Aviator Stuff

Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)
Captains of IFR passenger flights in turbine and multi-engine airplanes must hold the Airline Transport Pilot license according to FAA airline regulations.

Holding an Airline Transport Pilot license means you have received the most challenging of all the pilot licenses and ratings. You’re at the master’s level of flying skills and aeronautical knowledge. The ATP license is the pinnacle of pilot licenses.

As a candidate for the ATP license you must hold a Commercial Pilot license and an Instrument Rating and have 1,500 hours as a pilot that includes 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flight time, 75 hours of instrument flight time, and 250 hours of flight time in an airplane as pilot in command which includes 100 hours of cross-country flight time and 25 hours of night flight time.

If you have made 20 night takeoffs and landings to a full stop you may substitute each additional takeoff and landing to a full stop for 1 hour of night flight time. However, a maximum of 25 hours of night flight time may be credited in this manner.

You must prepare for and pass an aeronautical knowledge test for the Airline Transport Pilot certification. You may study for it in a flight school or use a home-study course.

Of the 75 hours of instrument flight time noted above, 25 hours can be done with an approved flight simulator or 50 hours can be done in a simulator through a course at a certified FAA Part 142 school. However, no more than 100 hours of the total aeronautical experience requirements for the ATP license can be done in accordance with FAA Part 142 in an approved flight simulator or approved flight-training device that represents an airplane.

Flight time is logged time between engine start and engine shutdown after a flight in an actual airplane.

Simulator time is logged DUAL instruction in a certified flight simulator or flight training device representing an airplane. Cross-country time is trips of 50 NM and more can be logged and used for ATP experience purposes even without a landing (private pilot and commercial pilot cross-country requires a landing).

ATP Privileges
An ATP with a First or Second Class Medical can exercise all of the privileges of a commercial pilot with an instrument rating. He may also instruct pilots in air transportation service in aircraft for which he is rated and endorse pilot logbooks for the training given. He may do the same in simulators of the same aircraft for which he is rated.

An Airline Transport Pilot’s privileges are limited to the Type Rating he has acquired. An ATP license acquired in a single engine aircraft would limit the pilot to single engine ATP privileges

Conclusion
I hope this article helped you learn a little about pilot licenses. Space doesn’t permit me to cover all the rules and all the regulations. You may get all the information at www.faa.gov and do a search there for specific information. A copy of the FAR/ AIM (Federal Aviation Regulations / Aeronautical Information Manual) is available at the Avid Aviator.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 13th, 2007 at 3:34 pm and is filed under . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.