Disclaimer: These answers have no legal authority and could be superceded or become wrong or redundant at any time. Use these answers only as a base starting point for checking with the relevant authorities.
Differences Training
Q. When do I need differences training?
A. If you hold an SEP Class Rating want to fly an SEP aeroplane with any of the following:
- VP prop
- Retractable landing gear
- Tailwheel
- Pressurisation
- Super- or turbo-charging
- EFIS
- Single lever power control (SLPC) – eg a Da40
If you hold an SEP(Land) class rating and want to fly a 3-axis microlight aeroplane, you must either undergo differences training or pass a microlight GST.
A. If you hold an SSEA Class Rating want to fly an SSEA aeroplane with any of the following:
- VP prop
- Retractable landing gear
- Tailwheel
- Tricycle undercarriage
- Pressurisation
- Super- or turbo-charging
- Maximum continuous cruise speed of greater than 140 kt IAS
If you hold an SSEA class rating and want to fly a microlight aeroplane you must pass a microlight GST.
Q. Do I need to go to a DTO or ATO for differences training?
A. Yes, differences training must be done at an ATO or DTO for SEP and at an ATO for SET and MEP. However, differences training on an SSEA can be done by any suitably qualified FI or CRI.
Q. What does differences training entail?
A. Legally, ‘Training on an aeroplane or suitable training device’. The instructor will decide exactly what form the training should take.
Q. How is differences training recorded?
A. The instructor’s signature in your logbook. The CAA provide stickers for this purpose, although a handwritten entry is fine.
Q. How long does differences training last?
A. In an SEP aeroplane it lasts indefinitely.
Q. Do I need differences training moving from a C152 to a Pa28?
A. No. You need familiarisation. That does not require training by an instructor, but it is probably advisable.
Q. Is differences training the same for MEP aeroplanes?
A. No. Each type within the MEP class requires differences training. So, if you’re qualified on the Seneca and want to fly the Seminole, you need differences training. Also, MEP differences training lapses after 2 years unless you stay in flying practice on the type.
Q. What sort of systems require EFIS differences training?
A. An Integrated EFIS Display requiring differences training is an electronic presentation of the primary flight instruments that presents gyroscopic instrument, pressure instrument and navigation information, that is used by the pilot as a primary reference for control of the aircraft in flight. If only the AI and DI have been replaced by electronic instruments (like a G5), this is not an EFIS display.
Q. If I have done EFIS differences training, do I have to do it again if I want to fly an aeroplane with a different design of EFIS?
A. Pilots should undergo further differences training if they are converting to another Integrated EFIS Display, whether or not the same manufacturer produces the new system. Instructors should undergo familiarisation if they are converting between EFIS systems.
UK FCL PPL (or CPL, ATPL) with a SEP or TMG class rating – revalidation and renewal
Q. What’s the difference between ‘revalidation’ and ‘renewal’?
A. Revalidation takes place while the rating is still current. Renewal happens once the rating has expired.
Q. When can I revalidate my SEP or TMG class rating by experience?
A. At any time during the last 12 months of the rating’s validity, once you have achieved the necessary experience.
Q. What experience do I need?
A. In the last 12 months of the rating’s validity you must:
- Fly 12 hours in the class
- Of which at least 6 hours must be PIC
- Including 12 take-offs and landings
- Within the 12 hours, fly one hour of refresher training with an instructor
Q. What if I hold both a current TMG and a current SEP class rating?
A. You can use flying on either class to meet the revalidation by experience requirements for both.
Q. I hold a TMG rating which, in the UK, allows me to fly SLMGs. Can I use SLMG time as part of my 12 hours?
A. No. Whilst you are allowed to fly SLMG, they are not TMG and so do not count towards the 12 hours.
Q. For an SEP class rating must all of the experience be in Part 21 SEP aeroplanes?
A. No. The hours may be flown in a non-Part 21 aeroplane, but, in a 3-axis microlight, only PIC time can be counted.
Q. Can I use a non-Part 21 aeroplane for the one hour of refresher training?
A. Yes. You can use a non-Part 21 aeroplane, except for a microlight. A recent change in the law (June 2024) has made this much easier than it was.
Q. Are there alternatives to the one hour of refresher training?
A. It can be replaced by any skill test, proficiency check or assessment of competence for a Part-FCL rating or certificate.
Q. If I meet all of the requirements, who can sign my licence?
A. Any UK FCL examiner can sign your licence and help you to complete the form that needs to be sent to the CAA. Most UK instructors can also do this (if they have FCL.945 in their licence), but they must have flown at least some of the one-hour refresher flying with you.
Q. I have both an SEP and TMG class rating. Does the instructor or examiner who signs my licence also need to hold both ratings?
A. No.
Q. What if my SEP or TMG rating has expired or I can’t meet the experience requirements?
A. You cannot renew by experience; you need to fly a proficiency check with an examiner (a Flight Examiner or a Class Rating Examiner).
Q. If my rating has expired, are there any other requirements?
A. Yes. You will need to go to a DTO or ATO (or a CRI or FI if the rating has expired by less than 3 years) for them to assess if you need any retraining. Even if you don’t, they will need to sign a form saying that.
Q. My SEP rating is current but my TMG rating has expired. Can I still revalidate both by experience?
A. No, once a rating has expired, it can only be renewed by proficiency check.
Q. What’s the content of a SEP or TMG proficiency check?
A. It has 5 sections:
- Departure: pre-flight planning including - met, NOTAMS, mass and balance, performance, TEM; pre-flight checks; start-up; taxy; take-off
- Airwork: steep turns and stalling
- Navigation: a leg of around 15 minutes
- Circuits: normal; flapless; go around; maybe a glide
- Emergencies: rejected take-off; EFATO; PFL; maybe a system failure or fire
Q. Will the examiner sign my licence if I pass?
A. Normally ‘Yes’. However, if your old SEP or TMG class rating is not shown in Section XII on the front of the licence, you will need to apply for a new licence from the CAA, with the appropriate fee. However, in that case the examiner can give you a temporary class rating certificate.
Q. What happens if I do the proficiency check before my rating expires and I fail?
A. You cannot exercise the privileges of the rating until you fully pass the proficiency check.
Q. If I’m revalidating my rating by proficiency check, what expiry date will the examiner write in my licence?
A. If you fly the check within 3 months of the expiry date of the current rating, then the new rating will run to 2 years after that expiry date. If you fly the check earlier than 3 months before the expiry date, the new expiry date will be 2 years after the check date, extended to the end of the month.
UK FCL LAPL with SEP or TMG privileges – currency
Q. I hold a LAPL, do I have a SEP or TMG class rating?
A. No. You have the privilege to fly SEP or TMG aeroplanes (depending on the privileges shown in Section XII of your licence).
Q. How do I know if I’m legal to go flying?
A. The LAPL uses a ‘rolling recency’ period of 24 months and so, on the day you want to fly, you need to check your logbook to see whether you meet the recency requirements.
Q. How do I keep the privilege to fly SEP or TMG current?
A. Within that past 24 months you must:
- Have completed at least 12 hours as PIC or flying dual or solo under the supervision of an instructor
- Carried out 12 take-offs and landings
- Of the 12 hours, one hour must be refresher training with an instructor
or
- Pass a LAPL proficiency check with an examiner
Q. I’ve checked and I’ve only done 10 hours in the past 24 months. What now?
A. Speak to an instructor. They may be prepared to fly a dual check with you and then supervise solo flying to meet the 12-hour requirement. Alternatively, you could fly a proficiency check with an examiner; however, the check profile is the same as for the initial LAPL skill test.
Q. After my one hour of refresher training, what should my instructor write in my licence?
A. Nothing. They should sign the logbook entry and annotate it as ‘refresher flying’.
Q. If I decide to do a proficiency check and pass it. What does the examiner write in my licence?
A. Nothing. They should sign the logbook entry and annotate it as a ‘proficiency check’.
Q. Can I use flight in a non-Part 21 aeroplane to retain recency?
A. Yes. The rules are that same as for SEP and TMG class ratings, see above.
UK National (ie not FCL) PPL (Aeroplane) with a SEP, TMG or SLMG class rating – revalidation and renewal
Q. What are the rules for revalidating or renewing my ratings on a National PPL?
A. They are essentially the same as for a Part FCL PPL except:
- If you hold a TMG or SLMG rating, time in both TMGs and SLMGs can be counted towards the 12 hours experience requirement.
- An FCL.945 instructor cannot sign your Certificate of Revalidation when you revalidate by experience. However, an ‘R’ or ‘GR’ examiner can.
UK NPPL with an SSEA class rating – revalidation and renewal
Q. What are the rules for revalidating or renewing my SSEA rating on a NPPL?
A. They are similar to those for an SEP, but they are not the same.
Q. When can I revalidate my SSEA class rating by experience?
A. At any time during the last 12 months of the rating’s validity, once you have achieved the necessary experience.
Q. What experience do I need?
A. In the rating’s validity period you must:
- Fly 12 hours in the class
- Of which at least 8 hours must be PIC
- Including 12 take-offs and landings
- Within the 12 hours, fly one hour of refresher training with an instructor
- Within the last 12 months of the rating’s validity, fly 6 hours
Q. What happens if I have not flown 1 hour of refresher training with an instructor?
A. Your rating can still be revalidated, but it will be endorsed “single seat only”
Q. What if I hold a current SSEA class rating and one or more of a current SLMG and microlight class rating?
A. You can revalidate all of the ratings together by experience, but the rules are quite complex.
In the rating’s validity period you must:
- Fly 12 hours total in any of the classes
- Of which at least 8 hours must be PIC
- Including 12 take-offs and landings
- In each class, either: fly one hour of refresher training with an instructor OR fly one hour as PIC
- Within the 12 hours, fly one hour of refresher training with an instructor in any one of the classes
- Within the last 12 months of the ratings validity, fly 6 hours in any of the classes
Q. What happens if I have not flown 1 hour of refresher training with an instructor in any of the classes?
A. Your ratings can still be revalidated, but they will be endorsed “single seat only”
Q. If my rating is endorsed “single seat only”, can I fly solo in a 2-seater aeroplane?
A. No. “Single seat only” means exactly that – the aeroplane only has one seat.
Q. If I meet the revalidation by experience requirements, who can sign my licence?
A. As well as any UK ‘flying’ examiner, ‘GR’ and ‘R’ examiners may also sign.
Q. If my SSEA rating has expired or I am not going to meet the experience requirements, what do I need to do?
A. You need to fly a General Skill Test (GST) with an examiner (a Flight Examiner or a Class Rating Examiner).
Q. My SSEA rating expired over 5 years ago, are there any additional requirements?
A. Yes, you must pass an oral theoretical knowledge examination with your GST examiner.
Q. If I’m revalidating my rating by GST, what expiry date will the examiner write in my licence?
A. If you fly the GST within 3 months of the expiry date of the current rating, then the new rating will run to 2 years after that expiry date. If you fly the GST earlier than 3 months before the expiry date, the new expiry date will be 2 years after the GST date, extended to the end of the month.
Q. Both my SSEA and SLMG ratings have expired. How many GSTs do I need to do?
A. You need a separate GST for each rating, each flown with an appropriately certified examiner.