Definitions — Page 24, Lesson 33

We're in the definitions chapter of your Air Law syllabus, and we've just moved into the P-to-R block. So let's pick up with the Private Pilot Licence. The Private Pilot Licence, or PPL, is defined as the licence held by a pilot which prohibits the piloting of an aircraft for which remuneration is given. Now, "remuneration" simply means payment or reward. So the defining feature of a PPL is that you cannot be paid to fly. That's the legal boundary that separates a private pilot from a commercial one. Next, the verb (To) Pilot. This is defined as to manipulate the flight controls of an aircraft during flight time. So piloting is the physical act of operating the controls, and it's tied specifically to flight time. Then we have Pilot-in-command. This is the pilot responsible for the operation and safety of the aircraft during flight time. So the PIC carries the ultimate legal and operational responsibility for the whole flight. Closely related is Pilot-in-command under supervision, abbreviated PICUS. This is a co-pilot performing, under the supervision of the pilot-in-command, the duties and the functions of a pilot-in-command. So the PICUS acts as PIC, but always under the eye of the actual PIC. Now, a Power Unit. This is a system of one or more engines and ancillary parts which are together necessary to provide thrust, independently of the continued operation of any other power unit(s), but not including short period thrust-producing devices. Let me unpack that. A power unit is an engine plus its supporting parts, and it must be able to provide thrust on its own, without depending on another power unit. And it explicitly excludes short period thrust-producing devices — things like rocket assist or JATO bottles, which give a brief boost but aren't a continuous power source. Next, Precision Approach. This means an instrument approach using the Instrument Landing System, the Microwave Landing System, or Precision Approach Radar for guidance in both azimuth and elevation. Azimuth is the horizontal direction, and elevation is the vertical. So a precision approach gives you lateral and vertical guidance all the way down. Then Pressure Altitude. This is an atmospheric pressure expressed in terms of altitude which corresponds to the pressure in the Standard Atmosphere. So you take the actual pressure, and you express it as the altitude that pressure would have in the standard atmosphere model. Next, Proficiency Check. This is a demonstration of skill to revalidate or renew ratings, and it includes such oral examinations as the examiner may require. So it's a practical check of your skill, possibly with an oral element, used to keep a rating current. Then Prohibited Area. This is an airspace of defined dimensions above the land areas or territorial waters of a State within which flight of aircraft is prohibited. So it's a defined block of airspace where flying is simply not allowed, full stop. Next, Rating. This is an authorization entered on or associated with a licence and forming part thereof, stating special conditions, privileges or limitations pertaining to such licence. So a rating is an endorsement on your licence that spells out what you're allowed to do, or any limits on that. Then Renewal. This is the administrative action taken after a rating has expired. So once a rating has lapsed, renewal is the process of getting it back. Next, Rendering a Licence Valid. This is the action taken by a Contracting State, as an alternative to issuing its own licence, in accepting a licence issued by any other State as an equivalent of its own licence. So instead of issuing you a brand-new licence, a State accepts your foreign licence as equivalent to theirs. Then Repetitive Flight Plan, abbreviated RPL. This is a flight plan related to a series of frequently recurring, regularly operated individual flights with identical basic features, submitted by an operator for retention and repetitive use by ATS units. So for a regular scheduled route, the operator files one plan that covers all the identical flights, and ATS keeps it on file. Next, Reporting Point. This is a specified geographical location in relation to which the position of an aircraft can be reported. So it's a fixed point on the ground that you use to report where you are. Then Residency - Normal. This is the place where a person lives for at least 185 days in each calendar year because of personal and occupational ties, or, in the case of a person with no occupational ties, because of personal ties which show close links between that person and the place where he or she is living. So it's where you genuinely live for more than half the year, based on your ties to that place. Next, Restricted Area. This is an airspace of defined dimensions above the land areas or territorial waters of a State within which flight of aircraft is restricted in accordance with certain specified conditions. So unlike a prohibited area, where flight is banned outright, a restricted area allows flight, but only under specific conditions. And finally, Revalidation. This is the administrative action taken within the period of validity of a rating or approval that allows the holder to continue to exercise the privileges of a rating or approval for a further specified period, consequent upon the fulfilment of specified requirements. So revalidation happens before the rating expires, and it extends your privileges for another period, provided you meet the requirements. Now, I want to highlight a key contrast here, because it's a classic exam trap. Renewal is the action taken after a rating has expired. Revalidation is the action taken within the period of validity, to keep it going. So renewal is after expiry, revalidation is before expiry. That distinction is crucial. Also, note the contrast between Prohibited Area and Restricted Area. Prohibited means no flight at all. Restricted means flight is allowed, but only under specified conditions. And both are defined airspace above a State's land or territorial waters. One more thing on the PPL: the definition says it prohibits piloting for remuneration. So the licence itself is defined by what it doesn't allow — you can't be paid. That's the core of it.