What are ratings and endorsements ?
Your certificate is like a new car you want to buy. You can choose various options to customize it. But don’t worry, the color stays the same regardless. There are two different types of options called Ratings and endorsements. We already have talked about two ratings that are necessary to be an airline pilot, the instrument rating and the multi-engine rating. There are a few more possibilities out there. First you can add a new category like glider, rotorcraft, lighter than air. Second you can choose to add a new class like multi-engine as previously discussed in the commercial certificate page, or seaplanes which is a very popular rating in certain parts of the country like in the Gulf of Mexico, the Keys or around Puget Sound in the Seattle area. With the exception of the instrument rating, there is no required FAA written knowledge test. An appropriately rated instructor can teach you the required flight skills and help you reach the minimum experience necessary prior to pass the check ride. Last, and very important for a career pilot is called type. Airplanes weighting more than 12,500 Lbs or turboprop / jet, like the Embraer 120 or the Boeing 737, have associated type ratings. They require pilots to go thru the aircraft specific training covering particular systems knowledge and procedures. The other option is called endorsement. These are easier, cheaper and faster to obtain. Very few hours of training on the ground and/or in the airplane are asked by the FAA to be endorsed by a flight instructor who will have determined that you satisfy the basic requirements. There are different endorsements. First the complex one, which applies to airplanes that have a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller. Also, the High Performance endorsement, which applies to airplanes with each engines producing more than 200 HP. Usually pilot will get endorsed for both complex and high performance during their training in a multi-engine airplane with all the required systems. Other endorsements you can obtain are tailwheel or High Altitude which is required to operate an airplane above 25000 feet, and will include a short training about physiology and its effect on the body, rapid decompression and sometime associated emergency procedures in a specific airplane.
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For complete eligibility and training requirements, please read the regulations specific to pilots seeking a rating or an endorsement by clicking here |