The PPL Holder, the Paid Seneca Flight, and the Expired Medical
Amaka holds a Nigerian PPL issued 14 months ago. Her logbook shows 52 hours total time, 6 hours in the last 90 days, and 3 hours on the PA-34. Her Class 2 medical expired three weeks ago and she has not renewed it. She passed the NCAA PPL knowledge test 25 months ago. A family friend owns a Piper PA-34 Seneca and has offered her ₦180,000 to fly three passengers from Lagos to Calabar on Saturday. Amaka argues that because she is not the aircraft owner and the passengers are the friend's guests, the flight is private and she can act as pilot-in-command. She also believes her PPL knowledge-test credit is still valid and that she can upgrade to a CPL simply by submitting her logbook to NCAA. She plans to file a flight plan and depart VFR.
1. Can Amaka legally operate the proposed Lagos–Calabar flight as PIC under her PPL? Explain the licensing, medical, and rating issues.
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No. A PPL may not act as PIC of an aircraft carrying passengers for hire or reward. The ₦180,000 payment is consideration, and the fact that the passengers are the owner's guests does not convert a paid flight into a private one. The critical test is whether the pilot receives remuneration or reward for the flight, not who owns the aircraft. In addition, her Class 2 medical has expired, so she is not medically fit to exercise PPL privileges until it is renewed. She also has only 3 hours on the PA-34; if she does not hold a multi-engine class rating for the aircraft, she cannot act as PIC at all. The proposed VFR flight would require compliance with all applicable weather and fuel requirements. Before any flight she should verify: valid medical, valid rating, recent experience, and no payment. For a paid passenger flight, the operator would also need an AOC and the pilot a CPL or ATPL, as applicable.
2. What is the status of her PPL knowledge-test credit, and what must she verify before applying for a CPL?
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Under NCAA-AC-PEL 018, knowledge-test credits have a limited validity period. A PPL knowledge test passed 25 months ago will normally be outside the 24-month window, so Amaka should expect to retake the PPL or CPL knowledge test unless NCAA confirms an extension. She must not assume that a logbook submission alone converts a PPL into a CPL. Before applying she should confirm the current AC-PEL 018 requirements and check: (1) the validity of her knowledge-test result; (2) the minimum total flight time and experience requirements for CPL issue; (3) the required cross-country, night, and instrument experience; (4) a valid Class 1 medical; (5) completion of an approved CPL course or equivalent training; and (6) a CPL skill test with an approved examiner. She should present certified logbook records and evidence of all requirements. The correct path is to plan the CPL training and testing sequence, not to rely on an expired credit.
3. If Amaka later applies for a CPL, what records should she present and what should NCAA inspect?
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She should present a certified true-copy logbook covering all flights, with dates, aircraft types, registration marks, dual and solo time, cross-country time, night time, instrument time, and instructor signatures. She should also provide: valid Class 1 medical certificate; knowledge-test pass evidence; training records from an approved school; certificate of completion; skill-test report; and evidence of the required total time. NCAA should inspect the original logbook, not just photocopies, and check for unexplained gaps, duplicated entries, or hours not supported by aircraft records. It should verify that the cross-country and night flights meet the applicable syllabus and that the skill test was conducted by an authorised examiner. If any entry is unclear, NCAA can request aircraft journey logs or operator records. The applicant should correct discrepancies before submission; an unexplained logbook discrepancy can delay or prevent licence issue.