LEFT SEAT CULTURE PILOT TOOLS

UK Pilot Licence & Currency Checker

Can I fly? What expires when? And what do I need to do next? Work through UK licence, rating, recency and revalidation requirements in plain English.

LICENCE & CURRENCY CHECKER

Can I fly? What expires when? What do I need next?

v1.4.2Ruleset 2026.08Reviewed 17 August 2026

Guidance, not licensing authority

This tool helps you navigate published UK CAA and BMAA requirements. It does not determine your legal entitlement to fly. Results depend on the information you enter and only cover the checks shown. You remain responsible for confirming your licence, ratings, medical status, recency and privileges before flight.

What are you trying to work out?

Choose the question closest to yours.

Check me nowDo the main licence, rating and medical checks look satisfied? Plan my revalidationWhat have I completed and what remains before expiry? My rating has expiredUnderstand renewal rather than revalidation.

Your licence and rating

Use what is actually printed on your licence where possible.

Licence Rating you want to check Where is the rating shown? Rating expiry date

Where do I find this on my licence?

Rating expiryLook for the Certificate of Revalidation section and find the row for the rating you are checking, such as SEP (Land). Use the “Valid Until” date.

Active or previously held?An active rating should appear in the current ratings / Certificate of Revalidation area. If it appears only under “Ratings Previously Held”, do not assume it can simply be revalidated by experience.

Not sure what you have?Use the wording printed on the licence rather than what you remember being issued. If it is still unclear, stop and ask an appropriately authorised instructor or examiner to look at the document.

Flying experience for this rating period

Enter qualifying totals. For SEP/TMG, the final-12-month figure is important under the current rule.

Optional: import a Logbook.aero CSV

If you use Logbook.aero, the checker can calculate the figures below from an exported CSV. If you do not, just enter your totals manually as normal.

Choose CSV

Processed on your deviceThe CSV is read locally in your browser. It is not uploaded to or stored by Left Seat Culture.

Which aircraft can count towards SEP revalidation?

SEP aeroplanes can count. Current CAA guidance also permits qualifying flight time in three-axis microlight aeroplanes to count towards FCL.740.A requirements. This can include the refresher training flight where the applicable differences-training, instructor and non-Part-21 requirements are met.

The importer will suggest classifications for common types, but you remain responsible for confirming that the actual aircraft and flight qualify. Weight alone does not determine whether an aircraft is a microlight.

Examples commonly encountered in UK microlighting: SkyRanger/Nynja, Ikarus C42 and EV-97 Eurostar variants may be three-axis microlights depending on the individual aircraft/configuration and certification. Always confirm the actual aircraft.

Manual totalsThese remain editable after an import.

Total qualifying hours Hours in final 12 months PIC hours Take-offs Landings Refresher / instructional flying

Aircraft used for refresher/instruction Instead, have you passed a qualifying proficiency check / skill test / assessment of competence that exempts the refresher requirement?

This tool does not try to decide whether every individual logbook entry is creditable. If cross-crediting, multiple ratings or unusual aircraft are involved, verify the entries with an appropriately authorised instructor or examiner.

Medical and intended privileges

This is a privilege check, not a medical fitness assessment.

What are you relying on? Where do you intend to fly? Aircraft MTOM Instrument privileges intended?

PLAIN ENGLISH

Useful terms

Revalidation

Extending a rating while it is still valid, either by experience or by the applicable check route.

Renewal

Restoring a rating after it has expired. Once the expiry date has passed, the revalidation-by-experience route is no longer the same process.

Recency

A requirement that may need to be satisfied to exercise particular privileges even while a licence or rating remains valid.

FCL.945

Privileges that allow an appropriately qualified instructor to perform specified revalidation administrative actions, including endorsement in applicable circumstances.

RECENT RULE CHANGES

Why this may differ from what you remember

October 2025SEP/TMG revalidation-by-experience requirements changed, including how flying across the 24-month validity period is counted.

1 October 2026Existing LAPL(A) holders move to the FCL.740.A Certificate of Revalidation framework.

31 October 2026The final historic 5-in-13 Microlight/SLMG transition exemption ends.

OFFICIAL SOURCES

Current guidance behind the checker

Links go to the CAA/BMAA rather than locally stored copies so pilots can see the current published guidance and forms.

CAA — SEP ratingRevalidation, renewal and application routes. CAA — LAPL(A)2026 transition to FCL.740.A. CAA — 5 in 13 transitionFinal transitional period to 31 October 2026. CAA — Medical requirementsClass medical and PMD privilege limitations. BMAA — Staying currentPractical Microlight revalidation guidance. CAA — Current formsAlways use the current CAA form/version.

Important information and disclaimer

Left Seat Culture provides this tool for general information and educational purposes only. It is intended to help pilots understand published UK licensing, rating, recency, medical and revalidation requirements.

The tool does not constitute legal, regulatory, medical or flight-safety advice and does not determine whether you are legally entitled or fit to operate a particular flight. Aviation regulations, exemptions, CAA policies, forms and administrative procedures can change. Individual licensing circumstances may differ, particularly where licences or ratings have expired, been converted, renewed or issued under previous regulatory regimes.

Results are based solely on the information you provide and the rules supported by the version shown here. You are responsible for verifying your licence privileges, ratings, medical status, recency and any other applicable requirements before flying. Where there is doubt, consult current CAA requirements and an appropriately authorised instructor, examiner, medical professional or licensing authority as applicable.

Tool v1.4.2 · Ruleset 2026.08 · Regulatory information reviewed 17 August 2026

SMARTER FOLLOW-UP

Keep track of your revalidation

Optional helpers for returning later, checking imported-flight calculations and sharing a concise summary. They do not change the regulatory checks.

Recommended next action

Complete the checker and we’ll suggest the most useful next step.

Calculation audit

Import a Logbook.aero CSV to review the flight records used by the importer.

Show imported-flight audit

No imported flight audit is available yet.

Return next time

Save your current non-file form entries in this browser only.

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