Training complete, application and paperwork filled in and credit card details provided. Nothing left to do but wait around for a newly updated licence from the CAA.
Your mileage will probably vary, but it took mine about 4 weeks from sending off the application to the date the new licence arriving. Please note, I say ‘new licence’ only because you don’t send off your old licence, it’s not a replacement, you keep your existing PPL licence etc. and when your night rating is added on to your licence you’ll be sent new licence paperwork.
I was a bit worried about how this would be handled because it could have become a real headache if I had to send my licence off for 4 weeks and then not have a licence to be able to prove I was eligible to rent an aircraft etc. but not a problem this way so good times 🙂
So I’m now legal to go flying at night all on my own! Great stuff.
Have I used it yet? Nope and if you’re sharp eyed you’ll notice this post is about a month behind the time of actual events 🙁 A night rating just in time for summer then, what’s the point you might ask? Well I might not make masses of use of it in months to come, but when October/November rolls around, there’s no risk of getting caught out or having to rush back as 4pm rolls around. It’ll just provide some options, I love to fly farm strips so I’m not hoping to use this to go night flying into farms……..but it will help keep me legal coming back from some farm an hours flight away from Cambridge etc.