Ratings

A rating records a qualification a member holds — either something that has to be kept current, like a BFR or a medical, or a milestone on the way up a formal ladder, like an instructor category. You add one from a member's Ratings page; see Add a rating to a member.

Not everything a pilot earns is a rating. Logbook endorsements (ridge flying, a launch type) and stages in the Pilot Training Programme (Soaring Pilot, Task Pilot) belong in a logbook or the PTP, not here. The list below was reduced to actual ratings in 2026 by the GNZ National Operations Officer; the entries that came off are in No longer issued at the bottom of this page.

Ratings you can record

Currency

Rating	What it means
BFR (Biennial Flight Review)	The two-yearly flight review that keeps a pilot current. Expires two years (or sooner at the discretion of the instructor) after it's granted.
ICR (Instructor Competency Review)	The two-yearly review for instructors. Since OPS09 (August 2024) an ICR also satisfies the BFR, so the ratings report shows the two as one BFR/ICR column and takes whichever is later.

Medicals

Rating	What it means
GNZ Medical	Gliding New Zealand's own medical declaration.
Class 1 Medical	CAA Class 1 medical certificate. Defaults to a one-year expiry.
Class 2 Medical	CAA Class 2 medical certificate. Defaults to a five-year expiry.
NZTA Medical DL9	The NZTA DL9 driver-licence medical certificate. Defaults to a two-year expiry.

How long a medical counts for when carrying passengers depends on the pilot's age at the time it was granted, so the ratings report works that out for you rather than using the expiry date you enter.

Pilot qualifications

Rating	What it means
Solo Pilot	The pilot has been cleared to fly solo. Carries a number. Recording it is worthwhile even though it isn't needed for anything else — it's the only way GNZ can count pilots reaching solo.
XCP (Cross Country Pilot)	The current cross-country qualification, and the one that carries passenger-carrying with it. Carries a number. Only the awards officer or a GNZ administrator can grant it. See QGP and XCP.
PPL (Glider)	CAA Private Pilot Licence for gliders. The (Glider) matters — the same acronym exists for powered aircraft.
CPL (Glider)	CAA Commercial Pilot Licence for gliders.

Official Observers

Rating	What it means
Official Observer	Authorised to witness and verify FAI badge and record claims. Only the awards officer or a GNZ administrator can grant it.
Senior Official Observer	As above, with the wider authority a senior observer carries. Awards officer or GNZ administrator only.

Instructors

Rating	What it means
Instructor A Cat	The senior instructor category. An A Cat trains other instructors and keeps an overall watch over operational standards — both come with the category, so there's no separate marker for either.
Instructor B Cat	Mid-level instructor category.
Instructor C Cat	Entry-level instructor category.

An instructor category doesn't lapse on its own — currency comes from the ICR — so the Add Rating form leaves the expiry as Never unless you change it.

Launching

Rating	What it means
Tow Pilot	Qualified to fly the tug.
Tow Pilot Instructor	Qualified to train tow pilots.
Winch Driver	Qualified to run the winch. Trained under its own PTP programme, which sits in the PTP's "other training" track rather than the pilot ladder.

Powered gliders

Recorded per engine type rather than as one general rating.

Rating	What it means
Powered Glider SUS	Self-sustaining — an engine that keeps the glider airborne but can't launch it.
Powered Glider SLG	Self-launching glider.
Powered Glider TMG	Touring motor glider.

Aerobatics

Rating	What it means
Aerobatic Flight Rating	Cleared for aerobatic flight.
Aerobatic Instructor (Aero)	Qualified to instruct aerobatics.
Aerobatic Instructor (Advanced Aero)	Qualified to instruct advanced aerobatics.

No longer issued

These entries can no longer be added to a member. Anyone who already holds one keeps it — it still shows on their Ratings page, and nothing has been removed from anyone's record. They just don't appear in the Select rating… dropdown any more.

Most were never ratings in the first place. They fall into four groups.

Withdrawn qualifications

Entry	Why it's gone
QGP	Replaced by the XCP. See QGP and XCP.
Instructor Trainer	GNZ used to let a B Cat hold an extra rating to train instructors. That left the A Cat's job description vague, so the rule changed: you now need an A Cat to train instructors, and it's one of the two things an A Cat is there to do. Existing holders keep the rating; no new ones are issued. A member's Ratings page still shows it, but the ratings report no longer flags them as a "Trainer".
Instructor D Cat	Instructor category no longer issued.
Class 3 Medical	No longer among the medicals GNZ accepts.
Powered Glider	Replaced by the three engine-type ratings above. Existing holders keep the general rating, because which engine type they flew was never recorded.

Logbook endorsements

Recorded in the pilot's logbook, not against their membership.

Entry	Why it's gone
Passenger	Passenger-carrying comes automatically with the XCP.
Front Seat Passenger	Logbook endorsement.
Back Seat Passenger	Logbook endorsement.
Cross Country Clearance	Logbook endorsement.
Ridge Flying	Logbook endorsement.
Mountain Flying	Logbook endorsement.
Aerotow Launch	Launch-type endorsement.
Winch Launch	Launch-type endorsement. Distinct from the Winch Driver rating above, which is still issued.
Auto Launch	Launch-type endorsement.

Pilot Training Programme stages

Progress through the PTP, tracked there rather than as a rating. Solo Pilot and XCP are the exceptions — they stay, because GNZ counts them.

Entry
A Syllabus
B Syllabus
Soaring Pilot
Task Pilot
Alpine Pilot

Not GNZ qualifications

Entry	Why it's gone
IMC	Not a GNZ rating.
Radio Operators Certificate	Not a GNZ rating.