Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom

Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom is regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under the auspices of the Joint Aviation Authorities and European Aviation Safety Agency. Each member nation in the EU has responsibility for regulating their own pilot licensing.

The principal reference for flight crew licensing in the UK is LASORS, which is published by the CAA on paper and online.

Levels of licence

The UK currently grants several levels of licence:

• UK National Private Pilot Licence (NPPL)
• JAR-FCL Private Pilot Licence (PPL)
• JAR-FCL Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
• JAR-FCL Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL)

The licence held by a pilot confers privileges on the sort of flying they may carry out - broadly, whether or not they may receive remuneration for doing so - and are independent of any aircraft type, or class, ratings included in the holder's licence and other ratings required for flying under specified conditions.

British glider pilots do not require a CAA-granted licence. Regulation of gliding is through the British Gliding Association and its affiliated clubs. The UK NPPL has close links with the gliding community and a gliding licence can be converted.

NPPL

The UK National Private Pilot Licence is a restricted form of the PPL introduced in 2002 for recreational pilots. It has a less stringent medical requirement than the JAR-FCL PPL and a reduced flying syllabus.

The NPPL is administered by the National Pilots...
Read More