Private (PPL) means you are the pilot of a aircraft privately, meaning not for pay. Commercial (CPL) airliners require pilot license because they are paid for flying. Private is for your own enjoyment. Wiki says... The basic requirements to obtain a private pilots license and the privileges it confers are agreed upon internationally by the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), but the actual implementation varies widely from country to country. According to the ICAO, it is obtained by successfully completing a course of flight training of at least 40 hours duration (45 hours in the UK and Sweden), passing a number of written theory exams, and successfully demonstrating flying skills to an examiner during a flight test or checkride. For a commercial, it just states being specific by country. Different types of PPLs are issued for the major categories of aircraft�� powered airplanes/aeroplanes (with limitations for single or multi-engine and land or sea), gliders, rotorcraft (helicopters a