The UK Flight Radiotelephony Operator’s Licence (FRTOL) is a UK licence issued under the authority of the Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016. Details are in Schedule 8, Part 1, Chapter 2, Section 4. The FRTOL is an ICAO Annex 1 compliant licence and permits the operation of an Aeronautical Radio Station in a UK-registered aircraft anywhere in the world.
General information regarding the FRTOL may be found on the CAA website here
To obtain the FRTOL, a successful pass in both the Communications theory exam and the FRTOL Practical test is required, along with demonstrating English Language Proficiency at level 4, 5 or 6. It is not unusual for student pilots to have completed some training and possibly the Communications theory exam as part of their ongoing NPPL or EASA PPL/LAPL training; they just need to pass the FRTOL Practical Test. Other applicants arrive having already been issued with a flight crew licence of one sort or another but need a more comprehensive mentoring course.
Gaining the skills to be able to use the radio effectively when in the air really takes a two-stage process. Firstly, the mentoring takes between 10 and 12 hours, which is normally broken down into five 2-hour online sessions followed by a period of rehearsal. The rehearsal phase is really important, and Andrews’ Aviation recommends FlyerDavidUK. David is a commercial pilot and flight instructor with instrument rating and night rating instruction privileges and offers bespoke training so that you arrive at your practical test ready to “Pass your message!”. So, if you need training, a pre-test rehearsal session or post-licence issue confidence building, head over to FlyerDavidUK.
Book your Communications theory exam and FRTOL Practical Test.
Examination Validity
If the Communications examination is taken together with the theoretical examinations for the issue of a PPL, LAPL, or NPPL licence the examination validity periods as per UK Part- FCL.025 apply;
(b)(2) an applicant has successfully completed the required theoretical knowledge examination for the appropriate pilot licence or rating if he or she has passed all the required theoretical knowledge examination papers within a period of 18 months counted from the end of the calendar month when the applicant first attempted an examination.
(c)(1)(i) The successful completion of the theoretical knowledge examinations will be valid for the issue of a light aircraft pilot licence or a private pilot licence, for a period of 24 months, which shall be counted from the day when the pilot successfully completes the theoretical knowledge examination, in accordance with (b)(2).
What isn’t clear from UK Part-FCL.025 is the scenario where a pilot already holds a flight crew licence or someone who doesn’t intend to ever hold a flight crew licence but wishes to apply for the FRTOL. This category of applicant doesn’t appear to fall within the scope of (b)(2) because they haven’t ‘…successfully completed the required theoretical knowledge examination for the appropriate pilot licence or rating…’
Neither will they fall within the scope of (c)(1)(i) because they haven’t ‘…successfully completed the theoretical knowledge examinations…’ ‘…for the issue of a light aircraft pilot licence or a private pilot licence…’
I recently managed to clarify this with UK CAA and their policy is that a pass in the Communications TK exam is valid for a period of 24 months, which shall be counted from the day when the pilot successfully completes the theoretical knowledge examination, in accordance with (b)(2).