Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom is governed by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).
There are several levels of licence:
- Private Pilot
- Commercial Pilot
- Airline Transport Pilot
There are also several ratings, such as the Instrument Rating. An IMC Rating permits the pilot to fly in Instrument meteorological conditions, but not in an instrument flight plan under Air Traffic Control direction.
Private Pilot Licence in the European Community
In the EU, the authorization is called a Private Pilot Licence, and gives authority to fly under Visual Flight Rules (VFR) on single engine piston aircraft for single pilots. The pilot may add an Instrument rating, permitting IFR flights under severe weather conditions or, for example, a multi engine rating or hydravion rating. The license is issued and valid for 2 years; regular medical visits and theoretical and inflight tests are needed to renew the licence. To fly a certain aircraft, the pilot needs a so-called type rating. For common types of aircraft they can obtain family (type) ratings. The EU license is valid for all EU countries and others like Switzerland. Each European country also provides local licences with lower training needs and reduced validity.