Licences

An explanation of Licences, Aircraft Endorsements and Ratings

A licence is the first and foremost qualification obtained by a pilot and indicates a general level of training, experience and achievement

An aircraft endorsement indicates that the licensed pilot has gained the hands on, manipulative skills and experience in a particular aircraft type or class of aircraft. In qualifying for the licence, the pilot will obtain at least one aircraft endorsement.

A rating is a qualification that extends the privileges of the licence enabling the holder to engage in various operational activities following further training and testing; ie. ratings can be obtained for flying at night or solely by reference to the aircraft's instrument panel, to teach others to fly or to spray chemicals, seeds or fertilisers for agricultural purposes.

• Licence and Rating Requirements describes the requirements for each licence.
• Glossary of Terms explains some of the aviation jargon.

Once issued, a flight crew licence is valid for life, however, the holder is required to undergo regular recency and medical checks. The frequency and degree of these tests depend upon the nature of the operations being conducted, the more complex the operation the more exacting the checks.

Aircraft endorsements are also valid for life. However, the onus is on the holder to ensure he or she has completed refresher training on the aircraft if he or she has not flown that type for some time.

Some ratings are valid while the licence is valid, other are subject to periodic flight checks.