Student pilot certificate

In the United States, a student pilot certificate is issued to a pilot in training, and is a prerequisite for the student to fly alone in the aircraft.

A medical certificate is required, which is issued directly by the AME. Prior to April 1, 2016, it could be issued by a medical doctor who is also an authorized aviation medical examiner (AME), in conjunction with the student's first medical certificate. Although the classification of the certificate does not matter, it is suggested that the student get a first-class certificate, as it helps in passing more difficult tests in the future.[1]

The student takes the certificate to their instructor, who then completes part of an application. All applications can be completed online through the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (ACCRA) on the Federal Aviation Administration's online portal. The student will fill out the remaining portion. The completed application is sent to the FAA, which will send the student pilot certificate to the student. A temporary certificate is available after the form has been approved (approximately two weeks after submission). During the solo flying test and until the official card is received in the mail, you can use this temporary paper card. Earning a student pilot certificate is an indication that a solo flight might be approaching even though getting one is necessary and does not always happen right before one.

Steps

Obtaining a student pilot certificate authorizing solo flight requires four steps:

  1. Be 16 years of age or older (14 years for gliders and balloons)
  2. Pass a flight physical administered by an aviation medical examiner (for powered aircraft only, excluding gliders and balloons) (1st, 2nd, or 3rd class acceptable)
  3. Receive ground and flight instruction (this is often around 20–25 hours of actual flight instruction before a solo and thus the cost can be expensive)
  4. Earn an endorsement from a certificated flight instructor
  5. Some flight schools require students to have personal insurance before they use their student license and fly their first solo flight. There are many different ways to go about getting insurance, and the amount of coverage, as well as the cost, can vary. Instructors generally have information of this.

Although there are minimum ages for licenses, there is no minimum age for when flight training can occur. In the aviation industry all time should be logged; therefore if a prospective student goes flying at 12 years old with proper educational guidance, the prospective student should log the time.

Private pilot licenses require a minimum of 40 hours. Commercial licenses require a minimum of 250 hours. In order to be considered for an airline position, most airlines require at least 1500 hours of total flight time.

Student pilot certificates allow students to fly the plane by themselves, with instructor permission. The time logged flying under the student pilot certificate is PIC (or pilot in command time), meaning all responsibilities are on the student pilot.

There are limitations to this student pilot certificate. Students can only fly under visual flight rules (VFR). Additionally, their instructor remains responsible for furthering the student's knowledge of aviation. This means students are unable to rent a plane and pilot it as they wish. Lastly, they may not fly for compensation or hire as a student pilot.

See also

References
  1. "Become a Pilot". FAA.

https://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/student_cert https://www.gtc.edu/sites/default/files/files/documents/1550001446/Medical%20and%20Student%20Pilot%20Cert%20Help.pdf

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.