CAA announces details of the new PPL e-Exams system

After a three-month period of a pathfinder phase, CAA has announced that the PPL e-Exams system will go live on Monday, October 5th.

The new system replaces earlier paper-based exams with a new, online platform launched by CAA. It also includes a new question database and increases the cost per exam. Payments can be made by supported credit cards or by a deduction from pre-existing credit. According to the announcement, it is recommended for the candidates to register at least five working days before the date of the first exam.

The following CAP documents explaining how to use the online platforms have been made available:

• CAP 1903A — PPL candidate Tasman guide
• CAP 1903B — PPL organisation Tasman guide
• CAP 1903C — PPL quick guide: Accessing the portal
• CAP 1903D — PPL quick guide: Managing memberships
• CAP 1903E — PPL quick guide: Booking and results
• CAP 1903G — PPL candidate quick guide

What this means for candidates and flight schools

The change from paper theoretical knowledge exams to a completely electronic format was inevitable and should be welcomed. Whether CAA has given enough time for everyone to prepare is a different story. It is also questionable whether there was a need to replace the full set of questions in the database. We don’t know at this point whether that move will make any of the existing training material obsolete or at the very least, less useful for the student pilots.

On a similar note, The Airspace Infringement Working Group has developed a survey for private pilots on the current use of moving maps, including their use for training purposes. Such usage has been allowed in several countries already, including the United States.

As an organisation living on the bleeding edge of technology in the aviation industry, we are happy to see the modernisation efforts undertaken by CAA and will fully support them, as long as they don’t come at the expense of the students, pilots and training organisations.