How to get a Private Pilot Licence
The 45-hour minimum, solo requirements, examinations, medical and realistic planning.
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Arcus resources
Explore practical flying guides, aircraft documents and Arcus stories from across the aviation world.
Guides
Detailed, plain-English resources built around the questions pilots and prospective students actually ask.
From the first trial lesson to PPL(H), hour building, CPL(H), professional qualifications and finding work.
Begin the guideThe 45-hour minimum, solo requirements, examinations, medical and realistic planning.
Read guide →The modular route, hour requirements, theory choices, Class 1 medical and career realities.
Read guide →What each subject covers, how the £55 examinations work and how Arcus supports self-study.
Read guide →Why it matters, what training involves and the year-round advantage at Nottingham Airport.
Read guide →Briefing, controls, aircraft choice, weight limits, weather and gifting a voucher.
Read guide →Aircraft documents
Current Pilot’s Operating Handbooks for the Robinson types on the Arcus fleet, linked directly to Robinson Helicopter Company so you always open the latest revision rather than a copy that has quietly gone out of date.
Links checked against robinsonheli.com on 22 September 2026. Documents are hosted and maintained by Robinson Helicopter Company, so you always open the current revision. Always confirm you are working to the latest revision before flight.
In the press
From the story behind Arcus to the achievements of the pilots who train with us, our community has attracted coverage from aviation publications and the wider national and regional media.
Jamie Ferrand and David Marsland discuss how Arcus grew from an ambitious idea into a thriving helicopter school, the importance of treating every customer personally and the traditions that help make Arcus a community.
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FLYER reports on Olivia Thompson becoming the UK’s youngest qualified female helicopter pilot after completing her R44 training with Arcus and passing her Skills Test on her seventeenth birthday.
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Olivia receiving her Pol Roger, an Arcus qualification tradition
Television report on Olivia Thompson’s record-breaking PPL(H) journey with Arcus, shared on the Arcus Facebook page.
Watch the reportGirl becomes youngest UK pilot to get helicopter licence
Read the coverageDerbyshire teen becomes UK’s youngest-ever female helicopter pilot
Read the coverageMeet Olivia Thompson, the UK’s Youngest-Ever Female Helicopter Pilot — filmed at Verticon in Dallas.
Watch the interviewSpeak to Arcus about interviews, filming, aviation commentary or image requests.
Contact Arcus ↗First solos, fly-outs, aircraft, training days and the wider Arcus community.
Visit Instagram ↗Resources · 04
Visual pre-flight inspection guides for the R22, R44 and Bell 206 JetRanger, prepared to support training, familiarisation and a careful, consistent approach before flight.
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