Part-66 licence categories: A, B1, B2, B2L, B3, L and C explained
The Part-66 aircraft maintenance licence is divided into categories and subcategories that match the type of aircraft. Knowing which one applies helps engineers, students and independent certifying staff plan their path.
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The categories and subcategories
Category A and category B1 are split into turbine and piston aeroplanes and helicopters, with B1 also including B1.E for aeroplanes with an electric power plant and a maximum take-off mass below 5 700 kg. The B2 licence applies to all aircraft, while B2L applies to aircraft outside Group 1 and is split into system ratings (com/nav, instruments, autoflight, surveillance, airframe systems), with at least one rating required.
B3 covers piston-engine non-pressurised aeroplanes of 2 000 kg or less. Category L covers light aircraft, from L1 and L1C for sailplanes to L2 and L2C for powered sailplanes and ELA1 aeroplanes, and L3 to L5 for balloons and airships. The C licence applies to aeroplanes and helicopters.
Aircraft groups and ratings
For ratings, aircraft fall into four groups. Group 1 includes, for example, aeroplanes above 5 700 kg, jets, multi-turboprops and aircraft with fly-by-wire systems. Group 2 covers single turboprop aeroplanes, single-engine helicopters and electric aeroplanes; Group 3 covers other piston aeroplanes; Group 4 covers sailplanes, powered sailplanes, balloons and airships.
To certify on a given aircraft, the licence must be endorsed with the right rating: for B1, B2 and C, a type rating for Group 1 and type, subgroup or group ratings for the other groups; B2L, B3 and L licences use their own subgroup, group or category ratings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum age for a Part-66 licence?
An applicant must be at least 18 years old. Applications are made on EASA Form 19.
Does the licence expire?
It becomes invalid 5 years after its last issue or change unless the holder submits it to the issuing authority for a records check. Certification privileges based on it lapse at the same time.
What recency is required to exercise privileges?
In the preceding 2 years, the holder must have had 6 months of maintenance experience matching the licence privileges, or have met the conditions for issue of those privileges, and must also be competent for the aircraft and able to understand the language of the technical documentation.
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This base's MCP server URL (tools ask_base and search_base):
https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66Claude Code, Cursor and other clients
claude mcp add --transport http kopik-eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66 "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66" --header "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…"{
"mcpServers": {
"kopik-eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66": {
"url": "https://kopik.io/api/mcp?base=eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer kpk_…"
}
}
}
}REST API for your apps
mode is "answer" (written answer + sources) or "passages" (raw passages only). Add an optional maxPriceCents to cap the price: if the base costs more, the call is refused and nothing is charged.
curl -X POST https://kopik.io/api/v1/bases/eu-easa-continuing-airworthiness-ml-66/query \
-H "Authorization: Bearer kpk_…" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
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kpk_…with your key. - Full details (responses, errors, JS and Python examples): developer docs.