mmarshall

Basically, that is what they do with civilian aircraft. You have a number of different licenses and ratings. Private, Commercial, Air Transport Pilot, Airplane Single Engine, Multi-Engine, Landplane, Seaplane, Airship, Balloon, Glider, Multi-Engine Tandem (Centerline Thrust), Instrument, and several types of Instructor ratings as well. In addition, aircraft type ratings are often required for specific aircraft...and all jets. The military, of course, has their own aviation training requirements for each branch of the service.

Lil4X

Good points, guys - with the growing cry for a "national" driver's license, maybe it's time we thought about classifications of permits. I know when I was 14 I got a motorcycle license, but was restricted to "5 brake horsepower" I was not eligible for anything else until I was 16. I got a regular driver's license at that point, but because of my job, I needed a "commercial" driver's license when I was 17.

In those days, as today, there were only three classes of license in Texas: Operator, Commercial, and Chauffeur (carrying people for hire, like bus and taxi drivers). All were written tests with no practical demonstration of skills needed.

I was stunned to learn that a commercial license - which I needed to drive a small company delivery van - was all I needed to drive anything with wheels on a public highway. I could technically drive an 18-wheeler cross country with no more additional knowledge than where to place the flares if my vehicle stalled, that I had to carry a fire extinguisher, and a couple of other minor points. Incredible. I took no additional driving test, and I did not have to prove I could actually drive a truck. The only drawback to a CDL was that it had to be renewed annually, meaning for about $14 bucks I filled out a form and requested a replacement.

I maintained that license until I was about 25 when I decided I wasn't going to be a truck driver for a living and just applied for a regular Operator's License that would be good for four years. Thinking back, I wonder how many real truck drivers on the road had no more training or experience than I did. As late as 1980, Texas state law required no more training than I had, but most companies that operated significant truck fleets spent a good deal of money training their drivers both in the classroom and on a closed course, to drive one of their big investments with skill and safety.