Airline transport pilot licence

The EASA ATPL requires candidates to pass fourteen separate theoretical exams, with a six-month residential or twelve-month distance-learning course mandatory during this phase.

In European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) states[3] and the United Kingdom,[4] the 14 theoretical subjects included in the examination of ATPL applicants are:

• Air law
• Aircraft General Knowledge — Airframe/Systems/Power plant
• Instrumentation
• Mass and Balance
• Performance
• Flight Planning and Monitoring
• Human Performance
• Meteorology
• General navigation
• Radio navigation
• Operational Procedures
• Principles of Flight
• IFR Communications
• VFR Communications

All exams must be passed within an 18-month period. A CPL and/or Instrument Rating must then be gained within 36 months. Provided that a CPL and IR are achieved, ATPL examination results are accepted for seven years after the most recent validity date of the IR entered in the CPL.[5]

ATPL exams are acceptable for the issue of a CPL, so most pilots skip the CPL exams and take their ATPL exams before they obtain their CPL.

The FAA ATP certificate requires one theoretical knowledge test covering the required knowledge areas. A $5,000 ATP CTP (Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program, usually paid for by a hiring airline) course is required but this alone does not prepare an applicant for the knowledge test. Several weeks of additional self-study using training software is required for a realistic chance of passing the test.

An applicant for an ATPL must hold a CPL(A) and a multi-engine IR for airplanes. The applicant shall also have received instruction in Multi Crew Cooperation. Alternatively, the applicant must hold an MPL (Multi Pilot License).

The applicant must have 1500 hours as a pilot of airplanes, including 500 hours in multi-pilot operations on airplanes, and a minimum number of hours as pilot in command (PIC) and/or pilot in command under supervision (PICUS).

The applicant must pass a skill test, demonstrating their ability to perform procedures and maneuvers, as PIC of a multi-pilot airplane under IFR.[6]

The ATPL flight test must be taken on a multi-crew aircraft or flight simulator.[7]

To be eligible to take the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ATP practical test, the candidate must have at least 1500 hours of experience in aircraft, including 250 hours as a pilot-in-command (PIC), and be at least 23-years-old.[8] Restricted Licenses (which allow the holder to perform only second-in-command duties) may be granted to individuals that meet one of the following criteria:

• Military pilots who are 21 years or older with 750 hours total time.
• Graduates with a four-year degree in aviation from certain approved universities, that have 1000 hours of total flight time and are 21 years or older.[9]
• Graduates with a two-year degree in aviation, who have 1250 hours and are 21 years or older.
• Pilots with 1500 hours who are 21 years or older.

The pilot can remove the restriction once they have achieved the normal prerequisites.[10]

The FAA ATP flight test can be taken in a light piston aircraft with 1,500 hours of experience, however, the FAA additionally requires a 'Type Rating' to pilot any large or jet-powered aircraft. Most FAA-certified pilots earn their ATP certificate and Type Rating (aircraft specific) simultaneously via the successful completion of a part 121 airline training program and type rating check-ride.