VectorEFB
Menu
Request access

Learning hub · Air Law · Lesson 3

Licences, medicals and what a pilot may do

A pilot licence is not one permission but a stack of conditions: the licence itself, a rating for the type of aeroplane, a valid medical and recent flying. This lesson explains how the stack works under European (EASA) rules, at a student level.

About 12 minutes, plus the quiz. Part of Air Law. It builds on rules of the air and right of way.

1. Where the rules come from

Pilot licensing in the EASA system is set out in Part-FCL (Annex I to Regulation (EU) No 1178/2011), with the medical rules in Part-MED. In Romania the competent authority is AACR, the Romanian Civil Aeronautical Authority, which issues and endorses licences. National authorities and flight schools can explain details, and rules change over time. Use this lesson for the principles, and confirm the current numbers with AACR and your school.

2. Light aircraft licence and private pilot licence

Two licences matter for most student pilots on light aeroplanes.

  • The light aircraft pilot licence (LAPL) is the lighter one. For aeroplanes, its holder may act as pilot in command of single-engine piston aeroplanes (land or sea) or touring motor gliders with a maximum certificated take-off mass of 2,000 kg or less, carrying a maximum of 3 passengers, so that there are never more than 4 people on board. The flying is non-commercial, without payment. A new LAPL holder may carry passengers only after 10 hours of flight time as pilot in command since the licence was issued (with an exemption for pilots who previously held a higher licence).
  • The private pilot licence carries all the LAPL privileges and lets its holder act as pilot in command or co-pilot, also without remuneration, in non-commercial operations. It is not limited to the LAPL aircraft size and passenger numbers, but a class or type rating decides what you may actually fly.

Both exist so that private flying can be done for pleasure, not for pay. A pilot who wants to be paid needs a commercial licence, which is outside this lesson. The minimum age is 17 for both licences. The full flying experience needed also differs; for the LAPL for aeroplanes it includes at least 30 hours of flight instruction, with 15 hours of dual and 6 hours of supervised solo. For the private pilot licence, your school gives you the current hour figures.

3. Class ratings and keeping them valid

Single-pilot aeroplanes without a type rating are grouped in classes, such as single-engine piston (land). A pilot flies a class only with a valid class rating on the licence, and the first one is the class used for the skill test. The LAPL holder is limited to the class ratings in the licence.

For single-pilot single-engine piston aeroplanes the class rating is valid for 2 years. One way to keep it valid is to fly 12 hours in the class within the 12 months before the rating expires, including 6 hours as pilot in command, 12 take-offs and 12 landings, and a refresher of at least one hour with an instructor (there is an exemption from the refresher if you have passed certain other checks or tests). The other way is a proficiency check with an examiner in the 3 months before expiry. Check the current requirements with your school or AACR before you rely on this.

Notice the pattern. The licence stays, but you can only use it while the rating is valid, the medical is valid and your recent experience is current. The regulation says exercising the privileges depends on the validity of the ratings and the medical certificate.

4. Medicals

A pilot must hold a medical certificate appropriate to the licence, and carry it. For a private pilot licence this is a Class 2 medical (or a Class 1) issued by an aero-medical examiner or centre. For the LAPL it is a LAPL medical, which has a lighter standard. How long a medical stays valid depends on the class and your age, and the authority can limit or shorten it. Rather than memorise durations, ask an aero-medical examiner approved by AACR, who will tell you the validity on your own certificate.

If your health changes, you must not fly until you have been assessed. The medical is not a one-off exam; it is a condition for flying on the day.

5. What a student may do, and the logbook

A student pilot may not fly solo unless an instructor authorises and supervises it, and must be at least 16 years old before a first solo flight (FCL.020). On a solo cross-country flight a student carries evidence of that authorisation. Pilots must always carry a valid licence and a valid medical, plus a photo identity document. A pilot who uses the radio must have a language proficiency endorsement on the licence, in English or in the language used for the radio communications of the flight.

To carry passengers, a pilot must have made at least 3 take-offs, approaches and landings in the preceding 90 days in an aircraft of the same type or class (FCL.060). It is a recency rule, and it is why a pilot who has not flown for a while takes a check flight first.

Every pilot, student included, must keep a reliable record of flights. A basic logbook entry has the date, aircraft type and registration, departure and arrival, times, the capacity in which you flew (such as dual or solo, pilot in command) and the landings. Be accurate, sign it as required, and keep it safe. You may have to show it to an authorised representative of the authority, and it proves your hours when you apply for a licence.

This lesson is a student summary, not legal advice. Rules are amended and national authorities add their own details. Confirm what applies to you with AACR, your school and the current regulation.

6. Try it yourself

Work each one out on paper first, then open the answer to compare. The numbers are invented.

  1. A student pilot is 15 years old and has finished 8 hours of dual training. May the instructor send the student on a first solo flight today?

    Show the answer
    1. Part-FCL requires the student to be at least 16 years old before the first solo flight.
    2. The student is 15, so the condition is not met, whatever the hours.
    3. Answer: no. The instructor cannot authorise it until the student is 16. Dual training can continue.

  2. A licence holder with a valid class rating and medical has not flown for four months. In the last 90 days the pilot has made no take-offs or landings. May the pilot take a friend for a flight?

    Show the answer
    1. To carry passengers, the pilot needs at least 3 take-offs, approaches and landings in the preceding 90 days in the same type or class.
    2. The pilot has made none in that time.
    3. Answer: not yet. The pilot should fly with an instructor or alone first and make the 3 landings, then carry passengers. The class rating and medical being valid do not replace this recency rule.

  3. A pilot is planning to keep a single-engine piston class rating valid by flying. The 2-year period is ending and the logbook shows, for the last 12 months, 12 hours in the class, 6 of them as pilot in command, and 12 take-offs and 12 landings, but no flight with an instructor. What is missing, and what are the other options?

    Show the answer
    1. The 12 hours, 6 hours as pilot in command, 12 take-offs and 12 landings are all there.
    2. The refresher of at least one hour with a flight instructor or class rating instructor is missing.
    3. Answer: the instructor refresher is needed (the figures here are invented and the rule may have exceptions, such as after another check). The other route is a proficiency check with an examiner in the 3 months before the expiry date. Ask the school or AACR which applies.

7. Watch

A comparison of the light aircraft licence and the private pilot licence. The video is from a UK instructor, so some details are British or may have changed since it was made. Use it for the idea and check numbers with AACR and your school.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB; check what you learn against your flying school’s material and your instructor.

More to watch

A short guide to logbook entries. Logbook layout and rules differ by authority, so follow your school and AACR for the format you need.

Open on YouTube if the player does not load. Not made by VectorEFB.

8. Check yourself

Five original practice questions. Answer them, press Check answers and read each explanation.

1. Under Part-FCL, what is the minimum age for a student pilot to fly a first solo flight?

FCL.020 says a student pilot must be at least 16 years old before the first solo flight. The licences themselves need 17.

2. What is the maximum number of passengers for the LAPL holder for aeroplanes?

LAPL(A) privileges allow a maximum of 3 passengers, so that there are never more than 4 people on board, in aeroplanes up to 2,000 kg.

3. Which statement about a single-engine piston class rating is correct?

Single-pilot single-engine class ratings are valid for 2 years. They are revalidated by an examiner check or by experience plus an instructor refresher.

4. What recent experience is needed before a pilot carries passengers?

FCL.060 requires at least 3 take-offs, approaches and landings in the preceding 90 days in an aircraft of the same type or class.

5. A pilot has a valid licence and class rating but the medical has expired. May the pilot act as pilot in command?

The privileges of a licence depend on the validity of the ratings and of the medical certificate appropriate to the privileges exercised.

Next: aerodromes, signs, markings, lights and the circuit. Back to the learning hub.

For training and situational awareness only. Not certified for navigation. Always use official charts, the AIP, NOTAMs and a proper weather briefing for real flights.