High performance aircraft

High Performance Aircraft (HPA) are aircraft that may be flown by a single pilot , but are similar in terms of their flight performance and the performance of their aircraft and navigation systems to aircraft types that are operated with a minimum crew of two pilots.

The JAR-FCL contains the regulations for the training, testing and licensing of pilots. According to this, there are a number of aircraft that, due to their performance data or their complexity, no longer fall under the class ratings SEP ( Single Engine Piston , i.e. aircraft with a piston-powered aircraft engine ) or MEP ( Multi Engine Piston , i.e. aircraft with at least two piston engines) or SET / MET ( turboprop aircraft ) fall. This includes a number of popular aircraft types such as the variants of the Malibu Meridian from Piper equipped with a propeller turbine (but no longer the piston-driven variants), the TBM 900 from Hence , which is also equipped with a propeller turbine, along with previous models, the King Air series from Beech and some Jet planes , i.e. planes with jet propulsion like the Cessna Citation . Such aircraft fall under the classification of the HPA (High Performance Aircraft).

To operate such aircraft, pilots with a PPL ( private pilot license ) or CPL ( professional pilot license ) require a special authorization, which can be acquired through an HPA training and can then be verified by a separate entry in the pilot license.