Theory Pass prior to starting CPL/IR

[S-Works]

Does anyone have a link to hand for whether a theory pass is required prior to starting a CPL and IR course?

[ifitaintboeing]

You're asking a lot of questions this morning bose (See The Other Side!).

Appendix III to Part-FCL, and/or CAP 804, Section 4, Part L. It should also say in your Training Manual.

ifitaint...

[S-Works]

Thanks!

Curious minds and all that! Our training manuals state it but I have been assured this morning by another ATO that there is nothing stopping a student from starting training without an exam pass and was struggling to find a reference.

[Happy Wanderer]

No requirement to have passed any theoretical examinations passes prior to commencing the flying training element as far as I can see. In my experience this has always been a much misunderstood point - particularly by TKIs!

CAP804 Section 4 Part A FCL.030 (Practical skill test) states: '(a) Before a skill test for the issue of a licence, rating or certificate is taken, the applicant shall have passed the required theoretical knowledge examination, except in the case of applicants undergoing a course of integrated flying training. In any case, the theoretical knowledge instruction shall always have been completed before the skills tests are taken'.

HW

[S-Works]

The reference that ifitaintboing gave seems to indicate that theory must have been completed and passed prior to training according to my reading of it.....

[Happy Wanderer]

Actually I can't see that it does. I don't see any reference in CAP804 to TK exams needing to be passed before flight training is started. Many references to 'an applicant for a....shall demonstrate a level of knowledge appropriate to the privileges granted' - an applicant obviously being the person applying for the licence or rating rather than applying to start a course of flight training - but nothing about exams being passed before the flying starts.

Part A FCL.030 refers, unless someone can confirm otherwise.

Whopity?

HW

[BillieBob]

There is no legislative requirement for the TK examinations to have been passed before flight training is commenced. As HW has identified, FCL.030 requires that, for modular courses, all examinations are passed before the skill test is attempted and this is the only relevant requirement.

However, to avoid any chance of the skill test being delayed while the student is struggling to pass all of the examinations, it is common practice for an ATO to require that the TK examinations are passed before commencing the flight training.

[chrisbl]

From a practical point of view, there is no point on spending large amounts of money on flight training without spending a relatively small of money on the passing the exams.