Certificates and Documents
This lesson explains the legal documents that pilots must carry on board when they exercise their pilot privileges. Pilots must know not only what you need to carry, but also when certain documents expire and will need to be renewed.
Lesson Notes
When you fly, you are required to bring three legal documents:
- Your pilot license (more often referred to as a certificate)
- Your medical certificate
- A government issued photo ID (there is no photo on your pilot’s certificate)
If you are a student pilot on a solo flight, you will also be required to carry endorsements with you. Most often, these will be in your logbook, and therefore your logbook becomes the fourth legal document you need. Private pilots do not need endorsements to fly solo, and therefore can (and should) leave their logbook at home.
A note on medical certificates: BasicMed is a new program that allows pilots that have previously been issued medical certificates to continue operating without needing to renew their certificate, assuming they operate within certain restrictions on altitude, airspeed, seat capacity and flying for compensation. Essentially it allows general aviation pilots to continue flying without needing to go through the medical process so often.
Additional Resources
Flashcard Questions
Do you need to have your pilot’s license with you when you fly?
What three documents must you carry with you when you fly?
Does a private pilot need to carry a logbook? What about a student pilot?
When does your medical certificate expire?
You arrive to the airport only to realize that you’ve left your logbook at home. As a private pilot, can you still fly?
You recently lost your wallet, but you have a student ID in your backpack. Can you use that to fulfill the photo ID requirement?
Your friend has a 3rd class medical issued July 17th, 2018 and is 41 years old. What is the last day she may use her medical certificate?
Your friend has a 1st class medical issued Aug 15th, 2018 and is 34 years old. What is the last day he may use his medical certificate for an operating requiring 3rd class privileges?