Checked against the Aircraft Rules, the DGCA examination and medical CARs and the Pariksha portal on 15 September 2026. Every figure is sourced below.
Quick Answer
What is an SPL, and what does a Student Pilot Licence allow?
SPL stands for Student Pilot Licence — the first licence the DGCA issues. Schedule II, Section B of the Aircraft Rules, 1937 sets a minimum age of 16. It requires a Class 2 medical and is assessed by an oral examination with a 50% pass mark. It permits flight training including solo flying under instructor authorisation, but never carrying passengers and never flying for payment.
SPL at a glance
- •Full form: Student Pilot Licence — not Sport Pilot, which is a United States FAA category with no Indian equivalent
- •Minimum age: 16 (Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II, Section B)
- •Medical: Class 2, valid two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter.
- •Examination: oral, pass mark 50% (Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'B', Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019, para 5.7(a))
- •Permits: Flight training, including solo flying under instructor authorisation. Never carrying passengers, never flying for payment.
- •Next: a Private Pilot Licence at 17, then a Commercial Pilot Licence at 18
- •Computer number for DGCA examinations: available from age 16
What an SPL is, and the name that confuses everyone
The Student Pilot Licence is the first of four licences in the Indian chain. It is what makes you a student pilot in the regulator’s eyes rather than a passenger sitting in the left seat, and it is the licence that allows an instructor to authorise your first solo flight.
Before anything else, the disambiguation. Search “SPL” and a large share of the results describe a Sport Pilot Licence — light-sport aircraft, simplified medical requirements, lower hour counts. That is a United States FAA certificate category. DGCA does not issue it, no Indian rule creates it, and a page telling you otherwise is describing a licence you cannot obtain here.
Where the SPL sits in the licence chain
| Licence | Minimum age | Schedule II | What it permits |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPL — Student Pilot Licence | 16 years | Section B | Flight training, including solo flying under instructor authorisation. Never carrying passengers, never flying for payment. |
| PPL — Private Pilot Licence | 17 years | Section E | Personal and recreational flying. Never flying for payment. |
| CPL — Commercial Pilot Licence | 18 years | Section J | Flying for payment. Requires 200 hours of flight time. |
| ATPL — Airline Transport Pilot Licence | 21 years | Section M | Acting as pilot-in-command of a commercial aeroplane. |
Reading that table is the fastest way to understand the whole career. Each rung is a separate licence with its own minimum age, and the SPL is the only one you can hold at 16. The gap between the SPL and the CPL is 2 years, which is time most students can be using rather than waiting through.
The medical: Class 2, not Class 1
This is where most SPL pages stop at “a DGCA medical is required”. The class matters, because the two are different examinations with different validity and different consequences.
Class 2 — what the SPL requires
Valid for: Two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter.
Conducted by: Any DGCA-empanelled Class 1 medical examiner, and DGCA-empanelled Class 2 medical examiners holding an MBBS, registered with the Medical Council of India, who have completed the approved training in aviation or aerospace medicine at IAM, Bengaluru.
Also covers: the Private Pilot Licence, microlight licences and Flight Radio Telephone Operator Licences.
A Class 1 is what the Commercial Pilot Licence requires, and it is the stricter of the two. Here is the part worth acting on: Book the Class 1 initial before committing money to a flying school. The student pilot licence only needs a Class 2, but the licence you are training towards needs a Class 1 — and finding a disqualifying condition after paying a deposit is an expensive way to learn it.
The examination covers physical and mental, visual and colour perception, hearing. The CAR sets out what is assessed. It does not publish a pass rate, and no honest page can tell you in advance whether you will clear it. The full picture, including DGCA’s list of 13 approved centres, is on our Class 1 and Class 2 medical guide.
The SPL examination, and its pass mark
The SPL is assessed by an oral examination, and the threshold is published: a candidate needs 50%, under Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'B', Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019, para 5.7(a).
That figure is worth holding onto, because almost nothing written about student pilot examinations states it, and because it puts the rest of the journey in proportion. The oral thresholds are not all the same, and neither is the written one.
| Examination | Pass mark | Clause |
|---|---|---|
| SPL — Student Pilot Licence — oral | 50% | para 5.7(a) |
| GPL — Glider Pilot Licence — oral | 50% | para 5.7(c) |
| ATPL — Airline Transport Pilot Licence — oral | 70% | para 5.7(d) |
| FIR and AFIR — Flying Instructor ratings — oral | 70% | para 5.7(e) |
| Written papers, each subject | 70% | para 5.6 |
The written papers are a separate track entirely. They are the 5 DGCA subjects a Commercial Pilot Licence requires — Air Navigation, Aviation Meteorology, Air Regulations, Technical General, Technical Specific — each needing 70% on its own, booked on the Pariksha portal against a computer number. The 70% applies to each subject on its own. There is no aggregate, and a strong paper does not carry a weak one.
What you can start before you turn 16
The most useful thing on this page for a school student: almost none of the DGCA examination machinery waits for an age gate the way the licence does.
- →A computer number can be applied for from age 16 — the same age as the SPL itself — and it needs no flying school, no logbook and no medical certificate.
- →Written papers can be cleared as soon as you hold that number, at ₹2,500 a paper in a regular session.
- →Class 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics from a recognised Board or University is the education gate for a CPL, so if you are still choosing subjects at school, choose those two.
- →A pass in a written paper counts for five years towards a CPL or ATPL, so clearing papers very early is not free — clearing papers years before you finish your flying hours is not free. Count backwards from the licence application, not forwards from the first paper.
What comes after the SPL
A Private Pilot Licence at 17, which still does not permit flying for payment, and then the Commercial Pilot Licence at 18, which does. The CPL is the one with the substantial requirements attached: 200 hours of flying inside the 5 years before you apply, 5 written papers, RTR (A) examined separately, and a Class 1 medical.
Our CPL eligibility guide sets out all five requirements with the rule behind each, and the full route shows the order to do them in and which stages can run in parallel.
People also ask
What does SPL stand for in Indian aviation?
Student Pilot Licence. It is the first licence in the DGCA chain, issued under Schedule II, Section B of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. If you have read about a "Sport Pilot Licence", that is a United States FAA category and it does not exist under Indian rules.
What is the pass mark for the SPL examination?
50%. The SPL is assessed by oral examination, and the threshold is set by Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'B', Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019, para 5.7(a). It is worth knowing that this is lower than the 70% required in each of the written papers later on, and lower than the 70% required in the ATPL oral.
Which medical do I need for a Student Pilot Licence?
A Class 2. Student Pilot Licence (aeroplane, helicopter, glider, balloon, microlight) sits in the Class 2 list. Two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter. A Class 1 is not required for the SPL — that is what the Commercial Pilot Licence needs.
How old do you have to be to get an SPL in India?
16. That is the earliest point at which a licence can be held. You can start clearing DGCA written papers even earlier in practice, because a computer number can be applied for from age 16.
Can I fly solo on a Student Pilot Licence?
Yes. Flight training, including solo flying under instructor authorisation. Never carrying passengers, never flying for payment.
Do I need 10+2 with Physics and Maths for an SPL?
The 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics requirement — Section J, para 1(b) — attaches to the Commercial Pilot Licence, not to the Student Pilot Licence. For the DGCA examination side, a computer number for the PPL category is based on the Class 10 requirement, while every other flight crew category needs the 10+2 with Physics and Mathematics. If a CPL is your destination, you need those subjects eventually, so treat them as a requirement from day one.
Student Pilot Licence: frequently asked questions
Is SPL the same as a Sport Pilot Licence?
No, and this is the most common error on the subject. SPL in India is the Student Pilot Licence under Schedule II, Section B of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. Sport Pilot is a United States FAA certificate category. DGCA does not issue one.
What does a Student Pilot Licence actually permit?
Flight training, including solo flying under instructor authorisation. Never carrying passengers, never flying for payment.
What is the minimum age for an SPL?
16 years, under the Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II, Section B.
Is there an upper age limit?
Not on the DGCA examination side — No maximum age is prescribed. What varies with age is how long a medical assessment stays valid.
How is the SPL examination conducted?
As an oral examination, with a pass mark of 50% set by Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'B', Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019, para 5.7(a). This is separate from the 5 written papers that a Commercial Pilot Licence requires later, which are computer-based and carry a 70% threshold each.
Which medical certificate does an SPL need?
A Class 2, valid two years up to the age of 50, and one year thereafter. It is conducted by any dgca-empanelled class 1 medical examiner, and dgca-empanelled class 2 medical examiners holding an mbbs, registered with the medical council of india, who have completed the approved training in aviation or aerospace medicine at iam, bengaluru.
Where can I get the medical done?
DGCA publishes a list of approved centres — 13 of them as of 27 August 2026, four in Delhi and the NCR. DGCA updates the aeromedical evaluation centre and examiner lists on its website and they are no longer printed in the CAR. Check the current version before travelling to a centre.
What comes after an SPL?
A Private Pilot Licence at 17, then a Commercial Pilot Licence at 18. The CPL is the one that permits flying for payment, and it requires 200 hours of flying, 5 written papers and RTR (A).
Do I need a computer number for the SPL?
The computer number is the identity used for DGCA flight crew examinations, and it can be applied for from age 16. Getting it early is sensible: on the DigiLocker route it is allotted immediately, and on the manual route it takes 15 working days.
What does the SPL stage cost?
DGCA's own examination fees are ₹2,500 per written paper in a regular session, and ₹500 for an oral paper on the second and third attempt. Flying school charges, the medical and training itself are set by the school and the medical centre, not by DGCA.
Sources
Read on 15 September 2026. Where a figure could not be traced to one of these, it is not on this page.
- –Aircraft Rules, 1937, Schedule II, Section B — the Student Pilot Licence and its minimum age
- –Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7, Series 'B', Part I, Rev. 2 dated 13 February 2019 — oral examination pass marks
- –Civil Aviation Requirement, Section 7 — Flight Crew Standards, Training and Licensing, Series 'C', Part I, Issue II dated 12 October 2017, Revision 7 dated 01 October 2025 — the Class 2 medical
- –CAR Section 7, Series 'C', Part III, Issue I 23 June 2017, Rev. 1 dated 08 October 2025 — Empanelment of Medical Examiner for Conduct of Class 1 Medical Examination
- –Flight Crew Computer Number Registration — FAQ (DGCA Pariksha)
We teach the DGCA ground subjects and arrange flight training with partner flying schools. We do not own aircraft or simulators, we do not employ pilots, and we do not place students into airline jobs — hiring decisions rest with the operator.
If you are 16 or close to it, the two things worth doing now are the medical and the computer number. Both are cheap, both are yours to keep, and both remove a dependency from everything that follows.
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