Licensing, Ratings and Privileges of the Commercial Pilot
What the exam tests
This domain tests Annex 1 personnel licensing concepts as implemented nationally: eligibility, medical certification, experience, ratings, privileges, recency and licence validity. Questions often ask what a CPL holder may do without an additional rating.
Core rules
- A CPL(A) applicant is normally at least 18, holds a Class 1 medical certificate, meets knowledge and skill requirements, and completes the prescribed experience.
- Annex 1 minimum experience for CPL(A) is commonly 200 hours total flight time, or 150 hours in an approved course, including 100 hours PIC, 20 hours cross-country PIC, 10 hours instrument and 5 hours night. National rules may be stricter.
- The CPL permits professional flying for remuneration within the privileges of the licence and valid ratings. It is not an ATPL and does not automatically confer command privileges on all commercial air transport aircraft.
- Ratings define aircraft categories, classes, types and instrument privileges. A rating must be valid and current; medical validity and recent experience are separate checks.
- Language proficiency and logbook evidence are licensing matters, not paperwork afterthoughts.
Worked example
A pilot holds a CPL(A), Class 1 medical and a valid single-engine piston class rating, but no instrument rating. A paid passenger flight is proposed at night in visual conditions. The pilot must check that night privileges are included in the rating and that night recency is met. The CPL alone does not create night or instrument privileges; if the class rating is day-only or night recency is lapsed, the flight is not authorised without the required qualification.
Traps
Do not assume a CPL allows any aircraft or any weather. Do not confuse medical validity with licence validity. Do not treat a type rating as a class rating. Do not ignore national differences in experience and recency.