BFCL.215  Commercial operation rating

(a)     A BPL holder shall exercise the privileges of his or her licence during commercial operations with balloons only if he or she holds a commercial operation rating in accordance with this point.

(b)     An applicant for a commercial operation rating shall:

(1)     have attained the age of 18 years;

(2)     have completed 50 hours of flight time and 50 take-offs and landings as PIC on balloons;

(3)     have the privileges for the class of balloon in which the privileges of the commercial operation rating will be exercised; and

(4)     have passed a skill test on the relevant class of balloon during which he or she shall demonstrate to an FE(B) the competence required for commercial balloon operations.

(c)      The privileges of the commercial operation rating shall be limited to the class of balloon in which the skill test in accordance with paragraph (b)(3) has been completed. The privileges shall be extended upon application to another class of balloon if, in that other class, the applicant complies with paragraph (b)(3) and (b)(4).

(d)     A pilot who holds a commercial operation rating shall exercise the privileges of that rating in commercial passenger ballooning only if he or she has completed:

(1)     within the 180 days preceding the planned flight:

(i)      at least three flights as PIC in balloons, of which at least one shall be in a balloon of the relevant class; or

(ii)     one flight as PIC in a balloon of the relevant class under the supervision of an FI(B) who is qualified in accordance with this point; and

(2)     within the 24 months preceding the planned flight:

(i)      a proficiency check, in a balloon of the relevant class, during which he or she shall demonstrate to an FE(B) the competence required for commercial passenger ballooning; or

(ii)     a refresher course at an ATO or a DTO, tailored to the competence required for commercial balloon operations, including at least six hours of theoretical knowledge instruction and one training flight in a balloon of the relevant class with an FI(B) who is qualified for commercial balloon operations in accordance with this point.

(e)     To maintain the privileges of the commercial operation rating for all balloon classes, a pilot who holds a commercial operation rating with privileges extended to more than one class of balloons shall comply with the requirements in paragraph (d)(2) in at least one class of balloons.

(f)      A pilot who complies with paragraph (d) and holds a commercial operation rating for the hot-air balloon class shall exercise the privileges of that rating in the hot-air balloon class only on balloons that represent:

(i)      the same group of the hot-air balloon in which the proficiency check as specified in paragraph (d)(2)(i) or the training flight as specified in paragraph (d)(2)(ii), have been completed; or

(ii)      a hot-air balloon group with a smaller envelope size.

(g)     The completion of the flight under supervision as specified in paragraph (d)(1)(ii), the proficiency check as specified in paragraph (d)(2)(i) and the refresher training course as specified in paragraph (d)(2)(ii) shall be entered in the logbook of the pilot and shall be signed by the head of training of the ATO or the DTO, or the FI(B) or the FE(B) that is responsible for the training course, the supervision or the proficiency check, as applicable.

(h)     A pilot who has completed an operator proficiency check in accordance with point BOP.ADD.315 of Annex II (Part- BOP) to this Regulation shall be deemed to comply with paragraph (d)(2)(i).