Pilot licences (in the United States, certificates) are issued by national aviation authorities, and establish that the holder has been trained by a qualified instructor and has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements. The licensed pilot can then exercise a specific set of privileges in the nation’s airspace. Despite attempts to harmonize the requirements between nations, the differences in certification practices and standards from place to place serve to limit full international validity of the national qualifications.

In the US, certificates are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — certificate is the proper term, although the word license (note the spelling) is commonly used, even by the FAA. In Canada, licences are issued by Transport Canada, and in the United Kingdom by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... It has been suggested that Licensing (strategic alliance) be merged into this article or section. ... The Department of Transport, also referred to as Transport Canada, is the department within the government of Canada which is responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of transportation in Canada. ... The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is the public corporation which oversees and regulates all aspects of aviation in the UK. It was established in 1972. ...

Anyone can handle the controls of an aircraft on a non-commercial flight, whether they are licensed or not. However, at all times, an aircraft in flight must be under the authority of an appropriately qualified pilot, who is responsible for the safe and legal completion of the flight.

General structure of certification

Pilots are qualified to fly at a specific privilege level, and in one or more specific categories of aircraft. Examples of privilege level found in most countries are:

• Student: the pilot who is being trained by an instructor for their first full certificate, and is permitted to fly alone (solo) under specified circumstances.
• Private: the pilot who flies for his or her own pleasure and is not allowed to accept compensation for flying except in some specific circumstances.
• Commercial: the pilot can fly for hire.
• Airline Transport: the pilot can be the captain for a scheduled airline.

Others include

• Sport pilot certificate (United States only), used for Light-sport aircraft, a category that was designated in 2004. These aircraft are larger and faster than ultralights, and carry more fuel and often one passenger.

The ultralight category of aircraft in the US requires no specific training and no certification. In the U.S., a Sport Pilot Certificate allows the pilot to operate a light-sport aircraft (a small, low-powered aircraft), under a limited set of flight conditions. ... Light-sport aircraft is a definition by the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States for aircraft with a maximum gross takeoff weight of less than 1320 lb (with some exceptions for seaplanes), a maximum airspeed in level flight of 120 knots, one or two seats, a fixed pitch propeller... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Huntair Pathfinder Mark 1 ultralight During the late 1970s and early 1980s, many people around the world sought to be able to fly affordably. ...

The pilot can separately add certain ratings, such as the instrument rating. Instrument Rating refers to the qualifications that a pilot must have in order to fly under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). ...

See also

• Pilot certification in the United States
• Pilot licensing in Canada
• Pilot licensing in the United Kingdom