Type Rating Examiner (TRE)

The TRE authorization is governed by FCL.1005.TRE (privileges), FCL.1010.TRE (prerequisites), FCL.1015 (examiner training and standardization), FCL.1025 (validity, revalidation, and renewal), and the examiner standardization framework in Commission Regulation (EU) 2018/395 for helicopters and the applicable aeroplane provisions, all within the broader Part-FCL framework. TRE(A) covers multi-pilot aeroplanes (TRE(MPA)) and complex single-pilot aeroplanes (TRE(SPA)); TRE(H) covers multi-pilot and single-pilot helicopters. The TRE authorization is type-specific in the same manner as the TRI: a TRE(MPA) holding authority for the Airbus A320 family may not conduct skill tests or proficiency checks on the Boeing B737 without a separate TRE endorsement for that type.

The prerequisites for TRE(MPA) initial issue under FCL.1010.TRE are the most demanding of any instructor or examiner credential under Part-FCL. The applicant must: hold the relevant type rating; have completed at least 1,500 hours of flight time as a pilot of multi-pilot aeroplanes on that type; hold a current TRI(MPA) authorization for the relevant type (making TRI a regulatory prerequisite for TRE, not a parallel track); have completed at least 500 hours of flight instruction time as a TRI on the relevant type (500 hours of type-specific instruction given as TRI); and complete a TRE standardization course approved by the competent authority. The standardization course covers examination technique, regulatory interpretation, practical test standards, and the standardization of pass/fail criteria — the purpose being to ensure that a given performance standard is evaluated consistently across all TREs regardless of which operator or ATO they are associated with. The TRE course is assessed by the competent authority's own Flight Operations Inspector or by a designated senior examiner (CRE/TRE equivalent) authorized to assess examiner candidates.

The TRE's examination function encompasses three distinct test types. The Type Rating Skill Test (TRST) is conducted at the conclusion of a type rating course and determines whether the candidate has demonstrated the competency required for initial issue of the type rating. The Licence Proficiency Check (LPC) is the periodic revalidation check — conducted at intervals not exceeding 12 months for the type rating revalidation under FCL.740 — that determines whether the type rating holder has maintained the required competency. The Operator Proficiency Check (OPC) is an additional operator-required check, conducted under the operator's Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) and Part-ORO requirements (ORO.FC.230), that combines the LPC requirements with operator-specific procedures; where an OPC incorporates an LPC to the required standard, it satisfies both requirements simultaneously. TREs operating within airline operations typically conduct OPC/LPC combinations; TREs operating within ATOs for external candidates typically conduct stand-alone TRSTs and LPCs.

TRE certificate validity is 3 years under FCL.1025. Revalidation within validity requires: conduct of a minimum number of type rating skill tests or proficiency checks during the validity period (the minimum is set in AMC1 to FCL.1025(b) — at least 2 LPCs or TRSTs on the relevant type in the preceding 12 months), plus attendance at a TRE standardization seminar held by a competent authority or approved standardization entity. The standardization seminar is not optional — it is a mandatory revalidation condition, and TREs who miss the seminar window must seek renewal through a competent authority re-assessment. This is operationally significant: seminar schedules are set annually and published by the national aviation authority (e.g., EASA, CAA UK, LBA); a TRE who has a schedule conflict and cannot attend the scheduled seminar must either find an alternative authority seminar or defer revalidation until the next cycle.

The FAA equivalent for type rating skill tests at airline training centers is the Aircrew Program Designee (APD) under 14 CFR §183.23 (for Part 142 training center designated examiners) and the Air Carrier Operations Inspector (ACOI) for direct FAA-administered tests. APDs are authorized through the FAA's designee management system (DMS) and must demonstrate proficiency on the specific aircraft type and examination category; their authority is granted per-aircraft-type and per-training-center program, analogous to the type-specific and ATO-specific nature of EASA TRE authorization. Airlines operating under Part 121 also use Check Airmen under §121.411, who conduct proficiency checks under the airline's OpSpecs — functionally equivalent to the OPC/LPC combination but authorized through the operator rather than a standalone examiner credential.

TRE scarcity is a structural constraint on type rating training throughput across EASA. The prerequisite stack — 1,500 hours on type, TRI authorization, 500 hours of TRI instruction on type, competent authority standardization course — means the pipeline to produce a new TRE takes years. A TRE is typically a senior airline captain or recently retired captain with 8,000–15,000 hours on type, of which a minimum of 500 hours were delivered as TRI instruction — a demographic that is small, expensive, and in high demand across both ATOs and airlines. When an ATO loses a TRE from its approved examiner roster — through retirement, medical certificate lapse, or return to full-time line operations — replacing that examiner typically takes 12–24 months from identification of a qualified candidate to first independent skill test.

The 12-month minimum-check requirement for TRE revalidation creates a secondary scheduling dependency. A TRE who conducts fewer than 2 checks in a 12-month period loses revalidation eligibility and must go through competent authority reassessment for renewal. For part-time TREs who also hold airline line-flying positions, the check-count minimum is not always easily achieved: airline operational demands, leave schedules, and short-notice simulator unavailability can result in a TRE ending a 12-month period with only 1 check completed. ATOs that rely on a small TRE roster — 3 to 5 TREs for a narrowbody type program — face acute throughput risk when any one TRE's check count drops below the minimum.

Aviatize's compliance and auditing module maintains the TRE authorization register with full type-specific granularity, tracking each TRE's check count per 12-month rolling window against the FCL.1025 AMC minimum. When a TRE's completed-check count for a type falls below the minimum required for revalidation before the period ends, an alert is issued to the TRE, the Chief Examiner, and the Head of Training with the specific shortfall — how many checks are needed and in what remaining time — enabling proactive scheduling of additional check events before the revalidation window closes. Standardization seminar attendance is recorded with dates and issuing authority, and the compliance engine flags TREs whose seminar is approaching the 3-year window with sufficient lead time to register for the authority's published seminar schedule.

For type rating course scheduling, the smart planning and booking module treats TRE availability as a hard constraint for skill test events. When a type rating student is progressing toward the final skill test date, the system models TRE availability — accounting for existing committed check events, leave, and TRE recency status — and presents available skill test windows to the scheduling team. This prevents the common failure mode where a student completes all training elements and is ready for the skill test, but the ATO cannot schedule the test for three to four weeks because TRE availability was not planned in advance. The KPI reporting and dashboards module surfaces TRE utilization rates and average lead time from training-complete to skill-test-conducted — a metric that directly measures the ATO's TRE capacity adequacy and supports the business case for maintaining a larger TRE roster.