Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011 AIRCREW : Pilot Licenses
Revision from August 2023

• EASA - AIRCREW :
  • Easy Access Rules for Aircrew (Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011) ( Easy Access )
  • List of Revisions ( Easy Access )
  • Incorporated Amendments ( Easy Access )
  • COVER REGULATION ( Easy Access )
  • ANNEX I : [PART FCL] - Flight Crew Licencing ( Easy Access )
  • ANNEX IV : [PART MED] - Medical ( Easy Access )
  • ANNEX VI : [PART ARA] - Authority Requirements for Aircrew ( Easy Access )
  • ANNEX VII : [PART ORA] - Organisation Requirements for Aircrew ( Easy Access )
  • ANNEX VIII : [PART-DTO] - Declared Training Organisation ( Easy Access )
• FRANCE :
  • FRANCE - Arrêté du 10 octobre 2018 relatif à l'application du règlement (UE) n° 1178/2011 ( Légifrance )

GM1 FCL.005 Scope - ED Decision 2020/005/R

INTERPRETATIVE MATERIAL

1. Whenever licences, ratings, approvals or certificates are mentioned in Part-FCL, these are meant to be valid licences, ratings, approvals or certificates issued in accordance with Part-FCL. In all other cases, these documents are specified.
2. Whenever a reference is made to Member States to mutual recognition of licences, ratings, approvals or certificates, this means a European Union Member State and states associated to the Agency in accordance with Article 55 of the Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 February 2008.
3. Whenever an inclusive or exclusive ‘or’ is used, it should be understood within the context of the whole meaning of the requirement in which it is used.

GM1 FCL.010 Definitions - ED Decision 2020/018/R

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GM2 FCL.010 Definitions – lateral and vertical navigation - ED Decision 2016/008/R

Lateral and vertical navigation guidance refers to the guidance provided either by:

1. a ground-based radio navigation aid; or
2. computer-generated navigation data from ground-based, space-based, self-contained navigation aids or a combination of these.

GM3 FCL.010 Definitions - ED Decision 2019/005/R

UPSET PREVENTION AND RECOVERY TRAINING (UPRT) DEFINITIONS

In the context of UPRT, the following abbreviations apply to the Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material to Part-FCL:

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GM4 FCL.010 Definitions - ED Decision 2019/005/R

DEFINITIONS IN GM3 FCL.010 RELATED TO THE POST-STALL REGIME

The definitions for ‘incipient spin’, 'developing spin’ and ‘developed spin’ in GM3 FCL.010 relate to the post-stall regime in aeroplanes that might typically be used in the context of the advanced UPRT in accordance with point FCL.745.A. The definitions are not intended for application to commercial air transport operations.

GM5 FCL.010 Definitions - ED Decision 2020/005/R

AVAILABLE AND ACCESSIBLE FSTDs

1. To determine the availability of an FSTD, the following additional criteria should be taken into account. The FSTD should be:
   1. certified by a competent authority within the scope of the Basic Regulation;
   2. approved by the competent authority for use within the scope of the Basic Regulation;
   3. representative of the operator’s or applicant’s aircraft class or type, and serviceable; and
   4. representative of the configuration of the operator’s or applicant’s aircraft.
2. To determine the accessibility of an FSTD, the following additional criteria should be taken into account. The FSTD should be:
   1. accessible to the instructor or examiner of the applicant;
   2. accessible for use within the scope of the candidate’s/operator’s training and checking activities; and
   3. accessible to allow normal programming and prevent excessive scheduling disruptions within the operator’s crew roster patterns.
3. ‘irrespective of any time considerations’ means that the FSTD may be used at any time during day or night.
4. If an FSTD is not available or accessible, mitigating measures to ensure the required level of safety should be agreed with the competent authority before testing or checking the applicant in an aircraft.

GM6 FCL.010 Definitions - ED Decision 2022/014/R

1. For the purpose of crediting of a pilot’s prior experience, ‘multi-pilot operation’ can be understood to include State aircraft operations (such as military or search & rescue) where two pilots are required by the applicable national regulations, the relevant operations manual or an equivalent document.
2. Operations under Annex VII (Part-NCO) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 are not under the ‘multi-pilot operation’ category, except for operations at an ATO for the purpose of providing training in multi-pilot operations, in accordance with the training manual of the ATO.

AMC1 FCL.015 Application and issue of licences, ratings and certificates - ED Decision 2011/016/R

APPLICATION AND REPORT FORMS

Common application and report forms can be found:

1. For skill tests, proficiency checks for issue, revalidation or renewal of LAPL, BPL, SPL, PPL, CPL and IR in AMC1 to Appendix 7.
2. For training, skill tests or proficiency checks for ATPL, MPL and class and type ratings, in AMC1 to Appendix 9.
3. For assessments of competence for instructors, in AMC5 FCL.935.

GM1 FCL.015(a) Application and issue, revalidation and renewal of licences, ratings and certificates - ED Decision 2018/011/R

The application for the addition of the remark on the automatic validation of licences under licence item XIII can be submitted either when the pilot applies for the issue, revalidation or renewal of the licence, or independently at any other time.

GM1 FCL.025 Theoretical knowledge examinations for the issue of licences - ED Decision 2020/005/R

TERMINOLOGY

The meaning of the following terms used in FCL.025 should be as follows:

1. ‘Entire set of examinations’: an examination in all subjects required by the licence level.
2. ‘Examination’: the demonstration of knowledge in one or more examination papers.
3. ‘Examination paper’: a set of questions, which covers one subject required by the licence level or rating, to be answered by a candidate for examination.
4. ‘Attempt’: a try to pass a specific paper.
5. ‘Sitting’: a period of time established by the competent authority within which a candidate can take an examination. This period should not exceed 10 consecutive days. Only one attempt at each examination paper is allowed in one sitting.

AMC1 FCL.025(a)(2) Theoretical knowledge examinations for the issue of licences and ratings - ED Decision 2018/001/R

COMPLETION OF THE AREA 100 KSA ASSESSMENT BEFORE FINAL EXAMINATION

Before being recommended by an ATO to sit the final examination paper at the first attempt, an applicant for a professional licence should have successfully completed the applicable Area 100 KSA summative assessments and mental maths test at the ATO.

AMC1 FCL.050 Recording of flight time - ED Decision 2022/014/R

GENERAL

1. The record of the flights flown should contain at least the following information:
   1. personal details: name(s) and address of the pilot;
   2. for each flight:
      1. name(s) of PIC;
      2. date of flight;
      3. place and time of departure and arrival;
      4. type, including make, model and variant, and registration of the aircraft;
      5. indication if the aircraft is SE or ME, if applicable;
      6. total time of flight;
      7. accumulated total time of flight.
   3. for each FSTD session, if applicable:
      1. type and qualification number of the training device;
      2. FSTD instruction;
      3. date;
      4. total time of session;
      5. accumulated total time.
   4. details on pilot function, namely PIC, including solo, SPIC and PICUS time, co-pilot, dual, FI or FE;
   5. Operational conditions, namely if the operation takes place at night, or is conducted under instrument flight rules.
2. Logging of time:
   1. PIC flight time:
      1. the holder of a licence may log as PIC time all of the flight time during which he or she is the PIC;
      2. the applicant for or the holder of a pilot licence may log as PIC time all solo flight time, flight time as SPIC and flight time under supervision provided that such SPIC time and flight time under supervision are countersigned by the instructor;
      3. the holder of an instructor certificate may log as PIC all flight time during which he or she acts as an instructor in an aircraft;
      4. the holder of an examiner’s certificate may log as PIC all flight time during which he or she occupies a pilot’s seat and acts as an examiner in an aircraft;
      5. a co-pilot acting as PICUS on an aircraft on which more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft or as required by operational requirements provided that such PICUS time is countersigned by the PIC;
      6. if the holder of a licence carries out a number of flights upon the same day returning on each occasion to the same place of departure and the interval between successive flights does not exceed 30 minutes, such series of flights may be recorded as a single entry.
      7. where Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 requires the pilot to act as PIC under the supervision of another pilot (supervisor), both the pilot and the supervisor may log the flight time as PIC.
   2. co-pilot flight time: the holder of a pilot licence occupying a pilot seat as co-pilot may log all flight time as co-pilot flight time on an aircraft on which more than one pilot is required under the type certification of the aircraft, or the regulations under which the flight is conducted;
   3. cruise relief co-pilot flight time: a cruise relief co-pilot may log all flight time as co-pilot when occupying a pilot’s seat;
   4. instruction time: a summary of all time logged by an applicant for a licence or rating as flight instruction, instrument flight instruction, instrument ground time, etc., may be logged if certified by the appropriately rated or authorised instructor from whom it was received;
   5. PICUS flight time: provided that the method of supervision is acceptable to the competent authority, a co-pilot may log as PIC flight time flown as PICUS when all the duties and functions of PIC on that flight were carried out in such a way that the intervention of the PIC in the interest of safety was not required.
3. Format of the record:
   1. details of flights flown under commercial air transport may be recorded in an electronic format maintained by the operator.

      In this case an operator should make the records of all flights operated by the pilot, including differences and familiarisation training, available upon request to the flight crew member concerned.

   2. for other types of flights in aeroplanes, helicopters and powered-lift aircraft, the pilot should record the details of the flights flown in the following logbook format, which may be kept in electronic format. All data set out in (a) should be included.
   3. For sailplanes, balloons and airships, a suitable format, which may be electronic, should be used. That format should contains the relevant items mentioned in (a) and additional information specific to the type of operation.

PILOT LOGBOOK

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

4. FCL.050 requires holders of a pilot licence to record details of all flights flown. This logbook enables pilot licence holders to record flying experience in a manner which will facilitate this process while providing a permanent record of the licence holders flying. Pilots who fly regularly aeroplanes and helicopters or other aircraft categories are recommended to maintain separate logbooks for each aircraft category.
5. Flight crew logbook entries should be made as soon as practicable after any flight undertaken. All entries in the flight crew logbook should comply with the following :
   1. in case of paper records, they should be made in ink or indelible pencil, or
   2. in case of electronic records, they should be made and kept in a way to be readily available at the request of a competent authority, and contain all relevant items that are mentioned in (a), certified by the pilot, and in a format acceptable by the competent authority.
6. The particulars of every flight in the course of which the holder of a flight crew licence acts as a member of the operating crew of an aircraft are to be recorded in the appropriate columns using one line for each flight, provided that if an aircraft carries out a number of flights upon the same day returning on each occasion to the same place of departure and the interval between successive flights does not exceed 30 minutes, such series of flights may be recorded as a single entry.
7. Flight time is recorded:
   1. for aeroplanes, touring motor gliders and powered-lift aircraft, from the moment an aircraft first moves to taking off until the moment it finally comes to rest at the end of the flight;
   2. for helicopters, from the moment a helicopter’s rotor blades start turning until the moment the helicopter finally comes to rest at the end of the flight, and the rotor blades are stopped;
   3. for airships, from the moment an airship is released from the mast to taking off until the moment the airship finally comes to rest at the end of the flight, and is secured on the mast;
8. When an aircraft carries two or more pilots as members of the operating crew, one of them shall, before the flight commences, be designated by the operator as the aircraft PIC, according to operational requirements, who may delegate the conduct of the flight to another suitably qualified pilot. All flying carried out as PIC is entered in the logbook as ‘PIC’. A pilot flying as ‘PICUS’ or ‘SPIC’ enters flying time as ‘PIC’ but all such entries are to be certified by the PIC or FI in the ‘Remarks’ column of the logbook.
9. Notes on recording of flight time:
   1. column 1: enter the date (dd/mm/yy) on which the flight commences;
   2. column 2 or 3: enter the place of departure and destination either in full or the internationally recognised three or four letter designator. All times should be in UTC;
   3. column 5: indicate whether the operation was SP or MP, and for SP operation whether SE or ME;

      

   4. column 6: total time of flight may be entered in hours and minutes or decimal notation as desired;
   5. column 7: enter the name(s) of PIC or SELF as appropriate;
   6. column 8: indicate the number of landings as pilot flying by day or night;
   7. column 9: enter flight time undertaken at night or under instrument flight rules if applicable;
   8. column 10: pilot function time:
      1. enter flight time as PIC, SPIC and PICUS as PIC;
      2. all time recorded as SPIC or PICUS is countersigned by the aircraft PIC/FI in the ‘remarks’ (column 12);
      3. instructor time should be recorded as appropriate and also entered as PIC.
   9. column 11: FSTD:
      1. for any FSTD enter the type of aircraft and qualification number of the device. For other flight training devices enter either FNPT I or FNPT II as appropriate;
      2. total time of session includes all exercises carried out in the device, including pre- and after-flight checks;l
      3. enter the type of exercise performed in the ‘remarks’ (column 12), for example operator proficiency check, revalidation.
   10. column 12: the ‘remarks’ column may be used to record details of the flight at the holder’s discretion. The following entries, however, should always be made:
       1. instrument flight time undertaken as part of the training for a licence or rating;
       2. details of all skill tests and proficiency checks;
       3. name and signature of PIC if the pilot is recording flight time as SPIC or PICUS;
       4. name and signature of instructor if flight is part of an SEP or TMG class rating revalidation;
       5. for multi-pilot operations in single-pilot helicopters, the form of operation, name and signature of the examiner conducting the skill test or proficiency check or operator proficiency check, and the name of the operator in the case of the operator proficiency check.
10. When each page is completed, accumulated flight time or hours should be entered in the appropriate columns and certified by the pilot in the ‘remarks’ column.

    

GM1 FCL.050 Recording of flight time - ED Decision 2022/014/R

EXAMPLES FOR THE USE OF COLUMN 12 ‘REMARKS’ OF THE PILOT LOGBOOK

Pilots may use column 12 ‘remarks’ of the pilot logbook (AMC1 FCL.050) to record the specific nature of a particular flight in the following cases, since a record of relevant experience might be useful with respect to operational requirements:

1. flight time as a pilot in a specialised operation, using the list provided in GM1 NCO.SPEC.100 and GM1 SPO.GEN.100 (see AMC1 ORO.FC.146(e);(f)&(g) of the AMC and GM to Annex III (Part‑ORO) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 — ED Decision 2014/017/R);
2. HEC 1 and 2 cycles, HESLO 1, 2, 3, and 4 cycles, and HHO hoisting cycles by day and night, as pilot flying (see AMC1 SPO.SPEC.HEC.100 and AMC1 SPO.SPEC.HESLO.100 of the AMC and GM to Annex VIII (Part-SPO) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 — ED Decision 2014/018/R, and point SPA.HHO.130 of Annex V (Part-SPA) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012);
3. HHO hours (see point SPA.HHO.130 of Part-SPA);
4. offshore landings by day / by night, as pilot flying (see point SPA.HOFO.170 of Part-SPA);
5. NVIS flights or hours (see GM1 SPA.NVIS.130 of the AMC and GM to Annex V (Part-SPA) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012 — ED Decision 2012/019/R);
6. IFR approaches in the single-pilot role (see point ORO.FC.202 of Annex III (Part-ORO) to Regulation (EU) No 965/2012);
7. any activity deemed necessary to be recorded for evidence purposes.

Pilots may also use column 12 ‘remarks’ to record IFR approaches exercising PBN privileges and RNP APCH approaches in single-pilot operations (see Appendix 8 to Annex I (Part-FCL)).

AMC1 FCL.055 Language proficiency - ED Decision 2020/005/R

GENERAL

1. The method of assessment of the language proficiency level (hereafter: assessment) should be designed to reflect a range of tasks undertaken by pilots but with specific focus on language rather than operational procedures.
2. The assessment should determine the applicant’s ability to:
   1. communicate effectively using standard R/T phraseology;
   2. deliver and understand messages in plain language in both usual and unusual situations that necessitate departure from standard R/T phraseology.

Note: refer to the ‘Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements’ (ICAO Doc 9835), Appendix A Part III and Appendix B for further guidance.

ASSESSMENT

3. The assessment may be subdivided into three elements, as follows:
   1. listening: assessment of comprehension;
   2. speaking: assessment of pronunciation, fluency, structure and vocabulary;
   3. interaction.
4. The three elements mentioned above may be combined and they can be covered by using a wide variety of means or technologies.
5. Where appropriate, some or all of these elements may be achieved through the use of the R/T testing arrangements.
6. When the elements of the testing are assessed separately, the final assessment should be consolidated in the language proficiency endorsement issued by the competent authority.
7. The assessment may be conducted during one of the several existing checking or training activities, such as licence issue or rating issue and revalidation, line training, operator line checks or proficiency checks.
8. The competent authority may use its own resources in developing or conducting the language proficiency assessment, or may delegate this task to language testing bodies.
9. The competent authority should establish an appeal procedure for applicants.
10. The holder of a licence should receive a statement containing the level and validity of the language endorsements.
11. Where the assessment method for the English language established by the competent authority is equivalent to that established for the assessment of use of the English language in accordance with AMC2 FCL.055, the same assessment may be used for both purposes.

BASIC ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

12. The aim of the assessment is to determine the ability of an applicant for a pilot licence or a licence holder to speak and understand the language used for R/T communications.
    1. The assessment should determine the ability of the applicant to use both:
       1. standard R/T phraseology;
       2. plain language, in situations when standardised phraseology cannot serve an intended transmission.
    2. The assessment should include:
       1. voice-only and face-to-face situations;
       2. common, concrete and work-related topics for pilots.
    3. The applicants should demonstrate their linguistic ability in dealing with an unexpected turn of events, and in solving apparent misunderstandings.
    4. The assessment should determine the applicant’s speaking and listening abilities. Indirect assessments, of grammatical knowledge, reading and writing, are not appropriate.
    5. The assessment should determine the language skills of the applicant in the following areas:
       1. pronunciation:
          1. the extent to which the pronunciation, stress, rhythm and intonation are influenced by the applicant’s first language or national variations;
          2. how much they interfere with ease of understanding.
       2. structure:
          1. the ability of the applicant to use both basic and complex grammatical structures;
          2. the extent to which the applicant’s errors interfere with the meaning.
       3. vocabulary:
          1. the range and accuracy of the vocabulary used;
          2. the ability of the applicant to paraphrase successfully when lacking vocabulary.
       4. fluency:
          1. tempo;
          2. hesitancy;
          3. rehearsed versus spontaneous speech;
          4. use of discourse markers and connectors.
       5. comprehension:
          1. on common, concrete and work-related topics;
          2. when confronted with a linguistic or situational complication or an unexpected turn of events.

             Note: the accent or variety of accents used in the test material should be sufficiently intelligible for an international community of users.

       6. interactions:
          1. quality of response (immediate, appropriate, and informative);
          2. the ability to initiate and maintain exchanges:
             1. on common, concrete and work-related topics;
             2. when dealing with an unexpected turn of events.
          3. the ability to deal with apparent misunderstandings by checking, confirming or clarifying.

             Note: the assessment of the language skills in the areas mentioned above is conducted using the rating scale in AMC2 FCL.055.

ASSESSORS

13. It is essential that the persons responsible for language proficiency assessment (‘assessors’) are suitably trained and qualified. They should be either aviation specialists (for example current or former flight crew members or air traffic controllers), or language specialists with additional aviation related training. An alternative approach would be to form an assessment team consisting of an operational expert and a language expert.
    1. The assessors should be trained on the specific requirements of the assessment.
    2. The assessors should not test applicants to whom they have given language training.

CRITERIA FOR THE ACCEPTABILITY OF LANGUAGE-TESTING BODIES

14. To ensure an impartial assessment process, the language assessment should be independent of the language training.
    1. To be accepted, the language-testing bodies should demonstrate:
       1. appropriate management and staffing;
       2. quality system established and maintained to ensure compliance with, and adequacy of, assessment requirements, standards and procedures.
    2. The quality system established by a language-testing body should address the following:
       1. management;
       2. policy and strategy;
       3. processes;
       4. the relevant provisions of ICAO or Part-FCL, standards and assessment procedures;
       5. organisational structure;
       6. responsibility for the development, establishment and management of the quality system;
       7. documentation;
       8. quality assurance programme;
       9. human resources and training (initial and recurrent);
       10. assessment requirements;
       11. customer satisfaction.
    3. The assessment documentation and records should be kept for a period of time determined by the competent authority and made available to this competent authority, on request.
    4. The assessment documentation should include at least the following:
       1. assessment objectives;
       2. assessment layout, time scale, technologies used, assessment samples, voice samples;
       3. assessment criteria and standards (at least for the levels 4, 5 and 6 of the rating scale mentioned in AMC2 FCL.055);
       4. documentation demonstrating the assessment validity, relevance and reliability;
       5. assessment procedures and responsibilities:
          1. preparation of individual assessment;
          2. administration: location(s), identity check and invigilation, assessment discipline, confidentiality or security;
          3. reporting and documentation provided to the competent authority or to the applicant, including sample certificate;
          4. retention of documents and records.

             Note: refer to the ‘Manual on the Implementation of ICAO Language Proficiency Requirements’ (ICAO Doc 9835) for further guidance.

AMC2 FCL.055 Language proficiency - ED Decision 2011/016/R

RATING SCALE

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AMC3 FCL.055 Language proficiency - ED Decision 2011/016/R

SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR HOLDERS OF AN IR

USE OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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AMC1 FCL.060(b)(1) Recent experience - ED Decision 2011/016/R

When a pilot needs to carry out one or more flights with an instructor or an examiner to comply with the requirement of FCL.060(b)(1) before the pilot can carry passengers, the instructor or examiner on board those flights will not be considered as a passenger.

GM1 FCL.060(b)(1) Recent experience - ED Decision 2011/016/R

AEROPLANES, HELICOPTERS, POWERED-LIFT, AIRSHIPS AND SAILPLANES

If a pilot or a PIC is operating under the supervision of an instructor to comply with the required three take-offs, approaches and landings, no passengers may be on board.

AMC1 FCL.060(b)(5) Recent experience - ED Decision 2011/016/R

NON-COMPLEX HELICOPTERS

Grouping of non-complex helicopters with similar handling and operational characteristics:

1. Group 1: Bell 206/206L, Bell 407;
2. Group 2: Hughes 369, MD 500N, MD 520N, MD 600;
3. Group 3: SA 341/342, EC 120;
4. Group 4: SA 313/318, SA 315/316/319, AS 350, EC 130;
5. Group 5: all types listed in AMC1 FCL.740.H(a)(3) and R 22 and R 44.