Cheap Hour Building Packages in Spain, Portugal, UK, Europe

Cheap Hour Building opportunity in Europe - Ferry Flights 

Fly EPT Spain has teamed up with ferry flight services and receives a number of requests throughout the year to position small single-engine piston aircraft across Europe. If you are a time builder currently studying ATPL theory, are willing to subsidize the cost of a ferry flight and are flexibly available, we can offer you some cheap hour building opportunities. You can fly with an experienced flight instructor, if needed, and gain international route experience. Only airborne time is charge but you can log all the block time which includes taxi time as Pilot-in Command (PIC).

Banner Towing Pilot - Paid employment

• Date:  July, Aug, Sept 2023
• Base:  Mutxamel Airport (LEMU), Alicante, Spain
• Price:  Paid employment for CPL holder
• Aircraft:  Socata Rallye
• Licence:  EASA
• Details:  Banner towing rating provided. Training in Spain, Italy or France (TBD)

Flight Hour Building Packages - Overview

Hour building is without doubt one of the most enjoyable stages of your commercial pilot training. After completing the PPL, you will need to start time building and accumulate flight time experience. The professional pilot license requires 100 hours Pilot-in-Command (PIC) time before license issue and 150 hours total before you can continue with further professional flight training modules. 

We have a wide choice of hour building aircraft available for rent for both EASA and UK CAA licence holders. PPL(A) pilots can pick up any one of our aircraft dotted around various airfields in Spain and in Portugal and you are free to fly away and go touring.

One of the advantages of flying in Spain and Portugal is not only having near perfect year-round weather flying conditions, but time building in Spain, when formed as part of a structured hour building programme towards a professional CPL/fATPL licence, becomes VAT-free as there is no tax imposed on commercial flight training in Spain. 

Entry Requirements

• At least 18 years old
• Private Pilot Licence (PPL) - EASA or UK CAA

Hour Building Fleet in Spain for EASA licence holders

Our choice of competitively priced single-engine piston aircraft available for rent for EASA licence holders include:

• Tecnam P2002 JF
• Cessna 172
• Piper PA-28RT-201T Turbo Arrow IV (retractable) 
• Socata Rallye 180T
• Socata Rallye MS-893A Commodore
• PA28-161 Piper Warrior

Hour Building Fleet in Spain + Portugal for UK CAA licence holders

For UK CAA licence holders, in Spain and Portugal, we can offer time builders the following choice of G-reg piston aeroplanes:

• Piper Cherokee PA28 RT-201T Turbo 
• Cessna 152
• PA34 Piper Seneca (Twin engine)

Hour Building Packages, Spain, Portugal, UK

If you would like to rent an aircraft from us and do some touring flying around Spain and Portugal and even further afield to France, Morocco, Germany, UK, and Italy then you are welcome to do so.

We offer PPL pilots several cost-effective time-building packages to help hour builders accumulate P1 Pilot-in-Command (PIC) time. 

Just send us an email about your plans, number of days away and how many hours you need to fly, and we will make you an offer. 

Generally, you can take the plane away as long as you want. Our rental agreement with time builders is to fly a minimum of 3 hours/day; 18 hours/week.

Aircraft available for hour building in Spain are generally located at the regional airports based in Mallorca/Son Bonet/LESB (Ian), Cordoba/LEBA (Miguel), Granada Juan Espadafor/LEJE (Clifford), Ocaña/LEOC, Bordeaux/LFCS, and in Portugal at Lisbon Cascais-Tejo/LPCS (Joao). If you plan your time building routing through these airfields our ground support network can be made available to you, if needed.

Hour Building Aircraft in Spain

€ 75 / hour (Dry)

Tecnam P2002-JF

EC-NZS 

Formerly 5B-CLD

• Check pictures here
• 2 seats
• Aircraft based in:  Mallorca/Son Bonet Airport (LESB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain
• Night VFR certified
• 80 hours x €75/hour = €6,000 + fuel
• MoGas only - Half price fuel
• Lowest fuel consumption - Cheapest to fly. Flown from Mallorca, the fuel cost can be as low as €21/hour
• No landing fee aerodrome option in Palma de Mallorca
• Tecnam P2002
• Licence required:  EASA PPL(A)
• Impeccably maintained by Turmina General Aviation Maintenance. Under CAMO - Continuing Airworthiness Maintenance Organisation - with Itaer, Madrid.
• Full aircraft details here
• Accommodation at LESB airport:  €250/month sharing with another pilot. Check accommodation here which is only a 2 minute walk to the apron where the aircraft are parked.

€ 57 / hour (Dry)

Piper Cherokee PA28-140

G-LTFB

• Based at:  Granada Juan Espadafor Airport (LEJE), Trebujena Airfield (LETJ) and Córdoba Airport (LEBA)
  
• 4-seater
• G-registered aircraft available in Spain. After 31 Dec 2022, due to BREXIT, only UK licence holders are permitted to fly G-LTFB.
• Engine:  150 HP Lycoming O-320-E2A 
• Fuel Capacity:  50 Gallons (48 usable)
• Fuel Consumption:  9-10 gal/hour
• MTOW 2150 lbs.  Basic Empty Weight 1365 lbs. 
• Impeccably maintained to the highest standards

€ 67 / hour (Dry)

Morane-Saulnier, MS-893 Rallye 180T

EC-HRF

• Based:  Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC/LEAL) or Granada Juan Espadafor Airport (LEJE)
• 4-seater
  
• Engine:  Lycoming O-360-A3A – 180 HP 
• AvGas 100LL
• Fuel Consumption: 23 litres/hour
• Max. range:  460 NM 
• MTOW 1050 Kg.  BEW 450 Kg. 
• A powerful 180HP ideal to tour around Europe
• Wide cockpit providing wide views
• One of the easiest aircraft to fly

€ 62 / hour (Dry)

Socata MS-893A Rallye Commodore

EC-LVG

• Based:  Mallorca/Son Bonet Airport (LESB) or Alicante-Elche Airport (ALC/LEAL) or Granada Juan Espadafor Airport (LEJE)
• 4-seater
• Engine:  Lycoming O-360-A4M - 180 HP
• AvGas 100LL
• Fuel Consumption: 23 litres/hour
• Range: 450 NM 
• MTOW 1050 Kg.  BEM 450 Kg 
• Retrofit avionics
• Day and Night
• Super easy to handle

€ 87 / hour (Dry)

PA28-161 Warrior

D-EFES

• Based:  Castellón Airport (LECH/CDT)
• Seats:  4  

€ 87 / hour (Dry)

Piper Arrow PA-28RT-201T Turbo IV

I-MAXX

• Based:  Jerez Airport (XRY/LEJR), Southern Spain
• Fastest option
• 4 seats
• Fuel capacity:  72 USG
• Fuel consumption:  11.5 USG per Hour 
• Normal cruise speed:  131 KTS, 151 MPH
• Range:  640 NM, 737 SM 

Safety Pilots

Safety Pilots can be provided. Those available include flight instructors, airline pilots as well as like-minded PPL qualified pilots. We encourage flying in pairs. Flying with another pilot makes the experience not only more sociable but also allows you to relax somewhat knowing you have a competent wing-man next to you in times of need.   

UK Licence Holders

We have a choice of G-registered aeroplanes (PA28, C152) in Spain. After 31 Dec 2022, post-BREXIT, only UK CAA licence holders can continue to fly G-reg aircraft. All the rest of our fleet are EASA-registered so you will need an EASA licence to fly one. If you hold a foreign ICAO PPL, contact our CFI for details how you can convert to EASA and still fly an EASA-registered aircraft.

For flights in Spain, hour building packages include:-

WET rates and include: -

• Fuel 
• Oil 
• All taxes
• Initial en-route briefing
• Approach charts

DRY rates which do NOT include: -

• Fuel

Note:  For Dry lease rates, a BP Aviation Fuel Card will be provided which will offer you subsidized AvGas below market rate. Carefully plan your routing through the airfields with the cheapest fuel price (click on this map) and you'll minimize the expense even further. 

Note:  In Mallorca, Fly EPT Spain hour building pilots receive up to 50% discount on published fuel prices at Son Bonet Airport (LESB)

Aircraft rental price do NOT include: -

• Landing Fees
• Air fees
• Aircraft parking down route, away from home base
• Checkout flight with an instructor or any necessary training. 
• Aeronautical charts (use SkyDemon - Fly EPT Spain is an official retailer and we can offer it to you at a discount)

What is the cheapest way to hour build?

First, DRY lease rental rates are offered because it significantly reduces the tax burden. Plus, the aircraft owner does not need to mark up the hourly price to hedge themselves against unknown more expensive fuel stations down route. If you accept a WET rate, the hourly rate must be calculated using the most expensive regional fuel price station, and it may be an airfield that you did not fly too. If you accept a Dry lease rate, and you carefully choose landing at those aerodromes with the cheapest fuel price, you will save a lot of money. 

It is our strongest recommendation therefore that budget conscious hour builders should always choose the DRY lease rental rates as it is by far the cheapest option. When you multiply the hourly saving (e.g., €25) by 80 hours, that is €2000 saved which is significant. 

Plus, when a Dry rental rate is accepted, the onus simply falls on the renter pilot to adopt some other money saving tactics. For example:

Typical Fuel Consumption for a Rotax 912 UL engine is: 19.2 L/h at 75% power (5000 RPM 27.2 MAP) while at 65% (4800 RPM) it is 15.8 L/h. To reduce fuel consumption in the cruise, do NOT fly full throttle and, if fitted, lean the mixture.

CPL aspirants need 20 hours PIC cross country time and to start the ME-IR, 50 hours PIC X-country. Once you hit this target, consider circuit practice as significantly less fuel is burnt in the circuit compared to flying cross-country routes at full throttle. The Tecnam’s P2002 Rotax engine, for example, can burn as little as 12 liters/hour flying circuit patterns as opposed to 17 liters/hr. in the cruise.

Also, the Rotax engine can burn 95/98 Unleaded MOGAS which is always so much cheaper than AVGAS. So given the choice, fly an aircraft with a ROTAX engine and fill up with cheaper MOGAS.

If you want to save money, fly the Tecnam P2002-JF as it’s by far the most fuel-efficient aircraft in our fleet, it takes both AvGas and cheaper MoGas and it has the lowest fuel consumption among the fleet. After finishing your hour building, just fill it up with MoGas before returning it back to us.

Benefits of Time Building in Spain

• Mediterranean location
• Best all-year-round weather conditions in Europe. 300+ days of sunshine per year. 90+% of the year is VFR.
• Easy navigation
• A lot of open VFR airspace, unlike much of Europe which has too much airspace restrictions. 
• Cheap landing fees ranging from €6-15. At major airports handling is mandatory but only €9.99.
• Opportunity to discover wider Spain, the Balearic Islands, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza, Barcelona, Madrid and even Gibraltar, and neighbouring Morocco, France, Italy, and Portugal. 
• CPL preparation program. Some of our QFI's are very experienced airline pilots who teach the CPL modular flying course and they can be made available to coach and mentor you. During these dual-piloted hour building flights you can still log the flight time as PIC. It is not an additional expense, rather a value-added service that aims to sharpen your flying skills to a CPL standard. 

We also provide

• a thorough Briefing for the Airport and Area
• Briefing for the Route Areas you would like to fly, and
• Familiarization training on the Aircraft you will fly.

FAQ - CPL Hour Building

I am hour building for the CPL.  How shall I plan my structured hour building program

PPL pilots looking to undertake a Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) course will need to accumulate a minimum of 100 Pilot-in-Command (PIC) hours. Our structured hour building programme ensures students achieve this requirement for CPL issue while also preparing you for the CPL course. 

Our team of experienced flight instructors who teach the CPL modular flying course will be made available to help you build the additional skills and experiences required to meet the very high standards expected of you during the CPL skill test.

PPL pilots working towards CPL must also accumulate a certain amount of flight time before they can begin the professional modular flight training courses. For example, pilots must have completed, before starting the: - 

• Multi-Engine Instrument Rating (IR):  50 hours PIC cross country flight time
• Multi-Engine (ME) rating:  70 hours as PIC
• CPL:  150 hours total flight time, including 70 hours PIC and a Night rating.  

When you apply for the CPL(A) you must have at least 200 hours of total flight time (although you may count 5 hours in a flight simulator training device - FSTD), which must include 100 hours as PIC, of which at least 20 hours must be cross-country, which shall include a cross country flight of at least 300 NM including full stop landings at two (2) aerodromes.

Do make sure your log book reflects these minimum flight time requirements before you start your training as your licensing regulatory authority will check your log book. If you did not meet the minimums before starting the ME/IR/CPL training, it will invalidate the course.

When to do the hour building

‘Hour building’ is the term used to describe the accumulation of the 100 hours Pilot-in-Command (PIC) flight time requirement for CPL issue after gaining your PPL. 

Once you complete your PPL and Night Rating course, you should start the 100-hour time building phase soon after while you are still in current flying practice. Having passed the PPL skill test, it is wise just to continue through another month and complete the 150 hours total time. If you let your recency lapse you will incur additional expense getting current again as you will need to fly with an instructor to have your proficiency checked. After a long period of no flying, it is a given that you will have lost some of your proficiency which you worked so hard to get in gaining your PPL. You will also leave yourself with more flying to do before starting the CPL and ME-IR which adds time and financial pressure. Once the 150 hours have been logged and you have passed all 13 ATPL examinations, you can start and finish the ME rating, CPL and ME-IR courses with no delay or interruptions which is all dual instruction. It is in this period that you need to be focused on sharpening your flying proficiency with an instructor so you reach peak flying practice for the CPL and ME-IR skill test.

What is the definition of flight time?

Flight time commences when an aircraft moves under its own power for the purposes of flight and ends when the aircraft comes to rest after landing. This is the time you record in your pilot log book, known as block time.

What is cross-country time?

For the purpose of meeting the aeronautical experience requirements for a PPL, CPL or an instrument rating, cross-country flight is time acquired during a flight (a) That includes a point of landing that was at least a straight-line distance of more than 50 nautical miles from the original point of departure.

Are there ways to help me subsidize my hour building?

Yes. As a private pilot you can subscribe to and advertise on Wingly, a site platform that allows general aviation pilots to share the aircraft rental costs and this will significantly subsidize your hour building programme. One of the advantages of flying from Palma de Mallorca, a thriving tourist island year-round, especially in summer, is the huge demand for flight sharing to neighbouring Balearic islands including Ibiza and to mainland Spain, particularly Barcelona and Valencia, even up to the UK and Germany. Try your luck, advertise, and see who signs up.

Safety

Safety when flying must always be your first priority. When it comes to flight sharing, Fly EPT Spain promotes the safety of cost shared flights and supports EASA’s Safety Charter for non-commercial general aviation, which you can read here.

Popular Destination Airports for Hour Builders

For hour builders flying from Son Bonet Airport, or from Binissalem Aerodrome which has NO landing fees and where cheap Unleaded 95 MOGAS is freely available, for those flying the Tecnam P2002-JF (which offers you the chance to fly for €21/hour in fuel cost if you self-refuel), consider the following route network to build up your cross country flight time.

CPL Qualifying Cross Country Flight

Route:  CPL Qualifying Cross Country Flight

Flying the triangle from Son Bonet Airport (LESB) to San Luis Aerodrome (LESL) on the neighbouring island of Menorca, and then to Ibiza (LEIB) and back to LESB is 336 NM and therefore qualifies for the CPL qualifying cross-country flight which must be a route of at least 300 NM including full stop landings at two (2) aerodromes.

Nearest Airports from Son Bonet Airport (LESB), Palma de Mallorca, Spain

The following general aviation (GA) friendly-airports are popular destination stop-over points for time builders: -

Balearic Islands, Spain

Palma de Mallorca/Son Bonet (LESB) - Menorca/San Luis Aerodrome (LESL) (No re-fueling. Landing fee: €15 - unlimited touch and go's) - Ibiza (LEIB/IBZ) - Binissalem Aerodrome (LEIS) (No landing fee. MOGAS available)

Spain

Alicante (LEAL/ALC) - Almeria (LEAM/LEI) - Andorra-La Seu d’Urgell Airport (LEU) - Barcelona Sabadell (LELL/QSA) - Burgos Airport (RGS/LEBG) - Castellón–Costa Azahar Airport (LECH/CDT) - Cordoba (LEBA/ODB) - Granada Juan Espadafor (LEJE) - Huesca–Pirineos airport - (HSK/LEHC) - Jerez (LEJR/XRY) - León (LELN/REN) - Málaga (LEMG/AGP) - Madrid–Cuatro Vientos Airport (LECU) - Ocaña (LEOC) - Pamplona (LEPP/PNA) - Reus (LERS/REU) - Salamanca (LESA/SLM) - San Sebastian (LESO/EAS) - Valencia (LEVC/VLC) - Vigo (LEVX/VGO) 

Gibraltar (LXGB/GIB)

South of France

Biarritz Pays Basque Airport (LFBZ/BIQ) - Bordeaux - Léognan-Saucats Airport (LFCS) - Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport (LFMT/MPL) - Cannes Mandelieu Airport (CEQ/LFMD) - La Môle – Saint-Tropez Airport (LFTZ)

Italy

Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport (PSA/LIRP) (Safestay Pisa hostel) - Milan-Bresso Airfield (LIMB) - Rome Urbe Airport (LIRU) - Venice-Lido Airport (LIPV)

Morocco

Fes Saiss (GMFF/FEZ)

MoGas Airports in Spain, South of France

Note:  Tecnam P2002-JF registration EC-NZS has a ROTAX engine and is strictly MoGas only.

Spain

Binissalem Aerodrome (LEIS) - Aerodromo de Santa Cilia (LECI) - Aeròdrom d'Avinyonet del Penedès (West Barcelona) 

France

Riviera Airport (LIMG) - Carpentras Airport (LFNH)