EASA Only
Terms governed by EASA / Part-FCL / Part-M / Part-145 / Part-CAMO with no significant FAA equivalent. Apply primarily to EU-registered aircraft and EU-certificated pilots.
Operational(3)
Pilot Flying / Pilot Monitoring (PF/PM)
Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Monitoring (PM) are the two operational roles in a multi-crew cockpit — the PF physically flies the aircraft while the PM runs checklists, communicates with ATC, monitors aircraft state, and cross-checks the PF's actions.
Rotables vs Consumables
Rotables and consumables are the two fundamental aviation parts classifications. Rotables are serial-numbered, repairable components removed, overhauled or repaired, and returned to service — each carrying individual life records and Form 1/8130-3 release documentation.
Squawk
A squawk is a mechanical discrepancy or defect in an aircraft reported by a pilot or mechanic, typically logged in the aircraft's maintenance records for corrective action.
Regulatory(12)
Alternative Training and Qualification Programme (ATQP)
The Alternative Training and Qualification Programme (ATQP) was an EASA framework — originated by the UK CAA — that allowed Part-OPS commercial air transport operators to substitute a customised, competency-based, data-driven training programme for the prescriptive type-rating recurrent and operator-conversion requirements. ATQP has been largely superseded by Evidence-Based Training (EBT) under EASA Part-ORO.FC.231 amendments.
Approved Training Organization (ATO)
An Approved Training Organization (ATO) is a flight training provider certified by a national aviation authority under EASA or ICAO standards to deliver approved pilot training courses.
Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation (CAMO)
A CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization) is an EASA-approved organization responsible for managing the continuing airworthiness of aircraft, ensuring they remain safe to fly through proper maintenance planning, record-keeping, and regulatory compliance.
Declared Training Organization (DTO)
A Declared Training Organization (DTO) is a lighter-weight EASA flight training provider that operates by declaration rather than full certification, authorized to offer PPL and LAPL training courses.
FIR (Flight Information Region)
A Flight Information Region (FIR) is a defined volume of airspace, designated under ICAO Annex 11 §2.1 and ICAO Doc 4444, within which a single air traffic services authority provides Flight Information Service (FIS) and Alerting Service (ALRS) — the foundational unit of global airspace organization.
Flight Training Organisation (FTO)
A Flight Training Organization (FTO) is an ICAO and legacy EASA term for an approved organization that provides flight crew training under a structured and regulated curriculum.
Head of Training (HoT)
The Head of Training (HoT) is the EASA-nominated postholder at an Approved Training Organization who carries personal regulatory accountability for the standardization, conduct, and quality of all training delivered.
Operations Manual
An Operations Manual is the regulator-required, controlled document that describes how an air operator or training organization actually conducts its operations, including procedures, responsibilities, and limitations.
Part 145 (EASA Maintenance Organisation)
Part 145 is the EASA regulation that establishes the requirements for organizations approved to perform maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) on aircraft, engines, and components.
Part M (EASA Continuing Airworthiness)
Part M is the EASA regulation that establishes the requirements for the continuing airworthiness of aircraft, including maintenance planning, airworthiness reviews, and the responsibilities of aircraft owners and CAMO organizations.
Part-FCL
Part-FCL (Flight Crew Licensing) is the EASA regulation that establishes the requirements for the issue, revalidation, and renewal of flight crew licenses and ratings in European aviation.
SPO (Specialised Operations)
SPO stands for Specialised Operations under EASA regulations, covering commercial aviation activities other than air transport — including aerial work, HEMS, and other mission-specific flying.
Training(13)
APS-MCC (Airline Pilot Standard Multi-Crew Cooperation)
The Airline Pilot Standard MCC (APS-MCC) is an enhanced EASA multi-crew cooperation course, defined in AMC1 FCL.735.A and the European Aviation Safety Agency's Decision 2015/021/R, that extends the standard 25-hour MCC syllabus with airline-style scenario training, jet-orientation handling, performance training, and competency-based assessment to bring frozen-ATPL graduates to the operational standard expected by airline cadet assessment programmes.
Class Rating
A class rating is a regulatory authorization permitting a pilot to fly a specific class of aircraft, such as single-engine piston, multi-engine piston, or single-engine seaplane.
Core Competencies (ICAO / IATA / EASA)
Core competencies are the finite set of pilot performance domains — typically nine, defined by ICAO and adopted by IATA and EASA — that together describe what a competent flight crew member does, and against which Competency-Based Training and Assessment is graded.
Crew Resource Management (CRM)
Crew Resource Management (CRM) is the discipline — born from accident analysis in the late 1970s — of using all available resources (information, equipment, and people) to achieve safe and efficient flight, codified into mandatory training under EASA Part-ORO and FAA Advisory Circular 120-51E.
Evidence-Based Training (EBT)
Evidence-Based Training (EBT) is the recurrent-training methodology defined in ICAO Doc 9995 and EASA AMC1 ORO.FC.231 that replaces fixed maneuver-based recurrent checking with training and assessment built from analysis of actual operational data.
JOC (Jet Orientation Course)
A Jet Orientation Course is a non-licence training programme — typically 10 to 20 hours of FSTD time supplemented by ground school — that introduces frozen-ATPL graduates to jet aircraft handling, high-altitude performance, swept-wing aerodynamics, and airline standard operating procedures, bridging the gap between piston-twin commercial training and airline type-rating entry.
Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL)
The Light Aircraft Pilot Licence (LAPL) is an EASA pilot license designed for recreational flying in light aircraft, offering a lower-cost and less complex pathway to piloting than the traditional PPL.
MEP (Multi-Engine Piston Class Rating)
The Multi-Engine Piston (MEP) class rating is the EASA Part-FCL class rating, defined under FCL.725 and the class rating structure in Appendix 9 to Part-FCL, that authorises the holder of a Private Pilot Licence (PPL), Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL), or higher to operate single-pilot multi-engine piston aeroplanes — typically light twins in the under-5,700-kg MTOM range — with separate land (MEP(land)) and sea (MEP(sea)) variants.
Multi-Pilot Licence (MPL)
The Multi-Pilot Licence (MPL) is an ab-initio pilot license introduced by ICAO in 2006 (ICAO Doc 9868, PANS-TRG) and codified in EASA regulation under Part-FCL FCL.405.A and FCL.410.A, together with Appendix 5 to Part-FCL, creating a competency-based pathway directly from zero flight hours to type-rated airline first officer on a specific multi-pilot aircraft type.
Night Rating
A night rating is an additional qualification under EASA and certain other regulatory frameworks that authorizes a pilot to exercise the privileges of their license during nighttime hours, which is not included in the base PPL or LAPL privileges outside the United States.
Skill Test
A skill test is the EASA practical examination conducted by an authorized examiner to assess a pilot candidate's competency for the initial issue of a license, rating, or certificate, serving as the European equivalent of the FAA checkride.
Training Management System (TMS) in Aviation
A Training Management System (TMS) is the software that runs the training operation at a flight school, ATO, airline cadet program, or air training centre — holding the syllabus, scheduling lessons and instructors, capturing competencies and grades, and producing audit-ready training records for FAA, EASA, UK CAA, CASA, and other authorities.
Type Rating
A type rating is an authorization added to a pilot certificate or license that qualifies the holder to act as pilot in command of a specific type of complex, high-performance, or large aircraft that requires specialized training beyond a standard class rating.
Business(3)
Block-Time Charter
A block-time charter is a commercial aviation arrangement in which a customer pre-purchases a defined quantity of flight hours — typically 25 to 200 hours — for use over a contract period, at a fixed per-hour rate, from a certificated charter operator. It is distinct from per-trip charter, fractional ownership, and wet lease.
Cadet Program and Bonded Training
A cadet program is an airline-sponsored ab-initio pilot training pipeline that recruits zero-time candidates and trains them to First Officer standard; bonded training is any arrangement in which the training cost is sponsored by an employer against a contractual service commitment, with liquidated damages provisions if the pilot leaves before the bond period expires.
Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO)
An MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) organization is a certified facility that performs maintenance, inspections, repairs, and overhauls on aircraft, engines, and components.