dall1234 wrote:Having done exactly the route you describe, NPPL (M) --> NPPL (SSEA) --> LAPL, I really would recommend continuing to get your (M), then get the SSEA, then decide future actions.
The original grievance of the dead end of the NPPL(SSEA) following the change to not allow an upgrade or any kind of progression path to the LAPL (and beyond) for anyone who qualified with it after 7 April 2018 was the reason for my original post and your post suggesting otherwise is misinformed. There is no way around that unless a bigger person than me is able to get the CAA to agree that a full credit for the NPPL(SSEA) licence, rather than just the hours on type, is allowable against the LAPL when commencing training for the LAPL. Failing that, one is required to throw away all ones NPPL(M) hours when starting a LAPL. In effect you have to start again if you want a license valid outside of the UK. Your NPPL(M) microlight hours are worthless.
Furthermore at least the French will not recognise an NPPL(SSEA) at all even by concession, unless all of your hours for it have been completed on type.
Instead you should simply start with a fully internationally recognised PPL(A). Then having got your PPL(A), if you want to then fly microlights you just have to pass the microlight GST and Ground Oral exam (see CAP804, Part 2, Section 4.1.1. If you download it, it's page 872 within Adobe reader), maybe 2-3 hours additional microlight training. Better fully international license, a progression path up, internationally recognised and you have spent little or no more money than you would achieving the NPPL(M) on its own.
In short, the NPPL(M) and NPPL(SSEA) training and licenses are fantastically poor value as they are useless towards anything else. Add to that they are essentially invalid outside of the UK other than by concession, good luck with the French and why make life hard for yourself? Given the stats, it will likely take you more hours to do and NPPL(M), cost you more and the training standards will be at best a lottery over completing a PPL(A).
There is absolutely no reason to start flying training on microlights even if you ultimately want to fly microlights as things stand.
32 hours into an NPPL(M) (strictly speaking a NPPL(A) Microlight) I have realised I have been sold a pup, was misinformed by the Microlight instructor I have mostly trained with, who assured me in June 2019 that there was a progression path at the beginning to an international license. There isn't and there hasn't been unless you achieved your NPPL(SSEA) before 7 April 2018 and so can convert it to a LAPL(A).