Pilot Qualifications Flashcards
What are the eligibility requirements for a private pilot (airplane) certificate? (14 CFR 61.103)
a. Be at least 17 years of age.
b. Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the English language.
c. Hold at least a current third-class medical certificate.
d. Received the required ground and flight training endorsements.
e. Meet the applicable aeronautical experience requirements.
f. Passed the required knowledge and practical tests.
What privileges and limitations apply to a private pilot? (14 CFR 61.113)
No person who holds a private pilot certificate may act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers or property for compensation or hire; nor may that person, for compensation or hire, act as pilot in command of an aircraft. A private pilot—
a. May act as PIC of an aircraft in connection with any business or employment if it is only incidental to that business or employment and does not carry passengers or property for compensation or hire.
b. May not pay less than the pro rata share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees.
c. May act as PIC of a charitable, nonprofit, or community event flight described in 14 CFR §91.146, if the sponsor and pilot comply with the requirements of that regulation.
d. May be reimbursed for aircraft operating expenses that are directly related to search and location operations, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures, or rental fees, and the operation is sanctioned and under the direction and control of local, state, or Federal agencies or organizations that conduct search and location operations.
e. May demonstrate an aircraft in flight to a prospective buyer if the private pilot is an aircraft salesman and has at least 200 hours of logged flight time.
f. May act as PIC of an aircraft towing a glider or unpowered ultralight vehicle, provided they meet the requirements of 14 CFR §61.69.
g. May act as PIC for the purpose of conducting a production flight test in a light-sport aircraft intended for certification in the light-sport category under 14 CFR §21.190, provided they meet the requirements of §61.113.
Explain the statement “may not pay less than pro-rata share of the operating expenses of a flight.” (14 CFR 61.113)
Pro-rata means “proportional.” The pilot may not pay less than his or her proportional share of the flight’s operating expenses with the passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures or rental fees.
The annual inspection for your aircraft is now due and you ask several friends that fly with you regularly to contribute money to help you pay for the inspection. Do the regulations allow for these contributions? (14 CFR 61.113)
No. A private pilot may not pay less than the pro rata (proportional) share of the operating expenses of a flight with passengers, provided the expenses involve only fuel, oil, airport expenditures or rental fees. Note: The regulation applies to “the operating expenses of a flight,” and does not allow for the sharing of fixed or long term operating costs of the airplane with passengers.
To act as a required pilot flight crewmember of a civil aircraft, what must a pilot have in his/her physical possession or readily accessible in the aircraft? (14 CFR 61.3)
a. A pilot certificate (or special purpose pilot authorization).
b. A photo identification.
c. A medical certificate (with certain exceptions as provided in 14 CFR §61.3).
While you are performing a preflight inspection on your aircraft, an inspector from the FAA introduces herself and says she wants to conduct a ramp inspection. What documents are you required to show the inspector? (14 CFR 61.3)
Each person who holds an airman certificate, medical certificate, authorization, or license required by Part 61 must present it and their photo identification for inspection upon a request from the administrator, an authorized NTSB representative, any federal, state, or local law enforcement officer, or an authorized representative of the TSA.
What is the definition of a high-performance airplane, and what must you do to act as pilot-in-command of such an airplane? (14 CFR 61.31)
A high-performance is an airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower. To act as PIC of a high-performance you must have:
a. Received and logged ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a high-performance airplane, or in a flight simulator or flight training device that is representative of a high-performance airplane, and have been found proficient in the operation and systems of that airplane.
b. Received and logged a one-time endorsement in your logbook from an authorized instructor who certifies you are proficient to operate a high-performance airplane.
Other than high-performance and complex aircraft, what other types of aircraft (ASEL) require specific training and logbook endorsements from an appropriately rated flight instructor? (14 CFR 61.31)
High-altitude airplane—No person may act as pilot-in-command of a pressurized airplane that has a service ceiling or maximum operating altitude (whichever is lower), above 25,000 feet MSL unless that person has completed the ground and flight training specified and has received a logbook or training record endorsement from an authorized instructor certifying satisfactory completion of the training.
Tailwheel airplane—No person may act as pilot-in-command of a tailwheel airplane unless that person has received and logged flight training from an authorized instructor in a tailwheel airplane and received an endorsement in the person’s logbook from an authorized instructor who found the person proficient in the operation of a tailwheel airplane. The training and endorsement is not required if the person logged pilot-in-command time in a tailwheel airplane before April 15, 1991.
What is the definition of a complex airplane, and what must you do to act as pilot-of-command of such an airplane? (14 CFR 61.1, 61.31)
A “complex airplane” is defined as an airplane that has a retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller; including airplanes equipped with a full-authority digital engine control (FADEC). To act as pilot-in-command of such an airplane, you must have:
a. Received and logged ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a complex airplane, or in a flight simulator or flight training device that is representative of a complex airplane and have been found proficient in the operation and systems of the airplane.
b. Received a one-time endorsement in your logbook from an authorized instructor who certifies you are proficient to operate a complex airplane.
With respect to certification, privileges, and limitations of airmen, define the terms: category, class, and type. (14 CFR Part 1)
Category—a broad classification of aircraft; i.e., airplane, rotorcraft, glider, etc. Class—a classification of aircraft within a category having similar operating characteristics; i.e., single-engine land, multi-engine land; etc.
Type—a specific make and basic model of aircraft including modifications that do not change its handling or flight characteristics; i.e., DC-9, B-737, C-150, etc.
What are the requirements to remain current as a private pilot? (14 CFR 61.56, 61.57)
a. Within the preceding 24 months, accomplished a flight review given in an aircraft for which that pilot is rated by an authorized instructor and received a logbook endorsement certifying that the person has satisfactorily completed the review.
b. To carry passengers, a pilot must have made, within the preceding 90 days: • three takeoffs and landings as the sole manipulator of flight controls of an aircraft of the same category and class and, if a type rating is required, of the same type.
• if the aircraft is a tailwheel airplane, the landings must have been made to a full stop in an airplane with a tailwheel.
• if operations are to be conducted during the period beginning 1 hour after sunset and 1 hour before sunrise, with passengers on board, the PIC must have, within the preceding 90 days, made at least three takeoffs and three landings to a full stop during that period in an aircraft of the same category, class, and type (if a type is required), of aircraft to be used.
You have not kept up with logging each of your recent flights. Are you in violation of any regulation? (14 CFR 61.51)
No. You’re only required to document and record the training and aeronautical experience used to meet the requirements for a certificate, rating, or flight review, and the aeronautical experience required for meeting the recent flight experience requirements.
You’re flying in a single-engine, high performance, complex airplane. You hold a Private Pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating, but don’t have a high-performance or complex airplane endorsement. Your friend, who has those endorsements, is acting as PIC for the flight. Can you log PIC time for the time you act as sole manipulator of the controls? Explain.
(14 CFR 61.31, 61.51)
Yes, 14 CFR §61.51 governs the logging of pilot-in-command (PIC) time and states that a sport, recreational, private, commercial, or airline transport pilot may log PIC time for the time during which that pilot is “sole manipulator of the controls of an aircraft for which the pilot is rated or has privileges.”
Explain the difference between being “current” and being “proficient.” (FAA-H-8083-2, FAA-P-8740-36)
Being “current” means that a pilot has accomplished the minimum FAA regulatory requirements within a specific time period so he or she can exercise the privileges of their certificate. It means that you’re “legal” to make a flight, but does not necessarily mean that you’re proficient or competent to make that flight.
Being “proficient” means that a pilot is capable of conducting a flight with a high degree of competence; it requires that the pilot must have a wide range of knowledge and skills. Being proficient is not about just being “legal” in terms of the regulations, but is about being “smart” and “safe” in terms of pilot experience and proficiency.
How will establishing a personal minimums checklist reduce risk? (FAA-H-8083-25)
Professional pilots live by the numbers, and so should you. Pre-established numbers can make it a lot easier to come to a smart go/no-go or diversion decision, than would the vague sense that you can “probably” deal with the conditions you face at any given time. A written set of personal minimums also make it easier to explain tough cancelation or diversion decisions to passengers who are, after all, trusting their lives to your aeronautical skill and judgment.
