FCL.035 Crediting of flight time and theoretical knowledge

(a)Crediting of flight time

(1)Unless otherwise specified in this Part, flight time to be credited for a licence, rating or certificate shall have been flown in the same category of aircraft for which the licence, rating or certificate is sought.

(2)PIC or under instruction.

(i)An applicant for a licence, rating or certificate shall be credited in full with all solo, dual instruction or PIC flight time towards the total flight time required for the licence, rating or certificate.

(ii)A graduate of an ATP integrated training course is entitled to be credited with up to 50 hours of student pilot-in-command instrument time towards the PIC time required for the issue of the airline transport pilot licence, commercial pilot licence and a multi-engine type or class rating.

(iii)A graduate of a CPL/IR integrated training course is entitled to be credited with up to 50 hours of the student pilot-in-command instrument time towards the PIC time required for the issue of the commercial pilot licence and a multi-engine type or class rating.

(3)Flight time as co-pilot or PICUS. Unless otherwise determined in this Part, the holder of a pilot licence, when acting as co-pilot or PICUS, is entitled to be credited with all of the co-pilot time towards the total flight time required for a higher grade of pilot licence.

(4)All hours flown in aeroplanes or TMGs that are subject to a decision of a Member State taken in accordance with points (a) or (c) of Article 2(8) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 or that fall within the scope of Annex I to that Regulation shall be credited in full towards fulfilling the flight time requirements of point FCL.140.A(a)(1) and point FCL.740.A(b)(1)(ii) of this Annex, provided that the following conditions are met:

(i)the aeroplane or TMG concerned is of the same category and class as the Part-FCL aircraft in respect of which the hours flown are to be credited;

(ii)in case of training flights with an instructor, the aeroplane or TMG used is subject to an authorisation specified in point ORA.ATO.135 of Annex VII (Part-ORA) or point DTO.GEN.240 of Annex VIII (Part-DTO).

(5)All hours flown in gyroplanes that fall within the scope of Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2018/1139 and which have a maximum certificated take-off mass of at least 450 kg shall be credited in full towards completing the 12 hours of flight time and 12 take-offs and landings in accordance with point FCL.240.G(a) but shall not be credited towards the requirement in point FCL.240.G(a)(1)(ii). [applicable from 18 February 2026 - Regulation (EU) 2025/134]

(b)Crediting of theoretical knowledge

(1)Applicants that have passed the theoretical knowledge examination for an airline transport pilot licence shall be credited towards the requirements for the theoretical knowledge for the light aircraft pilot licence, the private pilot licence, the commercial pilot licence and, except in the case of helicopters, the IR and the BIR in the same category of aircraft.

(2)Applicants that have passed the theoretical knowledge examination for a commercial pilot licence shall be credited towards the requirements for the theoretical knowledge for:

(i)the light aircraft pilot licence in the same category of aircraft;

(ii)the private pilot licence in the same category of aircraft; and

(iii)the subject ‘communications’ for the BIR. This credit shall include the IFR part of the subject ‘communications’ only if that subject was completed in accordance with point FCL.310, as applicable as of 20 December 2019.

(3)Holders of an IR or applicants that have passed the IR theoretical knowledge examination for a category of aircraft shall be credited towards the requirements for the theoretical knowledge instruction and examination for:

(i)the IR in another category of aircraft; and

(ii)the BIR.

(4)Holders of a pilot licence shall be credited towards the requirements for theoretical knowledge instruction and examination for a licence in another category of aircraft in accordance with Appendix 1 to this Part. This credit also applies to applicants for a pilot licence who have already successfully completed the theoretical knowledge examinations for the issue of that licence in another category of aircraft, as long as the theoretical knowledge examination is within the validity period specified in point FCL.025(c).

(5)By way of derogation from paragraph (b)(3), holders of an IR(A) who have completed a competency-based modular IR(A) course shall be fully credited towards the requirements for theoretical knowledge instruction and examination for an IR in another category of aircraft only if they have also passed the theoretical knowledge instruction and examination for the IFR part of the course required in accordance with point FCL.720.A.(a)(2)(ii)(A).

(6)When Appendix 1 includes a credit for the subject Communications, all of the following shall apply:

(i)such credit shall only be granted for training and examination for that subject if applicants, during previous theoretical knowledge examinations in accordance with point ARA.FCL.300 of Annex VI, have completed either the subject Communications or both subjects VFR communications and IFR communications;

(ii)applicants who have completed either only the subject VFR communications or only the subject IFR communications shall complete theoretical knowledge instruction in the subject Communications, the duration of which may be reduced based on an assessment of the applicants by the ATO. For applicants who have completed the subject VFR communications, aspects purely related to VFR communication may be reduced. For applicants who have completed the subject IFR communications, aspects purely related to IFR communication may be reduced. In any case, applicants shall complete the theoretical knowledge examination in the subject Communications._DxCrossRefBm1743303084