Type Rating

A type rating is a certification endorsement on a pilot's license that authorizes them to act as pilot-in-command or second-in-command of a specific complex aircraft type. Larger commercial aircraft — all jets above a certain weight threshold and all turboprop transports — require type-specific ratings because their handling characteristics, systems, and emergency procedures differ so substantially from general aircraft categories that a generic license cannot confer meaningful competence.

What Is a Type Rating?

Type ratings are issued by national aviation authorities and are recorded as specific endorsements on a pilot certificate. Under FAA rules, any aircraft type-certificated for more than one pilot, or with a maximum takeoff weight exceeding 12,500 pounds, requires a type rating. This means every commercial jet — from a Cessna Citation to an Airbus A380 — requires a separate type rating. An ATP certificate holder who is type-rated on the Boeing 737 may not legally act as captain or first officer of an Airbus A320 without obtaining a separate A320 type rating, even though both aircraft have similar cockpit philosophies and performance ranges. Similarly, a pilot type-rated on the A320 family cannot fly the A330 or A350 without additional type-specific qualification.

How It Works in Practice

Type rating training is conducted through an airline's approved training organization (ATO) or an external simulator training provider such as CAE or FlightSafety International. A typical initial type rating course runs 3 to 6 weeks and consists of computer-based systems training (CBT), full-flight simulator (FFS) sessions — typically 20 to 40 hours in an FAA Level D or EASA FSTD D qualified simulator — and a final evaluation conducted by an FAA-designated pilot examiner or authority-approved evaluator. The evaluation consists of a written knowledge test, a comprehensive oral examination, and a practical simulator check covering normal procedures, instrument approaches, and a full set of abnormal and emergency scenarios.

Airlines amortize type rating costs differently. At major carriers, the airline typically funds the initial type rating for a newly hired pilot as part of the onboarding process; the pilot may be subject to a training bond requiring repayment if they leave the carrier within one to three years. At some low-cost carriers in Europe and Asia, pilots are required to self-fund their type rating — a practice that ALPA and BALPA criticize as exploitative of the supply-demand imbalance in the pilot market.

Recurrent training on each type is required every six months under FAA and EASA rules. The recurrent check — an Operator Proficiency Check (OPC) in EASA terminology, a Proficiency Check (PC) in FAA language — covers a rotating selection of abnormal and emergency scenarios in the simulator, ensuring pilots maintain current competency on all critical procedures.

Why It Matters

Type ratings are the mechanism by which the aviation system ensures that aircraft with significantly different operational characteristics are flown only by pilots who have demonstrated specific competency for those characteristics. An A320's fly-by-wire flight envelope protection and the 737's more traditional feel system require different instincts and responses. A pilot transitioning between them without formal type training would face significant knowledge and technique gaps at precisely the moments when correct instincts matter most.

The commercial significance of type ratings extends beyond safety. Airlines manage their fleets in part by managing type coverage: a pilot qualified on only one aircraft type is inflexible in disruption scenarios where crew must be swapped between routes. Carriers that operate multiple narrowbody types — for example, carriers flying both A320 family and 737 family aircraft — incur significantly higher training costs than single-type operators like Ryanair (737 only) or easyJet (A320 family only), which are structured around the cost advantage of flying a single-type fleet. Southwest Airlines has famously operated an all-737 fleet since its founding in 1971, and this decision has been analyzed extensively in aviation economics as a source of training, scheduling, and maintenance cost advantages. Type rating training costs — running $25,000 to $50,000 per pilot per type at external simulator providers — factor materially into fleet acquisition decisions and the total cost of pilot workforce management.

Key Facts and Figures

• FAA type ratings are required for all aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight above 12,500 pounds or certificated for more than one pilot (14 CFR Part 61.31).
• A Level D full-flight simulator — the highest qualification — must replicate the aircraft within defined motion, visual, and systems fidelity standards; regulatory bodies conduct annual evaluations to confirm qualification.
• Airbus's Common Type Rating (CTR) allows pilots qualified on the A320 family to transition to A330 with reduced training under the "Cross-Crew Qualification" pathway; Boeing offers a similar pathway between 737 variants.
• A self-funded A320 type rating in Europe costs approximately €25,000 to €35,000 in 2024, a significant financial burden for newly commercial-rated pilots.
• FlightSafety International and CAE collectively operate over 400 commercial airline simulators globally, providing the primary infrastructure for type rating training.
• The EASA ZFTT (Zero Flight Time Training) pathway allows initial type ratings to be completed entirely in the simulator if specific conditions are met.

Related Concepts

Airline Transport Pilot License, Pilot Training Pipeline, Seniority System, First Officer, Crew Fatigue