Cross-System
Terms with explicit treatment in both FAA and EASA frameworks. Cross-system pilots, multinational operators, and license-conversion paths all live here.
Operational(34)
Actual Instrument Time
Actual instrument time is flight time during which the pilot operates the aircraft solely by reference to instruments because outside visual reference is genuinely unavailable — i.e., flight in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC).
ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance — Broadcast)
ADS-B is a surveillance technology in which aircraft automatically broadcast their GPS-derived position, velocity, altitude, and identification at 1 Hz, enabling ATC and other equipped aircraft to track traffic without primary radar — mandated in the US since January 1, 2020 (14 CFR §91.225) and in EU airspace since December 7, 2020.
Aircraft Logbook
An aircraft logbook is the legally required record — distinct from any pilot's personal logbook — that documents the operational and maintenance history of a specific aircraft.
Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM)
The Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) is the manufacturer-published, type-certificate-referenced document that defines all maintenance procedures, task cards, servicing specifications, and system descriptions for a specific aircraft type.
Airspace Classes (A through G)
Airspace classes A through G are standardized designations defined by ICAO Annex 11 §2.6 and implemented nationally under 14 CFR Part 71 (FAA) and EU airspace regulations (EASA/Eurocontrol), each specifying who may fly, what equipment is required, and what ATC services are provided.
Borescope Inspection
A borescope inspection uses a fiber-optic or video probe to visually examine internal aircraft components — most critically turbine engine hot sections — without disassembly, detecting erosion, corrosion, FOD damage, and cracking within scheduled maintenance intervals.
EFB (Electronic Flight Bag)
An Electronic Flight Bag is a portable or installed electronic information system that provides pilots with flight planning data, aeronautical charts, performance calculations, aircraft manuals, and weather data in digital form, replacing or supplementing the traditional paper flight bag and enabling real-time information updates in the cockpit.
ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter)
An Emergency Locator Transmitter is a battery-powered radio transmitter required on most aircraft that activates automatically upon impact or manually by the crew, broadcasting distress signals and position data on emergency frequencies to enable search-and-rescue services to locate a downed aircraft.
Engine Trend Monitoring and Reliability Program
Engine Trend Monitoring (ETM) is continuous analysis of recorded engine parameters to detect performance degradation before failure; a Reliability Program is the operator-level statistical surveillance system — required under 14 CFR §121.373 for Part 121 operators — that aggregates maintenance event data to detect adverse trends and adjust the Approved Maintenance Programme.
Flight Duty Time
Flight duty time is the maximum number of hours a pilot or instructor can remain on duty, including flight time and ground duties, before a mandatory rest period is required.
Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD)
A Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) is a regulator-qualified ground-based training device — including Full Flight Simulators (FFS), Flight Training Devices (FTD), Flight and Navigation Procedures Trainers (FNPT), and Aviation Training Devices (ATD) — used to deliver and credit pilot training without flying the actual aircraft.
GPS, RNAV, RNP, LPV (Performance-Based Navigation)
Performance-Based Navigation (PBN) is an ICAO framework that specifies navigation accuracy, integrity, and continuity requirements in terms of on-board performance rather than specific equipment.
Hard-Time vs On-Condition Maintenance
Hard-time and on-condition are the two fundamental maintenance control methods in aviation. Hard-time removes and overhauls or retires a component at a fixed interval regardless of condition.
ILS (Instrument Landing System)
The Instrument Landing System (ILS) is a precision radio navigation approach system that provides aircraft with simultaneous lateral guidance via a localizer and vertical guidance via a glideslope, enabling landings in low-visibility or instrument meteorological conditions down to near-zero visibility in the most capable configurations.
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR)
Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) are the regulations under which a pilot operates an aircraft solely by reference to instruments, with separation from other traffic and terrain provided by air traffic control rather than by visual reference.
Maintenance Work Order
A maintenance work order is the controlled document that authorizes, plans, executes, and certifies a defined unit of maintenance work on an aircraft, engine, or component — the operational record that ties scheduled tasks, defects, parts consumption, labour, and the certificate of release-to-service into a single auditable trail.
Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) and Configuration Deviation List (CDL)
The Master Minimum Equipment List (MMEL) is the type-certificate-holder-published master list of equipment items that may be inoperative for dispatch under specified conditions and rectification intervals — the document from which an operator's MEL is derived.
METAR (Aviation Routine Weather Report)
A METAR is a standardized, coded surface aviation weather observation issued every hour — or more frequently as a SPECI when conditions change significantly — from certified reporting stations worldwide, governed by ICAO Annex 3 and WMO Technical Regulations 49.3, and required for operator preflight weather assessment under 14 CFR §121.97 and FAA Order 7900.5.
Night Flight Time
Night flight time is the flight time logged between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight — defined in 14 CFR §1.1 (FAA) and EASA Part-FCL FCL.010 by reference to the sun's position rather than a fixed clock time — and is required as a distinct logbook column because specific certificate, rating, and currency requirements use night time as a separate qualifying criterion.
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT)
Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) is the family of inspection methods — visual, dye penetrant, magnetic particle, eddy current, ultrasonic, radiographic, and thermographic — used to detect defects in aircraft structures and components without damaging the part or requiring disassembly.
Parts Inventory (Aviation)
Parts inventory in aviation is the controlled stock of aircraft parts, components, and consumables held by a maintenance organization or operator — managed under regulatory record-keeping requirements (EASA Part-145, Part 145 Repair Station rules) that demand traceability from receipt through installation, with rotables, life-limited parts, and consumables each handled differently.
Pilot in Command (PIC)
The Pilot in Command (PIC) is the pilot designated as having final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety of the flight, regardless of who is physically manipulating the controls.
Release to Service / Certificate of Release to Service (CRS)
Release to service — formalized as the Certificate of Release to Service (CRS) in EASA terminology and as the return-to-service signature under FAA §43.5/§43.7 — is the legal act by which an authorized certifying staff member certifies that maintenance work has been performed correctly and the aircraft, engine, or component is fit for safe operation.
Serial-Controlled Parts and Back-to-Birth Traceability
Serial-controlled parts are aviation components tracked individually by unique serial number throughout their entire service life — from manufacture through every installation, removal, overhaul, and reinstallation.
Service Bulletin (SB)
A Service Bulletin (SB) is a document issued by an aircraft, engine, propeller, or component manufacturer that recommends or mandates an inspection, modification, or replacement to address a known issue.
SID and STAR (Standard Instrument Departure / Standard Terminal Arrival)
SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Terminal Arrivals) are pre-published IFR routings — defined under ICAO Doc 8168 (PANS-OPS), 14 CFR Part 97, and EASA Part-CAT.OP.MPA — that connect an airport to the en-route airway structure and back, simplifying ATC clearances and standardizing terminal-area operations.
Sterile Cockpit Rule
The Sterile Cockpit Rule — codified in 14 CFR §121.542 and §135.100 (FAA) and EASA AMC1 CAT.GEN.MPA.110 — prohibits non-essential conversation and activity in the cockpit during critical phases of flight (typically below 10,000 ft, plus all ground operations and all takeoff/landing operations) to reduce distraction-induced errors.
TAWS and GPWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems)
GPWS (Ground Proximity Warning System) is a reactive system that warns of hazardous proximity to terrain using flight parameter sensors.
TCAS (Traffic Collision Avoidance System)
TCAS is an airborne collision avoidance system that operates independently of ground-based ATC to detect nearby transponder-equipped aircraft and, in its most capable version (TCAS II), issue coordinated Resolution Advisories directing each pilot to climb or descend to maintain safe separation.
Total Flight Time (Total Time)
Total flight time — colloquially "total time" on a pilot CV — is the aggregate of all flight time across all aircraft categories, all roles (PIC, SIC, dual, solo), and the entire career, defined under 14 CFR §1.1 (FAA) as pilot time commencing when the aircraft first moves under its own power for flight and ending when it comes to rest after landing, and under EASA Part-FCL FCL.010 with substantially equivalent language.
Transponder Squawk Codes (Mode A, C, S)
Transponder squawk codes are four-digit octal identifiers (0000–7777) set on a Secondary Surveillance Radar (SSR) transponder under 14 CFR §91.215 and ICAO Annex 10, with universally reserved codes for emergencies, radio failure, and hijacking, and ATC-assigned codes for IFR and flight-following services.
VFR / IFR Weather Minimums
Weather minimums are the legally-mandated lowest ceiling and visibility values under which a pilot may operate VFR (governed by 14 CFR §91.155 for basic VFR and EASA SERA.5001/5005 for VMC) or file and fly IFR (with instrument approach minimums under §91.175 and alternate airport minimums under §91.169 and §121.625), varying by airspace class, altitude, time of day, and aircraft equipment.
VMC vs IMC (Visual vs Instrument Meteorological Conditions)
VMC (Visual Meteorological Conditions) and IMC (Instrument Meteorological Conditions) are the two regulatory weather states that define whether VFR flight is permitted — VMC at or above the published cloud-clearance and visibility minimums in 14 CFR §91.155 (FAA) and SERA.5001 (EASA), IMC any conditions below.
Weight and Balance (W&B)
Weight and balance is the calculation that ensures an aircraft is loaded within its certificated maximum weight and center-of-gravity envelope before flight, required by 14 CFR §91.9 and §91.103 in the FAA system and by EASA Part-CAT.POL.MAB / Part-NCO.OP.180 / CS-23/25/27/29 for European operations.
Regulatory(38)
Accountable Manager
The Accountable Manager (AM) is the single individual, approved by the National Aviation Authority, who holds ultimate corporate authority and personal regulatory accountability for ensuring that an EASA-approved organization's activities are financed and carried out in accordance with applicable requirements.
Airman Certification Standards (ACS)
The Airman Certification Standards (ACS) are FAA documents that define the knowledge, risk management, and skill standards an applicant must demonstrate to earn each pilot certificate or rating.
Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC)
An Airworthiness Review Certificate (ARC) is the EASA document — issued under Part-M M.A.901 (Form 15a/15b) — that confirms an aircraft remains airworthy following a structured review of its records, physical condition, and continuing-airworthiness status.
Approved Maintenance Programme (AMP)
An Approved Maintenance Programme (AMP) is the per-aircraft, regulator-approved document — required under EASA Part-M M.A.302 and FAA §121.367 / §135.411 — that defines all the scheduled and condition-monitored maintenance tasks the aircraft will undergo throughout its operational life.
Aviation Medical Examiner (AME)
An Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) is a physician designated by the FAA under 14 CFR Part 183 §183.21 to examine applicants for FAA medical certificates and to issue First, Second, and Third-Class medical certificates on behalf of the FAA.
Class 1 Medical Certificate
A Class 1 medical certificate is the highest medical standard in both the FAA (14 CFR Part 67 Subpart B) and EASA (Part-MED) systems, required to exercise the privileges of an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and a Commercial Pilot Licence in many jurisdictions.
Class 2 Medical Certificate
A Class 2 medical certificate is the standard required for private pilot privileges in the EASA system (Part-MED) and for commercial pilot privileges in the FAA system (14 CFR Part 67 Subpart C, Second-Class), with validity periods and examination requirements less stringent than Class 1.
Class 3 / Third-Class Medical Certificate
A Third-Class medical certificate (FAA) is the minimum standard for exercising private pilot privileges under 14 CFR Part 67 Subpart D — and is the medical regime BasicMed was designed to relieve qualifying pilots from.
Compliance Monitoring Manager (CMM)
The Compliance Monitoring Manager (CMM) is the EASA-nominated postholder responsible for operating the Compliance Monitoring Function (CMF) within an organization's Management System, as required by Part-ORO ORO.GEN.200(a)(6) for AOC holders, Part-ORA ORA.GEN.200 for ATOs, and Part-CAMO CAMO.A.200 for CAMOs.
Continuing Airworthiness
Continuing airworthiness is the regulatory discipline — defined under EASA Part-M and ICAO Annex 6 — of ensuring an aircraft remains in compliance with its type certificate, applicable airworthiness directives, and approved maintenance program throughout its operational life. It is a process, distinct from the CAMO organization that delivers it.
Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP)
A Continuous Airworthiness Maintenance Program (CAMP) is an FAA-approved scheduled maintenance framework required for Part 121 air carriers under 14 CFR §121.367 and for Part 135 operators of large or multiengine turbine-powered aircraft under §135.411(a)(2), replacing the standard annual/100-hour inspection cycle with a comprehensive, operator-specific program approved by the FAA.
Corrective Action Plan (CAP)
A Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is the structured written response an EASA-approved organization must submit to its Competent Authority — or to its own Compliance Monitoring Manager — when a finding is raised under AMC1 to ORO.GEN.150, ORA.GEN.150, or CAMO.A.150.
Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) and Designated Engineering Representative (DER)
A Designated Airworthiness Representative (DAR) and a Designated Engineering Representative (DER) are FAA designees authorized under 14 CFR Part 183 to perform specific aircraft certification and engineering approval functions on behalf of the FAA Administrator.
EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency)
EASA is the EU aviation safety agency established by Regulation (EC) 1592/2002 and now governed by Regulation (EU) 2018/1139, responsible for setting airworthiness, licensing, operations, and UAS standards across 31 European Member States.
EASA Flight Time Limitations (FTL)
EASA FTL is the European flight time, duty time, and rest requirement regime — codified in Subpart FTL of Annex III to Regulation (EU) 965/2012 (Part-ORO) and supported by AMC1 ORO.FTL.205-235 — applicable to commercial air transport operators within EASA member states, broadly equivalent in purpose to FAA Part 117 but structurally different.
EASA Form 1 and FAA 8130-3 (Authorized Release Certificates)
The EASA Form 1 (issued under Part-145 145.A.50 and Part-21 Subparts F and G) and the FAA Form 8130-3 Authorized Release Certificate / Airworthiness Approval Tag (issued under 14 CFR §21.137 and FAA Part 145) are the bilateral equivalents certifying that a part, component, or assembly released from an approved production or maintenance organization conforms to approved design data and is in a serviceable condition.
FAA Form 337 — Major Repair and Alteration
FAA Form 337 (Major Repair and Alteration: Airframe, Powerplant, Propeller, or Appliance) is the FAA's required documentation form for any major repair or major alteration performed on a U.S.-registered civil aircraft, mandated by 14 CFR §43.9(d) and Part 43 Appendix B.
FAR Part 142 — Training Centers
14 CFR Part 142 is the FAA regulation governing certificated training centers — organizations such as FlightSafety International, CAE Simuflite, Boeing Training & Professional Services, and Airbus Training that deliver type rating, recurrent, and Advanced Qualification Program (AQP) training primarily in full-flight simulators (FFS) and flight training devices (FTDs).
Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS)
A Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) is the data-driven, science-based, operator-specific alternative to prescriptive flight-time limits — codified in ICAO Annex 6 + Doc 9966 (Fatigue Management Guide), 14 CFR §117.7 (FAA), and Part-ORO ORO.FTL.110(c) (EASA) — allowing operators to demonstrate equivalent or superior fatigue management through systematic monitoring rather than rule-by-rule compliance.
FOQA and FDM (Flight Operational Quality Assurance / Flight Data Monitoring)
FOQA (Flight Operational Quality Assurance — FAA term) and FDM (Flight Data Monitoring — EASA / ICAO term) are the systematic programs — codified in FAA AC 120-82, EASA AMC1 ORO.AOC.130, and ICAO Annex 6 — for collecting, analyzing, and using digital flight data from line operations to identify safety hazards and improve operational performance.
Hazard Identification (HazID)
Hazard Identification (HazID) is the systematic process of finding conditions or events that could cause harm to people, aircraft, or operations.
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)
ICAO is the United Nations specialized agency established by the Chicago Convention of 1944, with 193 contracting States, responsible for adopting international Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) across 19 Annexes governing global civil aviation.
Internal Audit (Compliance Monitoring Audit)
An internal audit (or compliance monitoring audit) is an independent, systematic, documented process for obtaining evidence and evaluating it objectively to determine the extent to which an EASA-approved organization continues to meet applicable requirements, its own approved procedures, and relevant AMC/GM.
Just Culture
Just Culture is an organizational accountability framework that distinguishes between blameless human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior — protecting reporters of honest mistakes from punishment while retaining consequences for deliberate violations.
Letter of Authorization (LOA)
A Letter of Authorization (LOA) is an FAA-issued document authorizing a specific Part 91 operator to conduct an operation otherwise restricted by regulation — the Part 91 equivalent of Operations Specifications, covering RVSM, RNP-AR, Cat II/III, polar routes, and other special authorizations.
Licence Conversion
Licence conversion is the regulatory process by which a pilot certificate or rating issued by one civil aviation authority is recognized, validated, or re-issued by another authority — for example, converting an FAA PPL to an EASA Part-FCL PPL.
LOSA (Line Operations Safety Audit)
LOSA is a structured, non-punitive cockpit-observation methodology — codified in ICAO Doc 9803 — in which trained observers ride as jumpsuit passengers on normal revenue flights to record threats, crew errors, and undesired aircraft states, producing de-identified fleet-level safety data.
Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR)
A Mandatory Occurrence Report (MOR) is a formal notification that aviation organizations and individuals are legally required to submit to their competent authority when a defined safety-relevant event occurs.
MEDA (Maintenance Error Decision Aid)
MEDA is a structured maintenance-error investigation methodology developed by Boeing (1994–1995) that systematically identifies the contributing factors behind maintenance errors using the Reason Swiss cheese model, replacing technician-blame attribution with systemic root-cause analysis.
RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minima)
RVSM reduces the vertical separation standard between aircraft from 2,000 ft to 1,000 ft in the FL290–FL410 band, requiring strict aircraft equipment and monitoring standards defined in ICAO Doc 9574, 14 CFR Part 91 Appendix G, FAA AC 91-85B, and EASA AMC1 SPA.RVSM.105.
Safety Assurance (SMS Pillar 3)
Safety Assurance is the third SMS pillar defined in ICAO Annex 19 (Second Edition, Amendment 1, 2018) and ICAO Doc 9859 (Fourth Edition, 2018): the continuous monitoring of safety performance against targets, verification that risk controls are working, and the systematic process of improving the SMS over time.
Safety Management Policy (SMS Pillar 1)
The Safety Management Policy is the foundational documented commitment of an aviation organization's Accountable Manager to managing safety — the first of the four SMS components defined in ICAO Annex 19 (Second Edition, Amendment 1, 2018) and ICAO Doc 9859 (Safety Management Manual, Fourth Edition, 2018).
Safety Management System (SMS)
A Safety Management System (SMS) is a systematic, organization-wide approach to managing safety risks in aviation, encompassing policy, risk assessment, assurance, and promotion activities.
Safety Performance Indicator (SPI)
A Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) is a measurable parameter — defined under ICAO Annex 19 and codified in EASA SMS rules and FAA SMS guidance — that an organization uses to monitor and assess its safety performance against agreed Safety Performance Targets (SPTs).
Safety Promotion (SMS Pillar 4)
Safety Promotion is the fourth SMS pillar under ICAO Annex 19 (Second Edition, Amendment 1, 2018) and ICAO Doc 9859 (Fourth Edition, 2018): the training, communication, and organizational culture activities that make the SMS operational throughout the workforce.
Safety Risk Assessment (SRA)
A Safety Risk Assessment (SRA) is the formal documented process within SMS Pillar 2 (Safety Risk Management) that takes each identified hazard through severity and likelihood analysis, assigns a composite risk index against an organization-defined acceptability matrix, selects risk controls, and documents residual risk — mandated by ICAO Annex 19 Appendix 2, ICAO Doc 9859 (Fourth Edition), EASA Part-ORO ORO.GEN.200(a)(3), and FAA 14 CFR Part 5 §§5.51–5.53.
Service Difficulty Report (SDR)
A Service Difficulty Report (SDR) is the mandatory safety report required under 14 CFR §21.3 when type certificate holders, design approval holders, FAA Part 145 repair stations, and Part 121/135/125 air carriers discover certain failures, malfunctions, or defects in aviation products in service.
Supplemental Type Certificate (STC)
A Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) is an FAA approval document under 14 CFR §21.113 for a major change to an aircraft type design not proposed by the original type certificate holder.
Training(24)
Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL)
The Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL), known in the United States as the Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, is the highest level of pilot certification, required to serve as pilot in command of scheduled airline operations.
Chief Flight Instructor
The Chief Flight Instructor is the senior, regulator-approved instructor at a flight school responsible for the conduct, quality, and compliance of the training programme.
Class Rating Instructor (CRI)
A Class Rating Instructor (CRI) holds the instructor authorization under EASA Part-FCL FCL.905.CRI permitting delivery of class rating training on single-engine piston (SEP), multi-engine piston (MEP), single-engine turboprop (SET), and certain complex single-pilot aircraft — the intermediate instructor authorization for class-rated aircraft below the Type Rating Instructor (TRI) complexity threshold.
Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA)
Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) is the ICAO-endorsed training methodology that defines pilot performance through observable competencies and behaviors rather than fixed hour minimums or task-by-task tick boxes — codified in ICAO Doc 9995 and adopted across IATA's training framework.
Cross-Country Flight
A cross-country flight is a flight between two points that exceeds a specified distance, typically 50 nautical miles, and is a required component of most pilot training programmes.
Cross-Country Time — FAA and EASA Variations
"Cross-country" flight time is not a single definition in aviation regulations — the FAA uses at least four distinct definitions under 14 CFR §61.1(b)(3) depending on the certificate sought, while EASA Part-FCL FCL.010 applies a single pre-planned-route standard; misapplying the wrong definition to logged hours causes certification failures.
Flight Examiner (FE / FIE / IRE / CRE / TRE)
Flight Examiners are a family of EASA examiner authorizations under Part-FCL FCL.1000–FCL.1025 — including the Flight Examiner (FE), Flight Instructor Examiner (FIE), Instrument Rating Examiner (IRE), Class Rating Examiner (CRE), and Type Rating Examiner (TRE) — each authorizing the conduct of specific skill tests, proficiency checks, and examiner assessments, with authority granted by and under oversight of the relevant national competent authority.
Frozen ATPL
"Frozen ATPL" is industry shorthand — not a regulatory term in EASA Part-FCL or FAA §61 — for the career stage of a pilot who has passed the full ATPL theoretical knowledge examinations and holds a CPL with Instrument Rating but has not yet accumulated the 1,500 hours of flight time required for ATPL issue under EASA FCL.510(a), with the theoretical knowledge credit remaining valid for 7 years from the last examination passed.
Instrument Rating
An instrument rating is an additional qualification added to a pilot certificate or license that authorizes the holder to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), navigating solely by reference to cockpit instruments in reduced visibility or cloud conditions.
Instrument Rating Instructor (IRI)
An Instrument Rating Instructor (IRI) holds the instructor authorization under EASA Part-FCL FCL.905.IRI permitting delivery of instrument rating training — including the full IR(A) syllabus under FCL.605 and Competency-Based IR training under FCL.605.A — in both aircraft and approved FSTDs, without requiring the full Flight Instructor (FI) certificate for the corresponding aircraft category.
Integrated vs Modular ATPL Training
The two structurally distinct paths to a frozen ATPL under EASA Part-FCL: the Integrated ATPL(A) program under FCL.510.A and Appendix 3.A — a single ab-initio course from zero flight hours to frozen ATPL at one Approved Training Organization — versus the Modular path under FCL.310, FCL.605, FCL.720.A, and FCL.735.A, which builds the frozen ATPL through sequential standalone courses that may be completed at different ATOs over an extended period.
Knowledge Test (Written Exam)
A knowledge test is the written, multiple-choice examination that a pilot applicant must pass before taking the practical test for a certificate or rating.
Line Training and Initial Operating Experience (IOE)
Line training and Initial Operating Experience (IOE) — codified in 14 CFR §121.434 and §135.244 (FAA) and EASA Part-ORO.FC.220 — is the structured phase of supervised line operations a newly type-rated pilot completes after type rating issuance and before unrestricted line operations, with a Line Training Captain providing supervision and progressive sign-off.
LOFT (Line Oriented Flight Training)
LOFT is a simulator-based training methodology in which a crew flies an uninterrupted, operationally realistic scenario — gate to gate — designed to develop crew coordination, decision-making, and threat management rather than isolated maneuver proficiency.
Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC)
Multi-Crew Cooperation (MCC) is the EASA-mandated course under Part-FCL FCL.735.A that prepares a single-pilot-trained CPL holder to operate as a flight crew member on a multi-pilot aircraft, focusing on the role split, communication, and CRM behaviors that single-pilot training cannot deliver.
Multi-Pilot Time
Multi-pilot time is flight time accrued as a required crew member on an aircraft type-certificated for multi-pilot operations. It is a distinct logbook category under EASA Part-FCL FCL.010 and a binding experience component for ATPL(A) issue under FCL.510(a), requiring a minimum 500 hours on multi-pilot aeroplanes.
Pilot in Command Under Supervision (PICUS)
Pilot in Command Under Supervision (PICUS) is the EASA logbook convention — defined in Part-FCL FCL.010 and applied under AMC1 FCL.010 — for flight time during which a fully licensed pilot acts as PIC on a multi-pilot aircraft while a supervising captain carries the formal command authority; up to 500 hours of PICUS time may be credited toward the 1,500-hour PIC requirement for ATPL issue under FCL.510(a)(2).
Practical Test (Checkride)
A practical test is the regulator-mandated flight examination that an applicant must pass to be issued a pilot certificate, rating, or instructor authorization — known colloquially in the United States as a "checkride."
Proficiency Check (LPC / IPC)
A proficiency check is a recurring practical evaluation of a pilot's skills required to revalidate or renew specific ratings, such as the Instrument Rating, Type Rating, or Class Rating.
Stall Awareness, Recovery, and Spin Training
Stall and spin training is the structured curriculum element — required under 14 CFR §61.107(b) / §61.127(b) for PPL/CPL stall awareness and §61.183(i) for FAA flight instructor spin training, and under EASA Part-FCL FCL.135.A for ATPL/MPL basic UPRT — that develops a pilot's recognition, prevention, and recovery from aerodynamic stall and aggravated-stall spin departure.
Student Pilot in Command (SPIC)
Student Pilot in Command (SPIC) is the EASA logging convention — defined under Part-FCL FCL.010 and applied through Part-FCL Subpart B and Subpart C — for flight time during which a student pilot acts as Pilot in Command on a flight that includes an instructor on board, with the instructor exercising supervision but not exercising command authority.
Type Rating Examiner (TRE)
A Type Rating Examiner (TRE) holds the examiner authorization under EASA Part-FCL FCL.1005.TRE permitting conduct of type rating skill tests, Licence Proficiency Checks (LPCs), and Operator Proficiency Checks (OPCs) on specific multi-pilot or complex single-pilot aircraft types — the highest type-specific examining authority in the EASA system below the competent authority itself.
Type Rating Instructor (TRI)
A Type Rating Instructor (TRI) holds the instructor authorization under EASA Part-FCL FCL.905.TRI that permits delivery of type rating training on a specific aircraft type — either multi-pilot aeroplanes (TRI(MPA)) or single-pilot complex aircraft (TRI(SPA)) — and is the most senior instructor credential in the EASA licence system below examiner.
Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT)
Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (UPRT) is the specialized flight training mandated under EASA Part-FCL FCL.745.A and codified in ICAO Doc 10011 that prepares pilots to recognize, prevent, and recover from aeroplane upsets — large deviations in pitch, bank, or speed that can lead to Loss of Control In-Flight (LOC-I), the leading cause of fatal accidents in commercial aviation.
Business(3)
Aviation Insurance
Aviation insurance covers the physical-damage and liability exposures unique to aircraft ownership and operation, underwritten through a specialty international syndicate market because general-purpose insurers lack the actuarial data and technical underwriting capacity to price aviation risk.
Flight Hour
A flight hour is the fundamental unit of measurement in aviation training and billing, representing one hour of aircraft operation as recorded by the aircraft's Hobbs meter or tachometer.
Simulator Time
Simulator time is training time logged in a Flight Simulation Training Device (FSTD) — such as an AATD, BATD, or full-flight simulator — that may count toward the flight hour requirements for pilot certificates and ratings.