Flight Crew Licensing — Page 72, Lesson 118

Let’s start with the big picture, because this chapter is about who gets to fly, and under whose rules. We’re in the Flight Crew Licensing chapter of your Air Law syllabus, and I want you to understand the legal landscape before we touch a single licence. First, the context. This chapter is written to match the JAA Learning Objectives for Air Crew Licensing. JAA stands for Joint Aviation Authorities — that was the body that harmonised aviation rules across a group of European states before EASA took over. The text notes that these objectives are expected to be updated to align with EASA Part-FCL and EASA Part-MED. Part-FCL is the EASA regulation for Flight Crew Licensing — FCL stands for Flight Crew Licensing. Part-MED is the EASA regulation for medical requirements — MED for medical. When that update happens, the Addendum at Chapter 28 will replace this current Chapter 5. So keep that in mind: this chapter is the JAA-era material, and Chapter 28 is where the modern EASA version lives. Now, Section 5.1 — the Requirement. Your Learning Objectives and the Syllabus for subject 010, Air Law, require you to have knowledge of the SARPs detailed in Annex 1 to the Chicago Convention. SARPs stands for Standards and Recommended Practices — these are the international specifications that ICAO member states agree to follow. Annex 1 is the one titled Personnel Licensing — it covers the licensing of flight crew, air traffic controllers, and other personnel. So internationally, the baseline is Annex 1. But here’s the crucial twist. The EASA requirement for Flight Crew Licensing is contained in JAR-FCL — that’s the Joint Aviation Requirements for Flight Crew Licensing. And the Central Question Bank, the CQB, contains questions relating to JAR-FCL. So for your exam, you need to know JAR-FCL. Where JAR differs from Annex 1, the text says those differences will be highlighted. That’s a promise to you as the student: the manual will flag where the European rule departs from the international standard. Now Section 5.2 — the International Standard. Each annex to the Chicago Convention includes a supplement. That supplement is a summary of the changes notified by each state, listed in alphabetical order, under Article 38 of the Convention. Article 38 is the mechanism by which a state formally notifies ICAO that it cannot comply with an international standard, or that it will comply in a different way. So the supplement is essentially a record of all the deviations states have declared. Here’s the striking fact: the supplement for Annex 1 is the biggest of all the annex supplements. That tells you there is enormous disparity in flight crew licensing around the world — states differ widely on who they licence and how. And the text makes a very strong point: the FAA — the US Federal Aviation Administration — the JAA, EASA, and certainly the UK CAA — the Civil Aviation Authority — have not, and never have, adopted the requirements of Annex 1, covering crew licensing and medical requirements, as a standard. Each authority has its own specific rules. JAR-FCL is the JAA standard applied in Europe. And then a warning that matters for your professional life, not just the exam. The inclusion of Annex 1 information in this manual is for information only — to enable you to pass the exam. It must not be relied upon for any matter relating to the issue of, or the maintenance of, your flight crew licence. In other words, when you actually go to get or renew your licence, you follow the authority’s rules — JAR-FCL in the European context — not the ICAO Annex 1 text. Finally, Section 5.3 — the European Standard. The licensing of pilots, and also Flight Engineers, to JAR requirements is in accordance with the requirements of JAR — and that sentence is cut off mid-thought in the excerpt, but the point is established: in Europe, the licensing standard is JAR, not Annex 1. So the core idea I want you to carry away: there are two layers of rules. Internationally, ICAO’s Annex 1 sets Standards and Recommended Practices, but it is not binding as a standard on the major authorities — the FAA, JAA, EASA, UK CAA. In Europe, the binding standard is JAR-FCL, and that’s what your exam questions will test. Annex 1 is background knowledge for the exam, not the rule you’ll live by as a licence holder.