What licenses make you employable [Archive]

johnc21

29th Sep 2008, 20:10

Evening all

I was under the impression that one needed to do the whole fATPL to become employable, however from doing some reading this evening I am now unsure.

Could someone explain the minimum licenses to become employable.
I know someone who is a FO that doesn't have his fATPL apparently but is flying.

How does this work.

Cheers

John

Leezyjet

29th Sep 2008, 21:24

Depends what you want to do and where you are.

In the UK, you can legally be employed with just the CPL, but choices are limited to pretty much parachute dropping, glider towing and aerial photography, jobs of which don't pay much and are scarce. You would also be limited even further if you don't hold a ME rating.

Also to gain the CPL you have to sit IIRC 11 exams, so might as well just take the 14 ATPL's instead which is what most people do.

If you don't have an IR, again your choices of employment are limited, with a CPL/ME you might get some Air Taxi work, but would be limited to VFR so why would they employ someone with just that when they could get a CPL/IR (fATPL) to do the same job in all conditions.

You could also add an FI rating to the CPL and instruct, but thats pretty much it I'm afraid.

In other countries, you can sit the CPL exams and pass the CPL skills test, and add the ME/IR and be employed as an F/O, but you cannot be promoted to Captain without sitting the ATPL exams at a later stage. The UK used to be like this until it changed to JAA several years ago, now as I said most people just take the ATPL exams rather than do 2 lots of exams as it saves time/money and stress !!.

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