Line Training and Initial Operating Experience (IOE)

Line training is the bridge between the simulator-based type rating training and unsupervised line operations. A pilot newly type-rated has demonstrated cockpit competency in the simulator under controlled conditions; line training delivers the operational competency — flying actual revenue flights, on actual routes, with actual passengers, in actual weather, with actual ATC and dispatch interactions — under the supervision of an experienced Line Training Captain (LTC).

The FAA framework. 14 CFR §121.434 (Operating Experience) requires Part 121 pilots to complete a specified minimum number of hours of operating experience in the airplane in which they will serve before being released to unrestricted line flying. The minimum varies by aircraft category: 25 hours for transport-category aircraft is typical for a Captain; 15 hours for a First Officer. The hours must be in actual flight conditions in the operator's revenue operations, with a check airman or supervisory pilot in the other seat. §135.244 imposes equivalent requirements for Part 135 commuter and on-demand operations.

The EASA framework. Part-ORO.FC.220 (Operator Conversion Training and Checking) requires operators to deliver a structured Line Training program as the final element of operator conversion. Minimum sectors / flight time vary by aircraft type and pilot prior experience — typically 40+ sectors for a transport-category type rating with limited prior experience, fewer sectors for an experienced pilot transitioning between similar types.

Within the line training period, the trainee logs PICUS (Pilot in Command Under Supervision) when acting as PIC under the LTC's supervision, accumulating credit toward the 1,500 hours of PIC required for ATPL issuance under FCL.510(a). The LTC observes performance, debriefs after each duty, and signs off line training completion when the trainee meets the published competency standards.

The related concept — line check (under §121.440 / §135.299 / EASA Part-ORO.FC.230) — is the recurrent operational evaluation conducted at intervals (typically 12 months) by a check airman to verify continued line operating competency. The line check is distinct from line training: training is initial; check is recurrent.

LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training) is a related concept — scenario-based simulator training designed to mimic line operations in their full complexity rather than focus on isolated maneuvers. LOFT scenarios feed into both initial line training preparation and recurrent training.

For training organizations delivering type rating courses to airline cadets, the handoff to the airline's line training programme is a critical interface. The cadet's competency profile from the ATO (CBTA observable behaviors, instructor grades, simulator session outcomes) feeds into the airline's line training preparation. Airlines that receive ATO graduates with clear, structured competency data can target line training to the specific areas requiring development; airlines that receive only "completed type rating, signed off" certifications must rebuild the picture from scratch.

For combined ATO + AOC operators, line training is the operational intersection. The same instructor team often provides type rating training and serves as Line Training Captains for the airline operation. The pilot competency record spans initial type rating, line training, line check, and recurrent EBT — a continuous profile rather than handoff-discontinuous.

Aviatize's training management module supports line training as a structured operational program. Each line training event captures the LTC, the trainee, the route, the actual flight time, the PICUS time logged, and the OB-level grading against the airline's competency framework. Programme aggregation surfaces trainees whose progression is on schedule vs lagging, LTCs whose grading distributions diverge from peers, and route-pattern weak spots requiring curriculum revision.

For the cadet's downstream airline application, the platform produces the structured competency export airlines value — full progression history, OB-level grading, line-training milestones, and check outcomes — replacing the after-the-fact reconstruction that paper-based ATOs force. For the airline's compliance function, line training records satisfy the regulator's evidence requirements with full audit trail.