Pilot licensing and certification
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
It has been suggested that Private Pilot License be merged into this article or section. (Discuss) |
 |
The examples and perspective in this article or section may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article or discuss the issue on the talk page. |
Pilot licences (in the United States, airman certificates) are issued by national aviation authorities, and establish that the holder has been trained by a qualified flight instructor and has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements, sometimes determined by taking a checkride. The licensed or certificated pilot can then exercise a specific set of privileges in the nation’s airspace. Despite attempts to harmonize the requirements between nations, the differences in certification practices and standards from place to place serve to limit full international validity of the national qualifications.
In the U.S., airman certificates are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — and pilots are certificated, not licensed, although the word license (note the spelling) is still commonly used informally. Legally airman certificates can be revoked by administrative action; whereas Licensing requires intervention by the judiciary system. In Canada, licences are issued by Transport Canada, and in the United Kingdom by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
At all times, an aircraft in flight must be under the authority of an appropriately qualified pilot, the pilot in command, who is responsible for the safe and legal completion of the flight.
[edit] General structure of certification
Pilots are qualified to fly at a specific privilege level and in one or more specific categories of aircraft. Examples of privilege levels found in most countries are:
- Student: the pilot can be trained by an instructor for his or her first full certificate and is permitted to fly alone (solo) under specified circumstances.
- Private: the pilot can fly for his or her own pleasure and is not allowed to accept compensation for flying except in some specific circumstances.
- Commercial: the pilot can fly for hire.
- Airline Transport: the pilot can be the captain for a scheduled airline.
The licenses are also further broken down into category, class, and in some cases, rating.
A category is defined as "a broad classification of aircraft", broken down into Airplane, Rotorcraft, Glider, and Lighter-Than-Air. A class is defined as "a classification of aircraft within a category having similar operating characteristics", which include single engine, multi-engine, land, water, gyroplane, helicopter, airship, and free balloon. In addition, a type rating is required for aircraft over 12,500 pounds, or aircraft which are turbojet powered. Further endorsements are required for high performance (200 horsepower or greater), complex (retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller), or tailwheel equipped aircraft, as well as high altitude operations.
Most Private Pilot certificates are issued as "Private Pilot: Airplane Single Engine Land", which means the pilot may employ his piloting priviledges in any single engine, land based airplane he is qualified in. A pilot is only qualified in the category and class of aircraft he takes his checkride in. Therefore, a pilot who takes a Commercial Pilot checkride in a multi-engine, land-based aircraft and passes may only exercise the privileges of a Commercial Pilot in multi-engine, land-based aircraft. That pilot may not exercise the privileges of a Commercial Pilot in single engine or sea-based aircraft without passing the appropriate parts of a checkride in those paticular categories of aircraft.
The typical order in which a pilot obtains ratings is: Private Pilot (35-40 hours total time required) Instrument Rating Commercial Pilot (190-250 hours total time required) Airline Transport Pilot (1500 hours total time required)
In the course of the Commercial Pilot training, most pilots will also receive their high performance and complex endorsements, as well as get a multi-engine rating before applying for the Airline Transport Pilot license.
Others include
- Sport pilot certificate (United States only), used for Light-sport aircraft, a category that was designated in 2004. These aircraft are larger and faster than U.S. ultralights, and carry more fuel and often one passenger.
The ultralight category of aircraft in the U.S. requires no specific training and no certification.
The pilot can separately add certain ratings such as the instrument rating.
