Who issued pilots licences prior to the CAA?
 

Originally licences were issued by the Royal Aero Club I believe, but between them and the CAA which organisation, Governmental of some sort I imagine, was responsible for flight crew licencing in the UK?

Did the CAA take it on as soon as it was brought into existence or is that responsibility it was given later?

The Royal Aero Club issued aviator's certificates between 1910 and 1914 which permitted the holders to take part in their competitions and aerial demonstrations. They held no particular legal privileges as I understand.

After WW1 at the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 the International Air Convention was signed by many of the participants. Article 12 stated:
" The Commanding Officer, pilots, engineers and other
members of the operating crew of every aircraft shall, in
accordance with the conditions laid down in Annex E,
be provided with certificates of competency and licences
issued or rendered valid by the State whose nationality
the aircraft possesses."

This task was given to the Air Ministry in the UK which was formed initially to set up the Royal Air Force, and later to the ARB and the CAA.

My licence was issued by Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation(MTCA)in 1962, this became Ministry of Aviation(MOA) (an extinct non flying bird!!!!) then Board of Trade, and then CAA as far as I can remember.

Between BOT and CAA it was DTI (Department of Trade and Industry). My original PPL was issued in '71, so if I find it I'll let you know!

Do you still have to get a radio operators certificate from HM's Post Office?

My PPL (1958) was issued by the Board of Trade Civil Aviation Division.

In various books I have, I vaguely recall, seen some pilot licences pre and during WW1 issued by the FAI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fédérat...Internationale

My PPL dated 23/03/54 was issued "by authority of the Minister of Civil Aviation". My Commercial license dated 14/03/69 says " by authority of the Board of Trade" though confusingly the night rating of the same date was issued " by authority of the Minister of Aviation".

All done from Shell Mex House!

chevvron. While you are looking for yours, mine are of almost identical vintage.
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps9d1ebdb0.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps50f4bcbd.jpg

They felt like a licence in those days.

PPL was a lovely hard backed booklet with a weave cloth finish. Very smart

Have strong memories of some involvement of the ARB - Air Registration Board in the whole licensing process. Or were they just involved in approving the airies themselves?

Swapped my air force 1250 for these: Note: change from a Dept to a Division so we all got new books. And then they got a new logo, so new books once again.

http://users.on.net/~alisoncc/caa1.jpg

then this:
http://users.on.net/~alisoncc/caa2.jpg

And then these:
http://users.on.net/~alisoncc/caa3.jpg

I held a Burger Lugvaart Lisensie, so there. :\

Although my original 1968-issued PPL stated 'Ministry of Aviation' on the cover:


inside, there was a note stating that any Ministry of Aviation reference should be read as if it had been 'Board of Trade' - although the licence itself states 'Board of Trade':


I assume that they must have had a warehouse full of old 'MoA' PPL covers somewhere, which they used up before the 'BoT' ones arrived?

My later (much!) civil licences seemed to get scruffier as their seniority increased:


The gold lettering on the UK R/BCPL and JAR-FCL ATPL is of particularly poor quality. Is the EASA licence holder quality any better?

This is a 1938 Aviator’s Certificate, issued by The Royal Aero Club in 1938.

It is quite small, some 4¼inches by 3 inches (11cm x 7.5cm), with a leather cover.

On the second page the holder’s name and date of issue, together with the certificate number have been written in by hand. The handwriting is the most exquisite example of ‘copper-plate’ hand written work.

Looking at the date, 1938, I often wonder if Mr Taylor became an RAF pilot in WW2

AviatorsCertificate4.jpg Photo by essjaypr9 | Photobucket

AviatorsCertificate3.jpg Photo by essjaypr9 | Photobucket

AviatorsCertificate1.jpg Photo by essjaypr9 | Photobucket

AviatorsCertificate1.jpg Photo by essjaypr9 | Photobucket

Sorry that I seem unable this time to show the photographs 'normally'!

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...rtificate4.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...rtificate3.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...rtificate1.jpg

http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/f...rtificate2.jpg

The trick is to copy what is in the 'IMG' box at top right on the Photobucket page.

....if he did, I bet that 'A.H. 'tash didn't last long...! :)

Certificating Authorities, 1936 to 1987.
 

.......actually, I'm not too sure about the actual validity of the FAI Aviators Certificate - it wasn't the PPL itself from what I can see. Perhaps for use overseas..? (I recall, in the 1970's having to obtain an 'RAC International Driving Licence' to drive abroad...!).
A have a full trail of a deceased friends aviation documents, both flying, PPL and Ground Engineer. Hope this helps;-

Air Ministry Ground Engineers Licence, July 1936. CA Form 9.

FAI Aviators Certificate, granted August 1939.

Air Ministry PPL CA Form 64, August, 1939.

Ministry Of Civil Aviation Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Licence CA Form 9. July, 1946.

UK Ministry Of Aviation Student Pilots Licence CA Form 602. May, 1961 (As a returnee.)

Ministry Of Aviation, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Licence, CA Form 612. December 1964.

Civil Aviation Authority, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Licence, CA Form 1703. August 1977 - 1987.

BEagle. You missed out that bloody awful Licence "for life" plastic concertina thing we had to make the one off payment for in the late '70s. Which reminds me, I still have mine and never got the cardboard one.

Yes-= the wavy concertina thing
ACCEPTANCE not agreed by European countries because 'it did not have a BROWN cover in accordance with ICAO rules.
Aaah the fun of showing it in Spain.
CAA red-faced - oh surely not.