P1 to P4 — what each rating actually lets you do

P1 is ground school — wing handling, launches, low hops. You leave knowing how to fly; you can't yet fly alone anywhere serious.

P2 is novice pilot — supervised solo flights, turns, landing patterns. You're flying real flights with an instructor on the radio.

P3 is the pivot — club pilot, cleared to fly without supervision at site-approved conditions. This is the rating that opens the sport.

P4 and beyond are advanced — XC endorsements, competitions, acro. By then you know what you need. Most people's honest roadmap is P1 → P2 in a block, airtime, then P3.