“For once you have tasted flight you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skywards, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”
–Leonardo Da Vinci.
If you are reading this, you too feel the urge to “taste flight”. If you are anything like me, you already walk around looking up at every airplane that flies by and wish you were flying. Before you jump in an airplane, make sure you have all your ducks in a row. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has established eligibility requirements for pilots that vary depending on what your aviation goals happen to be. Here I will focus on the most basic requirements to become a student pilot and later a private pilot in the US.
Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR)
First, a prospective pilot has to go down a checklist of items in the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR).
To be eligible to become a student pilot, you need to be at least 16 years old if you want to fly airplanes or helicopters. If gliders and hot air balloons are more your speed, you can be a student pilot at 14 years old.
To be eligible to become a private pilot, you need to be at least 17 years old for airplanes and helicopters. To fly gliders and balloons you need to be at least 16 years old.
The FAA also requires that all pilots that are issued pilot certificates have a command of the English language. That means that you can read, speak, write, and understand the English language. If you do not, there operating limitations on your certificate.
Medical Certificate
The second barrier to entry in the aviation world is the medical certificate. There are three different classes of medical certificates:
First Class: This is what airline pilots need
Second Class: This is what you need as a commercial pilot
Third Class: This is what you need as a private pilot
The physical standards for a third-class airman medical certificate are pretty straight forward:
Eyes:
Your need a visual acuity of 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without glasses or contacts, and the ability to perceive colors necessary for the safe operation of an aircraft. You also should have no condition of either eye that would reasonably be expected to progress or deteriorate your vision.
Ear, Nose, Throat, and Equilibrium:
A hearing test will be administered. A pilot should not have a condition that may be aggravated by flying or interfere with radio communications in the airplane.
Mental:
A pilot should have no established medical history or diagnosis of any personality disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorder, or substance dependence/abuse.
Neurotic:
You should have no established medical history or diagnosis of epilepsy, loss of consciousness without medical explanation, or seizures that would affect your performance in the aircraft.
Cardiovascular:
No established medical history or diagnosis of Myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, coronary heart disease, cardiac valve replacement, pacemaker, or heart replacement.
General medical condition:
Basically, you should be in good health. If you are going to be hundreds or thousands of feet above the ground in a machine that requires your undivided attention to bring you safely back to the ground, you should be generally in good health.
Now, just because you may not meet all of the requirements of this third class medical certificate, does not mean your dream of flying is dead. These are the standards for an airman medical examiner to issue an unrestricted medical certificate. If you fail any of these standards, the examiner can still issue you a medical certificate.
Coming soon… more on medical certificates.
Student Pilot
Applying for a Student Pilot Certificate
So, if you meet the requirements previously listed, it’s time to apply for your student pilot certificate. I say apply, which makes it sound like there is an essay involved, but really all you have to do is fill out some online forms in IACRA.
At the top right of the website there is a place to login, which you can’t do yet. Click on register and select your role as an applicant on the next page. Fill out the form and create your login information. After completing the registration process, you need to go back to the home page and login. Then create a new application as a student pilot, complete the forms and you should be on your way. If you have any trouble with the IACRA website, they have a new user guide on their home page or you can just click here.
Congratulations!
Welcome to the first day of the rest of your flying career. As a student pilot, you now have the ability to pursue a private pilot certificate. You have a license to learn. Keep educating yourself, and make sure you have a good knowledge base before you walk into a flight school and hand over your credit card.