Private pilot

A private pilot is the holder of a private pilot license. With a private pilot license (PPL), a pilot is allowed to fly aeroplanes of the category and class that the license designates. Private pilots are not permitted to profit from any flight (except, in the USA, as denoted in [http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2014-title14-vol2/xml/CFR-2014-title14-vol2-sec61-113.xml 14 CFR 61.113). In order to be compensated for flight services, a pilot must hold a commercial pilot license.

Private pilots are only allowed to fly in Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) under Visual Flight Rules (VFR)unless they obtain an instrument pilot rating (IFR.) See instrument rating.

A "private pilot's license" is the lowest class license defined by ICAO. ICAO defines three classes of pilot's license: Private, Commercial, and Airline Transport Pilot. These three levels are essentially the same worldwide, and most countries recognize those issued by most other countries.

The private license allows individual citizens to operate non-commercial aircraft for personal or recreational purposes. Most typical among these types are the aircraft manufactured by Cessna, Piper and Beechcraft, in addition to hundreds of amateur, or experimental built aircraft models. They generally seat two to six people and have engines in the 60 to 300 horsepower range. Private pilots may use their airplane for the purpose of commuting to and from work; however, they may not carry passengers or freight for hire. In some cases, a group of persons may share costs of taking a trip ("splitting the gas"), but they may not pay the pilot for his/her services.

The types of aircraft one may fly depends on what they are certified for, e.g. Airplane Single Engine land. See Categories and Classes for a list. Usually, a newly minted private pilot is certified to fly all planes in the generic category single engine piston, often abbreviated SEP. This includes the Cessna 172, PA-28, Diamond DA40, Robin DR400 and similar planes. More complex types, like those with retractable undercarriage or variable pitch props, require additional training and licensing.

...
Wikipedia