Addendum – EASA Part-FCL & Part-MED — Page 542, Lesson 723

I want to walk you through the start of the EASA Part-FCL and Part-MED addendum. This is the regulatory backbone for how pilots get licensed in Europe, so let's build it from the ground up. First, the documentation. EASA Part-FCL is the direct equivalent of the old JAR FCL1. What does it do? It establishes the requirements for the issue of pilot licences and associated ratings and certificates, and the conditions of their validity and use. So think of it as the rulebook for getting your licence, adding ratings like an instrument rating or type rating, and keeping them valid. Then we have EASA Part-MED, which is the equivalent of JAR FCL3. This part establishes the requirements for the issue, validity, revalidation and renewal of the medical certificate. That certificate is required for exercising the privileges of a pilot licence or of a student licence. So you can't fly on a licence without a valid medical, and Part-MED governs that whole process. Now let's get into the terminology, because precise definitions matter in air law. An aeroplane is an engine-driven fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air, which is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against its wings. Break that down: engine-driven means it has a powerplant, fixed-wing means the wings don't rotate like a helicopter's rotor, heavier than air means it's not a balloon or airship, and the lift comes from the dynamic reaction of air against the wings — that's the aerodynamic lift. ATO stands for Approved Training Organization. That's the school or organization approved to deliver the training. CAT is Commercial Air Transport. That's the operation of aircraft for remuneration — carrying passengers, cargo, or mail for hire. Competent Authority is an authority designated by the Member State to whom a person applies for the issue of pilot licences or associated ratings or certificates. So in each EU member state, there's a designated authority — like the CAA in the UK — and that's who you apply to. Co-pilot is a specific legal definition. It's a pilot operating other than the pilot in command, on an aircraft for which more than one pilot is required. But it excludes a pilot who is on board solely for the purpose of receiving flight instruction for a licence or rating. So a trainee sitting in the right seat isn't a co-pilot in the legal sense — they're there to learn, not to operate. Cross-country is a flight between a point of departure and a point of arrival following a pre-planned route, using standard navigation procedures. So it's not just any flight — it has to follow a planned route with standard navigation. Dual Instruction Time is flight time or instrument ground time during which a person is receiving flight instruction from a properly authorized instructor. Note it includes instrument ground time — so time in a simulator under instruction counts. Full Flight Simulator, or FFS, is a full-size replica of a specific type or make, model and series aircraft flight deck. It includes all the equipment and computer programmes necessary to represent the aircraft in ground and in flight operations, a visual system providing an out-of-the-deck view, and a force cueing motion system. So the FFS is the highest fidelity simulator — it moves, it has visuals, and it replicates a specific aircraft type. Flight Time is the total time from the moment an aircraft first moves for the purpose of taking off until the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight. So it starts when the aircraft first moves for takeoff, and ends when it stops at the end of the flight. Finally, FSTD stands for Flight Simulator Training Device. This is the key contrast: this simulator does not require force cueing motion or a visual system. So an FSTD is a lower-fidelity device — it doesn't need to move or have visuals, unlike the FFS. So the big contrast to remember: FFS requires motion and visuals, FSTD does not. Both are used for training, but they're different classes of device. That's the foundation of the addendum. We've got the two regulatory parts, and the core definitions that everything else builds on.