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Student Pilot Certificate · 14 CFR 61.83 To 61.95 · Updated September 2026
The Student Pilot Certificate: How To Get One, What It Lets You Do, And When You Actually Need It
It is free, it never expires, you can apply for it before your first lesson, and you cannot fly an airplane alone without it. Here is everything the student pilot certificate is and is not, from the instructors who process them every week at Van Nuys.
Free To ApplyNever ExpiresRequired Before Solo, Not Before Lesson One
The Short Answer
How Do You Get A Student Pilot Certificate?
You apply for a student pilot certificate free through the FAA's IACRA website, and a flight instructor, examiner or FSDO inspector checks your identity and submits it. You must be at least 16 to fly an airplane solo on it (14 CFR 61.83). The plastic card arrives by mail in about three weeks and never expires.
- You need it before your first solo, not before your first lesson.
- Certificates issued since April 2016 have no expiration date (14 CFR 61.19(c)).
- Student pilots may not carry passengers or fly for hire (14 CFR 61.89).
- Solo weather minimums: 3 statute miles visibility by day and 5 at night.
Read The IACRA GuideScreen-by-screen help to register, get your FAA Tracking Number and sign the application.
Source: 14 CFR 61.19, 61.83, 61.87 and 61.89, checked against the eCFR (current to 14 October 2026), October 2026
16minimum age for an airplane student pilot certificate (14 for gliders and balloons)
$0the FAA charges nothing; the only cost on the way to solo is the medical exam
~3 wksfor the plastic card to arrive by mail after your instructor submits the application
Neverexpires — certificates issued since April 2016 have no expiry date
What It Is
A Plastic Card That Makes Solo Flight Legal, And Nothing Else
The student pilot certificate is the first airman certificate the FAA issues you. It does not let you fly anywhere by itself — it is the document your instructor’s solo endorsements attach to.
People arrive at their first lesson thinking they need a license to start. You do not. Every hour you fly with an instructor beside you is legal on nothing more than the instructor’s certificate; you are a passenger receiving instruction. The student pilot certificate becomes necessary at exactly one point: the day your instructor climbs out and you fly the airplane alone.
Under 14 CFR 61.87, before you solo you must hold a student pilot certificate, pass a pre-solo written test your instructor gives you, receive and log training in the specific make and model, and be endorsed by your instructor in your logbook for that aircraft. The certificate is the card; the endorsements are what actually authorize each solo, and they are what your instructor renews every 90 days.
It used to be part of your medical certificate — the examiner would issue a combined form and it expired with the medical. Since April 2016 the FAA has issued student pilot certificates as a separate plastic card, applied for through IACRA, with no expiry date. Your medical still has one. The student certificate does not.
Eligibility
Who Can Get A Student Pilot Certificate
14 CFR 61.83 sets three conditions, and they are the shortest eligibility list in the regulations.
1
Age
16 for an airplane, helicopter or other powered aircraft; 14 for a glider or balloon. There is no upper limit. You can begin lessons before 16 — our Teens Aviation program starts at 10 — you simply cannot solo until the birthday.
2
English
You must be able to read, speak, write and understand English, because that is the language of air traffic control and of every document in the cockpit. The FAA can issue a certificate with an operating limitation if a medical condition affects speech.
3
Citizenship, Or TSA Approval
Not a certificate requirement, but a training one. If you are not a U.S. citizen, TSA’s Flight Training Security Program approval has to be in place before training toward a certificate begins. We walk international students through it at the consultation; it is paperwork, not an obstacle.
Notice what is not on the list. No knowledge test, no flight time, no medical certificate. You can and should apply in your first week. The medical is required before solo, not before the student certificate, and we tell students to book the AME appointment early anyway, because a routine medical takes an hour and a non-routine one can take months.
Step By Step
How To Apply For A Student Pilot Certificate
About twenty minutes of your time, ten of your instructor’s, and three weeks of the postal service’s.
01
Register On IACRA
Go to iacra.faa.gov, register as an Applicant using your legal name exactly as it appears on your government ID, and write down the FAA Tracking Number it gives you. That FTN is yours for life and every later application — private, instrument, commercial — is filed under it. The full IACRA walkthrough covers every screen.
02
Start A Student Pilot Application
Choose Start New Application, application type Pilot, certificate Student Pilot. Fill in your personal details, date and place of birth, address and citizenship. There is no experience section on a student application; you have nothing to log yet and the form knows it.
03
Review And Sign It
The Review page shows you the completed FAA Form 8710-1. Check the name, check the address — it is where the card will be mailed — then sign electronically. Until you sign, your instructor cannot see the application at all.
04
Your Instructor Processes It
Any of four people can: a certificated flight instructor, a designated pilot examiner, an FAA inspector at the FSDO, or an airman certification representative. Here it is your instructor, who checks your ID against the application, confirms eligibility, and submits it to the FAA Airman Registry. Ten minutes.
05
The Card Arrives
The Registry in Oklahoma City prints the plastic certificate and mails it. Allow about three weeks. There is no temporary version for a student certificate, so if you are two weeks from solo and have not applied, apply today.
06
Get Your Medical In Parallel
Book an appointment with an aviation medical examiner and apply for at least a third-class medical certificate through the FAA’s MedXPress site beforehand. Most people walk out with the medical in hand. You need both the student certificate and the medical in your pocket before your instructor can endorse you to solo.
Privileges And Limits
What A Student Pilot Can And Cannot Do
14 CFR 61.89 is the list of limitations, and it is worth reading once so that nothing on your first solo is a surprise.
No passengers. Ever, on any solo flight, until you hold a private or sport certificate. Not a friend, not a parent, not another student. This is the one people ask about most and the answer never changes.
No compensation, no business. You may not fly for hire, carry property for hire, or fly in furtherance of a business.
Weather minimums that are stricter than a private pilot’s. At least 3 statute miles visibility by day and 5 at night, and you must be able to see the surface at all times. Your instructor will usually set tighter limits than the regulation in your endorsement, and those are binding too.
Only what you are endorsed for. Solo in the make and model your instructor endorsed, within the last 90 days, at the airports named, on the routes named. Solo cross-country flights need a separate endorsement for each one under 61.93. Flying in Class B airspace or to a Class B airport needs its own endorsement under 61.95, which at Van Nuys, sitting under the LAX shelf, is something we plan for deliberately.
No international flights and no flights against the instructor’s limitations. The instructor can write conditions into an endorsement — maximum wind, minimum ceiling, daylight only — and a student who exceeds them has flown without a valid endorsement.
The Three Documents
Student Pilot Certificate, Medical Certificate And Logbook Endorsements: Which Does What
Students mix these up constantly, and examiners notice. This is the whole picture.
| Document | Who Issues It | What It Does | Expires? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Student Pilot Certificate | FAA Airman Registry, via IACRA, processed by your CFI | Identifies you as a student pilot; the certificate your solo endorsements attach to | No (issued April 2016 or later) |
| Medical Certificate (Third Class or higher) | An FAA aviation medical examiner | Certifies you medically fit to act as pilot in command; required to solo | Yes — 60 calendar months under 40, 24 over 40, for third class |
| Pre-Solo Endorsements (61.87) | Your flight instructor, in your logbook | Authorize solo flight in a specific make and model | 90-day endorsement must be renewed |
| Solo Cross-Country Endorsements (61.93) | Your flight instructor, in your logbook | Authorize each solo flight beyond 25 nautical miles, after reviewing your planning | Per flight, plus a one-time cross-country training endorsement |
| Class B Endorsement (61.95) | Your flight instructor, in your logbook | Authorizes solo flight in or to specific Class B airspace and airports | 90 days |
Carry the first two and your logbook on every solo flight. The regulation requires the certificate, the medical and photo ID to be on you, and your instructor will want the logbook endorsements in the aircraft too. A ramp check is rare; being unable to produce the documents at one is a very bad afternoon.
Sport Pilot Students
The Same Card, A Different Medical Rule
Students on the sport pilot track hold exactly the same student pilot certificate. What changes is the medical: a sport pilot student may solo a light-sport aircraft, such as our Cessna 162 Skycatcher, using a valid U.S. driver’s license in place of an FAA medical certificate, provided they have never had a medical denied, revoked or suspended and have no known condition that would make them unsafe.
This is the route we recommend to anyone who suspects a medical issue might be complicated. Start on the sport track, get flying, and sort out the third-class medical in parallel with the AME rather than in a hurry two weeks before solo. The sport pilot versus private pilot comparison sets out the trade-offs.
Common Problems
Why A Student Pilot Application Gets Delayed
1
The Name Does Not Match The ID
A middle initial in IACRA and a full middle name on the passport. Your instructor is required to compare them, and the mismatch has to be fixed before submission. Register with your full legal name.
2
It Was Never Signed
An unsigned application is invisible to instructors. If your CFI cannot find it, log in, open it, go to Review and sign. It appears the moment you do.
3
Applying Too Late
Students who solo at 15 hours and applied at 14 wait on the postman. Apply in week one. There is no downside to holding the card months before you need it.
4
An Old Address
The card goes to the address on the application. If you move before it arrives, it goes to your old flat. Use an address you will still have in a month, and update the FAA within 30 days of any later move.
5
Confusing It With The Medical
Holding a student certificate does not mean you can solo; holding a medical does not either. Solo needs both, plus the logbook endorsements. Three things, not one.
6
Waiting On TSA
International students who begin training before Flight Training Security Program approval is in place lose the time, because the school cannot log training toward a certificate until it is. Start that process before you arrive.
What People Say
5.0 Stars, 120+ Reviews
On Google, the same three things come up again and again. The first one is why our students’ paperwork is done in week one, not week ten.
★
Instructors Who Actually Teach
The most repeated compliment in our reviews is not the aircraft or the price — it is the debrief, and the paperwork that is done with you rather than left to you.
★
Scheduling That Works
Eleven instructors and a fleet we own means you fly often enough to reach solo in the 15 to 25 hours most people need.
★
Prices That Don’t Move
The number you enroll at is the number you finish at. Reviewers mention this constantly.
Programs And Pricing
The Training Your Student Pilot Certificate Is For
One number, fixed at enrollment. Aircraft, instructor, ground school, simulator time and books are all inside it — and so is the instructor time to file your student pilot application with you in week one.
Solo Certificate Program
$5,500
Trained through to first solo and no further: the private pilot syllabus up to the day your instructor gets out.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond)Included
- Dual flight instruction to solo standardIncluded
- Pre-solo ground school and written testIncluded
- Student pilot certificate filed with youIncluded
Most Chosen
Standard Private Pilot Program
$10,600
40 hours logged flight time — the FAR 61.109 minimum, flown properly.
- Single-Engine (Cessna · Piper · Diamond)38 hrs
- Redbird full-motion simulator2 hrs
- Dual flight instruction30 hrs
- Ground school3 hrs
- Books & training materialsIncluded
Sport Pilot Program
$8,400
The fastest legal route to flying yourself, in the Cessna 162, with a driver’s license in place of a medical.
- Cessna 162 SkycatcherIncluded
- Dual flight instructionIncluded
- Ground schoolIncluded
- Books & training materialsIncluded
Also available: Comprehensive Private Pilot $14,900 · Premium Private Pilot (Cirrus SR22 Turbo) $21,300 · Instrument Rating $11,700 · zero-to-airline $82,000. Financing from $2,500 down, with monthly plans available. Enrolled students train on package pricing at $179 an hour, wet, single-engine.
Black Friday: $300–$1,200 off any private pilot program through 30 November 2026. Standard $10,600 · Comprehensive $14,900 · Premium $21,300. Financing from $2,500 down.
Getting Started
Apply In Week One, Solo By Hour Twenty
If you have not started yet, the first step is an hour in an aircraft. If you have, and the paperwork is the obstacle, book the consultation and bring your ID — we will file the application with you.
Free Consultation
$0
Sit down with an instructor, register on IACRA, and leave with an FTN and a student pilot application filed.
Most Booked
Discovery Flight For One
$229 / 60 min
Lesson one, logged as dual instruction toward your 40 hours. No certificate needed to fly it. Credited in full against any program if you enroll within 24 hours.
Redbird Simulator Session
$189 / 1 hr
Full-motion and FAA-approved. Loggable, and the place to rehearse the pattern before your first solo.
Next Step
You Do Not Need A Certificate To Take The First Lesson
Book sixty minutes in the aircraft, find out whether you love it, and let the $229 come off your program when you enroll. We will file the student pilot certificate with you the same week. Call (818) 290-8249, 9am to 9pm, seven days.
Discovery Flight For One
$229
60 minutes · you fly the aircraft · fully loggable · credited on enrollment
FAQ
Student Pilot Certificate Questions
What people ask us in the first week, answered plainly.
The first airman certificate the FAA issues, a plastic card that identifies you as a student pilot and that your instructor's solo endorsements attach to. It is required before you may fly an aircraft alone. It does not by itself authorize any flight: solo needs the certificate, a current medical certificate (or a driver's license for sport pilot students in a light-sport aircraft) and current logbook endorsements from your instructor.
Register on IACRA at iacra.faa.gov, start a Pilot application for a Student Pilot certificate, fill in your personal details and citizenship, review and sign it electronically, and tell your instructor. A flight instructor, designated pilot examiner, FSDO inspector or airman certification representative then verifies your identity and submits it. The FAA mails the plastic card, typically within about three weeks.
Nothing. The FAA does not charge for the certificate and there is no application fee. The only cost between you and your first solo is the medical examination with an aviation medical examiner, which is paid to the examiner and typically runs somewhere between $100 and $200 in Los Angeles.
No. Every lesson flown with an instructor is legal on the instructor's certificate; you are receiving instruction, not acting as pilot in command. The student pilot certificate is required only for solo flight. That said, apply in your first week, because the card takes about three weeks to arrive and most students reach solo between 15 and 25 hours.
16 for an airplane, helicopter or any other powered aircraft, and 14 for a glider or balloon. There is no maximum age. You can take lessons before 16, but you cannot solo until you hold the certificate, which cannot be issued before your 16th birthday.
No. Student pilot certificates issued on or after April 1, 2016 have no expiry date. Your medical certificate does expire, and your instructor's solo endorsements are valid for 90 days at a time, so those are the two things that lapse. Older paper student certificates that were combined with a medical expired with it and have been replaced by the plastic card.
No. The medical is not part of the student pilot certificate application. You do need at least a third-class medical certificate before you solo, so most students book the aviation medical examiner appointment in the same week they apply. Sport pilot students soloing a light-sport aircraft may use a valid U.S. driver's license instead of a medical, provided they have never had an FAA medical denied, suspended or revoked.
No. Under 14 CFR 61.89 a student pilot may not carry a passenger on any solo flight, may not fly for compensation or hire, may not carry property for hire, and may not fly in furtherance of a business. You may carry passengers only once you hold a sport, recreational or private pilot certificate.
At least 3 statute miles of visibility by day and 5 at night, with the surface in sight at all times, under 14 CFR 61.89. Your instructor will normally set stricter limits in your solo endorsement — a maximum wind, a minimum ceiling, daylight only — and those are binding as well.
Your student pilot certificate, your medical certificate (or driver's license if you are a sport pilot student in a light-sport aircraft), and government photo identification, all on your person. Your logbook with the current solo endorsements should be in the aircraft too, since the endorsements are what actually authorize that specific flight.
No Cost, No Obligation
Get The Full Training Plan And Price Sheet
The three private pilot packages, what each one includes, the financing options and a realistic timeline built around how often you can actually fly. Sent to you in one email. Nobody will pressure you.
- Every package price, itemised
- Financing from $2,500 down
- A timeline based on your schedule
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I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
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It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
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We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
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I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
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Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
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Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
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I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
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Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
SAFETY FIRST
★★★★★
Very safety and detail oriented. Pre-flight briefing explained everything there was. To my knowledge, this flight school is exceptional in their ability.
DISCOVERY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I recently had the chance to take my first-ever discovery flight, and it was nothing short of amazing! From the moment I stepped into the cockpit, the...
SUNSET CIRRUS
★★★★★
It was a great flight! I did a sunset flight and Alex let us fly an awesome. Website was easy to book, and the plane itself was really fun to fly...
FLYING LESSON
★★★★★
We had a great flying lesson with Ralph and came away with a much better understanding of both the aircraft and the principles of flight. Ralph is a...
KIDS LUXURY FLIGHT
★★★★★
I got 2 luxury discovery flights for my kids. I wanted them to have the experience of flying. Our instructor Alex was amazing he made sure they feel...
HONEYMOON SURPRISE
★★★★★
Last minute booking to surprise my wife on our honeymoon. She had no experience with flying and was scared of flying, but Alex was very easygoing and knew...
FULL-MOTION SIM
★★★★★
Amazing flight school in van nuys airport. I have been a student here for the past few months and i could not be happier. I started doing a lot of...
DISCOVERY FOR TWO
★★★★★
I booked a Discovery Flight for Two for my girlfriend's birthday and it was the perfect gift for her. She couldn't have been more excited to get to...
SIMULATORS
★★★★★
Very professional and great airplanes. I love the flight simulators. The pricing is very fair compared to any other flight school
TEEN FIRST LESSON
★★★★★
We gifted our teenage son his first flying lesson. He was so excited! Alex greeted us and gave a reassuring brief that made us all feel comfortable and at...
FIRST-TIME FLYER
★★★★★
Flying is my husband's hobby and I was incredibly anxious and apprehensive about the discovery flight. However, I felt completely safe and at ease once we...
See Discovery Flight Details — $229
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(818) 290-8249
7900 Balboa Blvd. Suite 108A
Van Nuys, CA 91406 Get directions →
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