Those who command the ships at a global level must have Master's tickets that are foreign going . These signify that a person has the skills and experience to navigate ships according to internationally agreed standards and regulations. For coastal and inland waters different countries have their own network of regulations and different certificates for different sizes of boats.

Airline pilots start their flying careers by gaining a private pilot's license (PPL). They may then graduate to flying a variety of light aircraft types and advance to twin engine capability. They may also obtain their instrument rating to allow night flying operations. Once they have gained sufficient flying hours they can be examined and tested for a commercial pilot's licence (CPL). Those bent on a career as a pilot will seek employment with small commercial airlines initially flying as a co-pilot until experienced enough to take command. There follows a progression of learning to fly bigger aircraft, including jet aircraft, in each case obtaining a type rating that only remains valid if sufficient hours are flown in a given period on that type of aircraft. Most commercial airlines ensure that their pilots all gain experience over specific routes and at specific airports as a co-pilot before taking a command role. Advancement comes with seniority and the build-up of hours logged on specific aircraft. Senior pilots act as check pilots to ensure that pilots are familiar with the equipment they are using. Considerable use is made of flight simulators to...