Description

Licensing of flight crew has been in existence almost since the beginning of aviation. The first pilot licences were issued in 1909 with the first international licensing standards following in 1919. Flight Crew Licencing (FCL) is usually the function of a State National Aviation Authority (NAA), although the JAA-FCL system in Europe broke new ground by introducing an agreed internationl flight crew licensing system which could be implemented by partcipating NAAs.

Flight Crew Licenses

The ICAO licensing system detailed in Chapter 2 of Annex 1 covers the qualification for and issue of licences and ratings for pilots of aeroplanes and helicopters, giders, and free balloons. It also has provision in Chapter 3 for licences for flight engineers and flight navigators.

Regulatory activities which are a direct consequence of FCL include: