Freeze CPL?

[Eriik]

Hi,

I have a JAA-CPL with SEP-rating and since I am
studying maths I have a hard time to fly enough to keep it. I wonder if there is a way to freeze my licence and then make a PC or similar to retake it, or must I retake the whole licence if I loose it?

[FlyingForFun]

In order to fly an SEP on your CPL, you need to have a) a valid SEP rating, and b) a valid CPL.

Your SEP rating is valid for 2 years. If that expires, you will need to renew it. If it has expired by less than 5 years, you will need to do a test with an examiner, and the examiner can sign your license immediately after the test. If it has expired by more than 5 years, you will need to do a (slightly more thorough) test with an examiner, and then send the paperwork off to the CAA to have the new entry put into your license. In either case, there is no mandatory retraining, although I'd advise you to find a good school and do a bit of training.

Your CPL is valid for 5 years. If that expires, but you had a rating (any rating, your SEP rating will do) which has expired by less than 5 years, then you can pay the CAA to renew your CPL. If all your ratings (or your one and only rating) is expired by more than 5 years, you will need to renew it (as described above) before you can renew your license.

If you did the ATPL written exams (as oposed to the CPL written exams), then don't forget you only have 5 years from the date of your last exam to get your IR. There is no official way of "freezing" this, although I have heard of cases where the CAA have granted extensions due to extenuating circumstances (long term illness, etc).

All of this information is available in LASORS (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/srg_lts_LASORS%202010%20Bookmarked.pdf) - Section F1.6 for the SEP renewal, and section D9 for the CPL renewal.


Edit because I just checked your location, and I see you're not in the UK. The rules for a JAR license should be very similar in Sweden or anywhere else, but some of the details may vary slightly, so check with your own CAA.

[Eriik]

BIG thanks for your answer and for the link to LASORS!

I dont have a ATPL-theory, just the CPL-theory. My maths exam is about 4 years from now. My CPL (and SEP) is about 2 years old now, which means my SEP will be non-valid in a couple of months. I have a Ultra-light (B) class rating if that matters in some way. The plan is like follows:

1. Wait 3 years
2. Get a medical class 1 and then reissue my CPL
3. Wait one more year until my exam
4. Renew of my JAR-FCL class 1 medical
5. Contact a flight school and take some lessons to get back into flying
6. Contact a flight examiner and pass a skill test to get my SEP back

Some questions still remains:

How does the skill test for reissuing a rating differ from the skill test needed to take a rating for the first time? How much harder than a PC?

You certainly has guessed I wont fly anymore Pro. Will there be a huge advantage to convert my CPL to a PPL?

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The CPL-licence was something I got for free from my school when I was 18 and a pilot job was the big dream. When I had flew about ~100 hours I figured out it wasn't my cup of tea but since I like flying I decided to complete the course.

[FlyingForFun]

Your plan sounds ok, but a couple of points:

1) Why bother getting your CPL renewed a year before your SEP? Wait until you can actually afford to use it.
2) You need a Class 1 to get your CPL re-issued - but if you're not flying commercially, you only need Class 2 privileges. Your Class 1 medical will be valid for Class 2 privileges for the appropriate Class 2 duration (depending on your age), so you may not need to renew your medical as quickly as you planned.
3) I can't really see any advantage in converting your CPL to a PPL. They both have the same validity. The CPL lets you do everything you can on a PPL and more. Not even sure if it is actually possible to do that? Might as well stick with the CPL.

Regarding the content of the test, the navigation element is typically much shorter than your initial test. The other elements are very similar. If your SEP rating has expired by more than 5 years, the test should include an oral theory component. Any school ought to provide you with training so that you are both safe, and capable of passing the test.