Licensing, Training, and Competency
Licences, ratings, and privileges
Licensing questions test the difference between a licence (which grants a category of privilege), a rating (which attaches a specific privilege such as type or instrument), and an endorsement or authorisation. Know the progression of pilot licences and the medical certificate classes that accompany them, plus the recency and currency requirements that keep privileges valid. Traps cluster around currency versus proficiency: a pilot may hold a valid licence and medical yet be non-current for carrying passengers because recent experience or a proficiency check has lapsed. Another trap is scope creep - a privilege exercised outside its rating is a violation even if the pilot is fully capable.
Training organisations and competency
Approved training organisations operate under specific rules for facilities, instructors, syllabi, and records. Instructor eligibility, student records retention, and examination standards are frequent question targets. Competency-based assessment focuses on observable performance standards rather than hours alone; a candidate should be able to explain how a checking event is conducted, who may conduct it, and what happens on failure.
Rule of thumb
Before asking whether a pilot may act, verify four things in order: licence, rating for the aircraft and conditions, medical validity, and recent experience. Worked example: a pilot holds a valid licence, a current class medical, and a type rating, but has not flown the type in the required preceding period and has no recent instrument experience. The pilot cannot carry passengers until recency is restored through the prescribed means, such as a proficiency check or supervised flying under the rule; the licence alone is not enough.