.
