APPI 4 Progress is for pilots who have outgrown a single familiar hill and want to arrive at new sites with the judgement to fly them safely. You hold APPI 3 Pilot or IPPI 3 equivalent, both Thermalling and Dynamic Soaring certifications, and a recent APPI 3 theoretical exam pass. APPI then looks at logged experience and instructor evaluation rather than another fixed classroom block.
Minimum experience is fifty flights, thirty hours on three different sites, with comments in your logbook. A certified APPI instructor assesses your maturity and autonomy in varied environments through practical evaluation. Training emphasises risk management, weather analysis for unknown sites and ground handling pushed to a higher level. At APPI 4 you fly fully independently and are welcomed at APPI schools worldwide for essential local briefings.
This is not an acro rating or a licence to ignore site rules. It confirms you can plan, fly and land responsibly away from your training hill. Leave a comment when you book with your logbook totals and which three sites you plan to use for experience logging.
APPI 4 assessment is experience based with instructor evaluation of maturity and autonomy.
Quick answers about this qualification. For anything else, use live chat or browse bookable activities below.
Find activitiesIt is the APPI advanced progression rating for pilots who hold APPI 3 Pilot, both Thermalling and Dynamic Soaring modules, and documented cross-site experience. An instructor evaluates your maturity and autonomy in varied environments.
APPI 4 pilots fly fully independently and are welcomed at APPI schools for local site support.
APPI 3 or IPPI 3 equivalent, both Dynamic Soaring and Thermalling certifications, a recent APPI 3 theoretical exam pass, and minimum fifty flights with thirty hours on three different sites in your logbook.
Leave a comment when you book with your current flight count and which sites you have flown so the instructor can gap-plan.
There is no fixed day minimum. Most pilots need a season or longer to log fifty flights and thirty hours across three sites honestly.
Evaluation happens when your instructor agrees experience and judgement meet APPI 4 standards, not on a predetermined calendar date.
APPI 4 requires a recent pass on the APPI 3 pilot theoretical exam before progression. The APPI 4 validation itself is practical evaluation plus logged experience, not a separate new theory paper.
If your APPI 3 theory pass is stale, your school will arrange a refresh before signing you off.
APPI wants evidence you can assess unfamiliar hills, not only repeat your training slope. Logbook comments on conditions and decisions matter as much as flight numbers.
Holiday flying counts if properly logged. Flying the same launch with different wind directions may not count as a different site in your instructor’s view.
An APPI instructor freely evaluates your maturity and autonomy in varied environments once logbook requirements are met. There is no single standardised test flight format.
Expect frank feedback if retrieve habits, weather calls or site briefing discipline still look like APPI 3 level.
Your own certified wing, harness, reserve, helmet, radio and usually a variometer for cross-country oriented flying. Kit must suit your weight and the sites you plan to fly.
Leave a comment when you book if you need advice on wing class before an evaluation trip abroad.
Yes. Many pilots log experience and complete evaluation in famous flying regions with APPI schools. adventuro lists centres in mountain and coastal destinations.
Local regulations still apply. APPI recognition does not override national licensing where it exists.
Instructors recommend further flights, site briefings or coaching rather than signing prematurely. APPI 4 is about judgement, not collecting a card.
Extra training days and honest logbook work are normal. Rushing evaluation on weak experience creates problems later in thermic terrain.
APPI 5 Advanced and specialty modules including cross-country, performance, SIV, freestyle and speed flying within the APPI system.
Many APPI 4 pilots simply fly more varied sites with club mates rather than chasing the next number immediately.
adventuro lists APPI schools offering APPI 4 evaluation and progression coaching. Compare whether retrieve, briefing time and travel logistics are included.
Leave a comment when you book with your logbook totals, specialty cards and target evaluation window.
