Flight Crew Licensing — Page 79, Lesson 129

Let's pick up right where the material gets practical — the fine print on type ratings and what the law demands of you as a professional pilot. 5.42 — Variants. Within a type rating, difference training may be required for variants of the basic type. If the specific variant has not been flown during a period of 2 years, further difference training is required. Let me unpack that. A type rating is your licence to fly a specific aircraft type — say, a Boeing 737. But a "variant" is a close cousin of that basic type — a 737-800 versus a 737-900, for instance. The law says that when you move between variants, you may need difference training — extra instruction to cover what's different between them. And here's the kicker: if you haven't actually flown that specific variant in two years, you need that difference training again, even if you're current on the basic type. The clock is on the variant, not the type. 5.43 — Multi-pilot Conditions. Now, if you want a multi-pilot type rating — that's a rating for an aircraft that requires more than one pilot, like an airliner — JAR-FCL lays down four hard requirements. Let me give you each one precisely. First, you must have not less than 100 hours as PIC of aeroplanes — that's Pilot in Command time, meaning you've been the pilot responsible for the flight. Second, you need a valid multi-engine IR(A) — an Instrument Rating for aeroplanes, valid, and on a multi-engine aircraft. Third, you need a certificate of MCC — that's Multi-Crew Cooperation, the training that teaches you to work as part of a two-pilot crew. And fourth, you must have completed the theoretical knowledge course and passed the examinations for ATPL(A) — the Airline Transport Pilot Licence for aeroplanes, the highest level of pilot licence. Now, the note at the end is crucial: this requirement is regardless of the type of licence held. It doesn't matter if you hold a private licence, a commercial licence, or anything else — these four conditions stand as the gate for a multi-pilot type rating. 5.44 — Use of Synthetic Trainers. The licensing authority may approve the use of a synthetic flight trainer for performing any manoeuvre required for the demonstration of skill for the issue of a licence or rating, after it has ensured that the trainer is appropriate for the task. So, when you're demonstrating skill — the practical test for a licence or rating — you normally do it in a real aircraft. But the licensing authority — the body that issues your licence — can let you use a synthetic flight trainer, a simulator, instead. The key condition is that the authority must first ensure the trainer is appropriate for the task — that it can faithfully represent the manoeuvre you're being tested on. 5.45 — When an Instrument Rating (IR) is Required. This one is about flying in the clouds, so to speak. The State of Licence Issue is not to permit a licence holder to act as pilot or co-pilot under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) unless the holder also holds an Instrument Rating (IR) appropriate to the aircraft category. Let me define those terms. IFR — Instrument Flight Rules — is the set of rules for flying by reference to instruments rather than by looking outside. An Instrument Rating, or IR, is the qualification that proves you can do that. The rule is absolute: your State of Licence Issue — the country that issued your licence — must not let you act as pilot or co-pilot under IFR without an IR appropriate to the aircraft category. But there's a national carve-out. JAR-FCL permits member states to specify national rules for flight under IFR without an IR(A) — for example, the UK IMC rating. IMC stands for Instrument Meteorological Conditions. However — and this is the limitation — such authority is limited to the airspace of that state only. So a UK IMC rating lets you fly under IFR in UK airspace, but it doesn't carry across borders. The IR is the international standard; the national rating is confined to home airspace. 5.46 — Instructor Rating. A Contracting State, having issued a pilot licence, is not to permit the holder to carry out flight instruction for the issue of any licence or rating, unless the holder has received the proper authorization. So, just holding a pilot licence does not let you teach. If you want to give flight instruction — training that leads to the issue of a licence or rating — you need proper authorization, which is the instructor rating. The State that issued your licence must not permit you to instruct without it. Teaching is a separate privilege, separately earned. 5.47 — Credit of Flight Time. A student pilot (or the holder of a licence) is entitled to be credited in full with all solo, dual instruction and PIC flight time towards the total flight time. This is a protection for you. When you're building your logbook, every hour counts in full. Solo — flying alone. Dual instruction — flying with an instructor. PIC — Pilot in Command, where you're the responsible pilot. All of these are credited in full towards your total flight time. No discounting, no partial credit — the law guarantees you get every hour you've earned. Now, let me tie these together. These six paragraphs are the legal skeleton of your career progression. The type rating rules tell you how to stay current on the aircraft you fly. The multi-pilot conditions tell you what you need before you step into an airliner. The synthetic trainer rule tells you how you can demonstrate skill. The IR rule tells you when you need instrument qualification. The instructor rule tells you that teaching is a separate privilege. And the credit rule protects your logbook time. One thing I want to stress: the multi-pilot conditions and the IR requirement both come from JAR-FCL — the Joint Aviation Requirements for Flight Crew Licensing — which is the regulatory framework that underpins much of European licensing. These aren't suggestions; they're the conditions you'll be checked against. Take a moment to let that settle. When you're ready, we can move on to the next part of the licensing material.