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ATPL and CPL License differences (can you fly a bizjet on a CPL/IR?)

Quick question on licensing…I can’t seem to find a real work answer in FCL.

For a pilot not interested in Airline flying would a CPL (with HPA) be sufficient to fly light jets and turbo props for hire and reward?

The theoretical knowledge appears significantly less, and there are credits for two exams from the IR.

Do some biz jet pilots just operate on a CPL? Would there be restrictions for multi and single crew operations?

Alex
Shoreham (EGKA) White Waltham (EGLM), United Kingdom

With a CPL you can be the Captain of a single pilot plane that is operated multicrew in a commercial operation. Example: Citation 525.
Yes, some bizjet pilots that fly single pilot airplanes in multicrew commercial AOC ops have a CPL.

With the ATPL you can be the Captain of a multi pilot plane that is operated in a commercial operation.
Example: Boeing 787

Obviously for any „lesser“ operation (e.g. single pilot plane single pilot ops, non commercial etc.) a cpl is also sufficient.

Source
CPL:
FCL.305
(3) act as PIC in commercial air transport of any single-pilot aircraft subject to the restrictions specified in FCL.060 and in this Subpart;

ATPL:
FCL.505
(2) act as PIC of aircraft engaged in commercial air transport.

Last Edited by Snoopy at 19 Dec 00:49
always learning
LO__, Austria

See also Part-ORO rule ORO.FC.A.250 in the Air Operations Regulation.

Last Edited by Qalupalik at 19 Dec 02:03
London, United Kingdom

I assume by “CPL” you mean a “CPL/IR” because without an IR this makes no sense.

You can fly a non AOC i.e. a “private flight” bizjet / turboprop on a CPL/IR. This has come up before here but I can’t find the exact thread right now. This is the sort of operation where somebody provides you with a jet etc and pays you to fly them around.

You don’t need an ATPL.

And in EASA-land, you cannot “get” an ATPL anyway, other than by logging 500hrs in a multi pilot cockpit, or (if you have the resources of John Travolta) in a full motion simulator. There are some validation options from another ICAO ATPL but ultimately all currently available routes involve sitting all 14 EASA CPL/IR exams (or a conversion after some 2500hrs on a Part 25 (airliner).

Bear mind mind that if you do the 13 CPL exams and then the 7 IR exams, then even after taking the credits you will have done a load of exams but the resulting CPL/IR is a dead end – see e.g. here for flying paying passengers. So this is ok if you are never going to go for that sort of job (e.g. due to age or a lack of interest).

Quite what happens if somebody puts a single pilot EASA-reg bizjet onto an AOC, I don’t know. For flights which require the AOC, the LHS needs an ATPL but he cannot ever get it in that type.

@neil may know more.

EDIT: just got some input from a widely experienced bizjet etc pilot:

EASA: You can fly a single pilot certified aircraft with a CPL / IR and a HPA (High Performance Aircraft) exam.
So a CJ, Phenom 300 etc.
To fly a multi crew certified machine as Captain you need an ATPL. You can be co pilot of a multi crew machine with a frozen ATPL (ie. CPL / IR with ATPL exam passes).

FAA: You can fly a multi crew aircraft with a CPL / IR and a type rating if it’s for Part 91.
You only need an ATP to be Captain OR (recent change) co pilot of an aircraft Part 121 (airline) operation.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

A PPL would also be sufficient as far as I know.

ESSZ, Sweden

Yes, legally. But practically one cannot fly these types in Europe without an IR, due to airspace access.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Just do the ATPL exams, split it into three to five subjects per session. That will reduce the workload and the extra amount of learning will be very manageable. If you still have thirty years of commercial flying ahead it´s better to have every option.

EDFE, EDFZ, KMYF, Germany

There are also age limits to consider – see this thread

A type rating would also be required for the specific aircraft used.

There is a huge difference between just sitting the HPA exam (approx 500 Euro, exam can be done at an ATO, no expiry/time limit before actually flying this type of aircraft) and studying and sitting all of the ATPL exams. The key benefit of ATPL exams is that these allow operation in Commercial Air Transport, i.e. fare paying public passengers.

FlyerDavidUK, PPL & IR Instructor
EGBJ, United Kingdom

The key benefit of ATPL exams is that these allow operation in Commercial Air Transport, i.e. fare paying public passengers.

Did you see reply 1. Tried to answer clear and concise. Maybe I am misunderstanding you.

A CPL does that just as well, in AOC ops, with fare paying passengers. As long as the aircraft used is SPA. Obviously for AOC ops it will be a multi crew operation (on a SPA).
The key benefit of the ATPlicense (exams allow for nothing) is PIC on multi pilot aircraft. Anything else a CPL is just as fine.

always learning
LO__, Austria

Fly310 wrote:

A PPL would also be sufficient as far as I know.

I’m not sure you can fly twin jet (or twin turboprop) with PPL only in EASA-land, even if it’s single-pilot aircraft.

LDZA LDVA, Croatia
26 Posts
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