About Pilot's Licenses

There are many types of pilot's licenses in the United States, providing graduated privileges for operating different types of aircraft under different conditions. Unlike driver's licenses, which are issued by each state, pilot's licenses are issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, and so the requirements and regulations are identical throughout the country.

Types

The basic privilege levels for pilot certifications in the US are as follows;
*Student Pilot: Although no license is needed to take flying lessons with an instructor, the student must secure this certificate before he can solo. It is issued by an FAA medical examiner together with a Class C medical certificate.
*Sport Pilot: A limited certification for pilots who fly low-powered lightweight sport aircraft. It is the only certification that does not require a medical certificate.
*Recreational Pilot: A certification that restricts the pilot to flying locally within a short distance of the airport of origin. It is often seen as an intermediate stage between the Student Pilot Certificate and the Private Pilot Certificate.
*Private Pilot: A certification with wide-ranging privileges: It generally allows the holder to carry passengers freely, and to fly either locally or long distances. This certificate specifically restricts the pilot from flying for hire.
*Commercial Pilot: A certification that grants the holder the right to fly for hire. It is often seen as an intermediate stage between the Private Pilot Certificate and the Airline Transport Pilots Certificate.
*Airline Transport Pilot: The highest level of pilot certification: It permits the holder to fly regularly scheduled flights for an airline.

Features

The basic ratings for airman licenses in the U.S. are as follows. These rating can be applied to a variety of certificate privilege levels.
*Single Engine--Land: Restricts the pilot to flying land-based aircraft (with wheels) that have a single engine.
*Multi Engine--Land: Permits the pilot to fly land based aircraft (with wheels) that have two or more engines.
*Single Engine--Sea: Permits the pilot to fly seaplanes (with floats) that have a single engine.
*Multi Engine--Sea: Permits the pilot to fly seaplanes (with floats) that have multiple engines
*Instrument: Permits the pilot to fly under instrument flight rules in weather conditions that severely restrict visibility.
*Certified Flight Instructor: Permits the pilot to act as a flight instructor. There are several subtypes of this certification in respect to the aircraft type and conditions (i.e. multi-engine, instrument).

Considerations

The following are requirements for the most common types of U.S. Pilot certificates:
Student Pilot:
Class 3 Medical Certificate,
Must be at least 16 years of age.
Private Pilot:
Class 3 Medical Certificate,
Must be at least 17 years of age,
Accumulate the following flight hours: 40 hours total, 20 hours with instructor, 10 hours solo, five hours solo cross-country, 3 hours night flying, 3 hours instrument training, pass written flight exam, pass FAA administered oral and flight test
Commercial Pilot:
Hold a Private Pilot certificate
At least 18 years of age
At least 190 total flight hours, 55 of which must be with an instructor
Pass FAA written test
Pass FAA administered oral and flight test
Airline Transport Pilot:
At least 23 years of age
At least 1,500 total flight hours
Hold Commercial Pilot certificate
Hold Instrument rating
Pass FAA written test
Pass FAA administered oral and flight test

Misconceptions

The following address some common misconceptions about pilot's licenses and the regulations applying to them.
A pilot certificate never expires: Technically this is true. A pilot certificate is issued for life. However, if a pilot does not fly a minimum number of hours every 90 days, he is considered inactive and must receive a flight instructor's endorsement in order to exercise the privileges of his certificate again.
Pilot certificates are not regulated by the state: They are issued and regulated by the FAA, and so a pilot does not need recertification if he moves, and the rules for flying are the same in every state. However, a pilot is required to keep the FAA updated any time his address changes in order to exercise the privileges of his certificate.
A pilot is required to file a flight plan for every flight: This is not true. The media often make a big deal about this when an accident occurs, but there is no requirement that a pilot file a flight plan, even for a long trip, as long as he his flying by visual flight rules. However, to fly under instrument flight rules, a flight plan is required.
Pilots normally complete their training in the minimum required time: This is not true.
Pilots must have perfect vision in order to fly: Not true. Pilots who wear glasses may fly as long as their corrected vision meets the current FAA minimum requirements.

Time Frame

Pilots do not rate their experience in terms of the number of years they have been flying, but rather by the number of hours they have flown. These hours are tracked in a log book, which also contains endorsements made by instructors. Flight hours are the basis for the experience requirements set out by the FAA for various pilot certificates and ratings.
However, while there are minimum requirements in terms of flight hours necessary for a given certificate, many student pilots fly significantly more than the legal minimum before actually completing their required training. For example, the Private Pilot Certificate has a minimum requirement of 40 hours, but it is not uncommon for pilots to log 60 or 70 hours before actually earning the certificate. This is not considered a sign of incompetence. Rather there are many sub-requirements, such as the number of hours that must be flown at night, and under other conditions, which can make it difficult to complete the requirements in the minimum time. Additionally, many students simply do not have the time to fly regularly because of jobs or other obligations, and so they end up spending a lot of time reviewing previously covered material.