Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. There's only one 18 month rule. The maximum duration of the course is set by Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.285 paragraph 2 which says:
An applicant wishing to undertake an ATPL(A) modular course of theoretical knowledge instruction shall be required under the supervision of the Head of Training of an approved FTO to complete 650 hours (1 hour = 60 minutes instruction) of instruction for ATPL theory within a period of 18 months. An applicant shall be the holder of a PPL(A) issued in accordance with ICAO Annex 1.
There is some discussion as to when the period should start, though, as the regulation doesn’t make it clear. The UK CAA follow the rule in Appendix 1 to JAR-FCL 1.130 which actually refers to the PPL. It says:
Subject to any other conditions in JAR–FCL, an applicant shall be deemed to have successfully completed the theoretical examinations for the PPL(A) when awarded a pass in all parts within a period of 18 months, counted from the end of the calendar month when the applicant first attempted an examination.
and, as a consequence, LASORS Section J1.5 (a UK only document) says:
A candidate must complete all required written examination papers within 18 months of their first sitting.
This means that, as candidates tend to take their first exam after 6 months or so of study, in the UK they effectively have just over two years from start to finish to complete the course.
Last edited by Alex Whittingham; 4th Feb 2009 at 09:45.