Licensing & Training Simplification | UK Civil Aviation Authority

General Aviation Pilot Licensing & Training Simplification

The project to simplify General Aviation (GA) flight crew licensing and training regulations commenced in 2022, involving multiple rounds of discussions with industry experts and public consultation.

We have now entered phase 3 of the project, recently finalising Opinion and Instruction (OID) documents that set out our recommendations to the Secretary of State for changes to flight crew licensing regulations. The Department for Transport (DfT) are now drafting the statutory instruments that will enact these changes.

To support the revised regulations, we have drafted associated Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM), which is subject to public consultation. For contextual understanding of the proposed AMC/GM text, the draft changes to regulation have been included for reference only, as per the OIDs submitted to the DfT. While the legislative drafting process is ongoing, they should not be taken as the final wording of UK law.

Links to the consultations and how to respond can be found below:

The consultation is open for a six-week period and closes on 06 May 2025. Following the consultation period, we will publish a response document reflecting the consultation feedback received. The final AMC/GM text will then be published in advance of the new regulations coming into force.

Balloon and Sailplane Pilots Licences

Changes outlined in the Consultation Response Documents do not affect the continued implementation of UK Sailplane Flight Crew Licensing (Part-SFCL) regulations and Balloon Flight Crew Licensing (UK Part-BFCL) regulations.

Holders of existing BGA certificates and balloon licences issued under the Air Navigation Order should convert to Sailplane Pilot Licences (SPL) and Balloon Pilot Licences (BPL) respectively, well in advance of the statutory conversion deadline of 30 September 2025. Failure to do so in good time before that deadline may result in a disruption to licence privileges.

Existing PPL(Balloon and Airship) holders will be permitted to exercise limited privileges on Part 21 balloons after 30th September 2025, however the existing conversion report to the BPL will be discontinued.

Phase 1: Investigate the scope for simplifying the licensing architecture

In phase 1 we examined high-level issues, including implications for consolidating the UK Air Navigation Order and retained EASA regulations, compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices, and the distinction between general aviation and commercial flight training.

Phase 1 concluded with the CAP 2335 consultation and associated CAA consultation response document in CAP 2532.

The following podcast episodes provide more information:

Help simplify private pilot licensing and training in the UK - CAA on General Aviation

Answering your questions on the GA licensing consultation - CAA on General Aviation

The role of the GA licensing working group - CAA on General Aviation

General Aviation pilot licensing and training simplification

Close Phase 1: Investigate the scope for simplifying the licensing architecture

Phase 2: Licenses, ratings and certificates

In Phase 2 we examined the detail of licensing and training requirements for each aircraft category, working with internal and external stakeholders to develop proposed changes to the relevant regulations.

In March 2024 the CAA launched a 10-week public consultation seeking stakeholder views on proposed changes to licences and ratings across the GA aircraft categories:

The consultation received a total of 1,411 responses.

A summary of the responses received, the decisions made, and next steps can be found in the consultation response document and on the consultation page. In addition to the consultation response document, we have provided summary documents that detail the consultation responses by GA aircraft category:

aeroplanes including microlights and consultation page
balloons and airships and consultation page
sailplanes and consultation page
helicopters and consultation page
gyroplanes and consultation page

Project update on private pilot licensing and training in the UK - CAA on General Aviation

Close Phase 2: Licenses, ratings and certificates

Phase 3: Rulemaking, transparency and simplicity

After reviewing the results of the phase 2 consultation, we drafted four Opinion and Instruction Documents (OID), setting out our recommendations to the Secretary of State for amending UK Regulation (EU) 1178/2011 (the “UK Aircrew Regulation”), UK Regulation (EU) 2018/395 (“the Balloon Regulation”), UK Regulation (EU) 2018/1976 (the “Sailplane Regulations”) and the Air Navigation Order 2016 (“ANO”).

The legislative drafting process of the four Statutory Instruments (SI) continues with the DfT. Amendments to the regulations are due to be laid before Parliament in Spring 2025. We anticipate an implementation date of 1^st August 2025 for Sailplanes and 1^st October 2025 for all other regulations. Actual dates may vary with Parliamentary timelines and are still to be confirmed.

Alongside the changes to regulations, we are developing appropriate Acceptable Means of Compliance (AMC) and Guidance Material (GM). AMC sets out the more detailed means by which compliance may be achieved. GM assists in understanding the meaning and interpretation of a regulation.

The pilot licensing AMC/GM will be subject to public consultation, after which we will review the feedback and publish the final text prior to the revised regulations coming into force. Newly adopted AMC and GM is published in ORS9 and then integrated into the CAA’s Aviation Regulatory Library.

To support the changes to the ANO, we will be publishing an amended version of Standards Document 44 (Gyroplanes), as well as a new guidance CAA Publication (CAP) to support the changes to the National Private Pilot’s Licence (NPPL).

We are also using this opportunity to extract guidance relating to the Instrument Meteorological Conditions Rating (IMC) and Flight Radio Telephony Operators Licence (FRTOL) from CAP804 (currently a reference only document) and incorporate it into a new CAP that supports licences and ratings issued under the ANO. These will be published in due course, prior to the amendments being implemented.

Close Phase 3: Rulemaking, transparency and simplicity