Help!

Searching online for help when you have a flight training question often results in many possible answers that may or may not be correct, and do not take into account the nuance of your personal situation. But AOPA is here to help.

Each year AOPA’s Pilot Information Center (PIC)—a team of 14 medical certification specialists, pilots, and flight instructors who have more than 80,000 hours of collective flight experience—responds to more than 30,000 aviation-related questions and 25,000 medical-related questions. The PIC is an AOPA member benefit, so only AOPA members can ask questions except for BasicMed and online flight instructor renewal course (eFIRC) questions.

When you have a question, you can call PIC at 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time. You can also email or chat with the PIC team at aopa.org/PIC.

Below the PIC team answers the questions most frequently asked by AOPA members about flight training.

Q: As a student pilot just beginning my flight training, when is the best time to apply for a medical certificate?

A: A student pilot should apply for a medical certificate before beginning flight training or soon after, prior to investing a lot of money in lessons. “We suggest new students complete the MedXPress simulator, which is on the AOPA website, so they understand what’s being asked on the FAA medical certificate application,” said AOPA Senior Medical Certification Specialist Jacquie Brown, who has been with AOPA for 21 years. “Once we get that Wingman Med application, we can go over all those answers with the member.” If you’re concerned about a condition that may complicate your medical certification or prevent you from becoming a pilot, such as taking ADHD medications or having a DUI, Brown suggests calling the PIC to speak with a medical certification specialist.


Q: As a student pilot, what class of medical certificate should I apply for?

A: If you are pursuing a sport pilot certificate, a medical certificate is not required. For recreational or private student pilots, Brown advises, “Only apply for the class that you’re going to use the privileges for.” Students who only intend to fly recreationally should apply for a third class and aspiring airline pilots should apply for a first class. Brown said this is important because if a student needs a special issuance, it will only apply to the class being sought; it is not transferable between medical certificate classes. Pilots can only fly under BasicMed after they have been issued at least one FAA medical certificate.

Q: Will the FAA take a drug test during the FAA medical exam?

A: No, the aviation medical examiner (AME) will take a urine test to check blood sugar and protein (to rule out issues such as diabetes and kidney stones), but it’s not for drugs.

Q: Must I have a student pilot certificate to solo?

A: Yes, you must hold an actual student pilot certificate to solo. It is a stand-alone certificate and no longer part of the third class medical. You can begin an application for a student pilot certificate on the FAA’s IACRA website (iacra.faa.gov), and your CFI will complete the process. You must also have an FAA medical certificate to solo unless you are pursuing a sport pilot certificate.

Q: Can the three hours of instrument training required for a private pilot certificate be accomplished in a simulator?

A: No, FAR 61.109(a)(3) aeronautical experience for an airplane single-engine rating specifically states the time must be in an airplane. “It’s almost always CFIs calling the Pilot Information Center [with regulatory questions],” said Paul Feldmeyer, an Embry Riddle graduate and flight instructor who for 12 years has been a senior aviation technical specialist in the PIC. Students do call and, “it’s actually enjoyable to answer their questions. But more than likely it’s the instructors who are calling. Students usually call the medical team.”

Q: Can the 10 hours of flight time required in FAR 61.129(a)(4) aeronautical experience for an airplane single-engine rating for a commercial pilot certificate be a combination of solo flight time and flight time performing the duties of pilot in command with an instructor on board?

A: No, the flight time must be 10 hours solo or 10 hours performing the duties of PIC. A commercial pilot applicant cannot mix and match these types of flight time. Author’s note: This rule tripped me up the day I showed up for my commercial checkride (I had unknowingly mixed and matched). My CFI called AOPA for clarification of the rule, which is not unusual. “A lot of the time when CFIs call us it’s because they’re stumped,” said Feldmeyer. “We have DPEs that call in. We have people who call in because they call the FAA, and the FAA says call AOPA. When students call, it’s usually commercial applicants because they’re wrapped around the axle about what counts and what doesn’t under 61.129 for the commercial.”

Q: Can the two-hour, 100-mile daytime and two-hour, 100-mile nighttime cross-country flights required in FAR 61.129(a)(3) aeronautical experience for an airplane single-engine rating for a commercial pilot certificate be solo?

A: No, the flights must be dual flight training. “So many people read in between the lines when they read the regulations,” said Mark Milkovitz, a senior aviation technical specialist who joined PIC 14 years ago. He is a CFI and aircraft mechanic. “When I started working here, I learned you just literally read the regulations and apply them as you read them. The thing that catches some people is: For one situation, there can be multiple regulations that apply.”

Q: As a flight instructor, what instruction can I give if I do not hold a medical certificate or use BasicMed?

A: You cannot serve as PIC or a required crewmember. Your trainee (student) must be able to act as PIC, so you cannot provide student pilot training or simulated instrument training. “The student has to be able to fly that aircraft in the exact same manner as without you being there,” said Feldmeyer. You can give aircraft check-outs, flight reviews for a pilot whose flight review is still current, commercial pilot training, and so on.

Q: As a flight instructor, can I charge a student for flight training if I have only BasicMed?

A: Yes, you can. You also have full instructional privileges while on BasicMed.

Q: Where can a flight instructor find sample logbook endorsements?

A: FAA Advisory Circular 61-65J, Certification, Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors, includes recommended sample endorsements for use by authorized instructors when endorsing logbooks for airmen applying for a knowledge or practical test, or when certifying accomplishment of requirements for pilot operating privileges.

Q: Don’t I need a second class medical certificate to take the commercial pilot practical test, or a first class medical certificate for the ATP practical test?

A: No. You can take any practical test with any class medical certificate, or even with BasicMed. You must hold the appropriate class medical certificate only to exercise the privileges of a commercial or ATP pilot certificate. 

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