EASA Part-FCL Pilot Licence
Pilot licences are issued by the competent authorities of the EASA Member States and entitle the holder to fly certain aircraft under certain conditions. All current licences are issued in accordance with EASA Part-FCL and are therefore subject to these conditions.
The basic requirements for Member States to issue pilot licences are regulated in the Acceptable Means of Compliance AMC as well as the Guidance Material GM on Annex I Part-FCL Flight Crew Licencing issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency EASA.
EASA does not issue licences itself. In each member state, the respective national aviation authority issues licences according to the standards set out in the applicable European regulations. As with a car licence, you can obtain a licence in any Member State, regardless of your nationality. Here you can find a list to the national aviation authorities.
The simplest pilot licence is the Light Aircraft Pilot Licence LAPL. It is available for aeroplanes and helicopters and can only be used in Europe for non-commercial flights.
The Private Pilot Licence for Aeroplanes PPL(A) and Helicopters PPL(H), as well as the Sailplane Pilot Licence (SPL) and Balloon Pilot Licence (BPL), allow piloting privileges to be exercised outside the EU. Like LAPL holders, PPL(A) and PPL(H) holders are restricted to non-commercial flights. SPL and BPL holders may add commercial ratings to their licences if they meet additional requirements.
What types of pilot licences are there?
The following list shows the main pilot licences for the four aircraft categories Aeroplanes (A), Helicopter (H), Sailplane (S) and Balloon (B):
- Light Aircraft Pilot Licence LAPL: (A) & (H)
- Private Pilot Licence PPL: (A) & (H)
- Commercial Pilot Licence CPL: (A) & (H)
- Airline Transport Pilot Licence ATPL: (A) & (H)
- Multi-Crew Pilot Licence MPL: (A)
- Sailplane Pilot Licence SPL: (S)
- Balloon Pilot Licence BPL: (B)