Module MOD-14 · 8 min · ACS PA.I.A · ACS PA.I.B
Certificates, Medicals and Staying Current
← Federal Aviation Regulationsdraft — pending CFI review
A private pilot certificate does not expire, but the privileges attached to it are gated by two things: a valid medical basis and recency of experience. To exercise private privileges you need at least a third-class medical certificate, whose duration depends on your age at the exam — five years if you were under 40, two years if 40 or older. BasicMed is an alternative that lets qualifying pilots fly without a current FAA medical, but it is not a one-time exam: you must have held a valid FAA medical certificate at some point after July 14, 2006, and then meet recurring requirements — a comprehensive medical exam with a state-licensed physician using the FAA checklist every 48 months, and completion of the FAA online BasicMed medical course every 24 months — all within its aircraft and operating limits. Privileges also come with limits: a private pilot generally may not fly for compensation or hire, though you may share the operating expenses of a flight with your passengers as long as you pay at least a pro rata share. Finally, recency of experience keeps you sharp: three takeoffs and landings in the last 90 days to carry passengers (full stop at night), and a flight review every 24 calendar months to act as pilot in command. Some airplanes require additional training beyond the certificate itself: a high-performance airplane — one with an engine of more than 200 horsepower — requires a one-time logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor before you act as pilot in command, and a complex airplane (retractable gear, flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller) requires its own one-time endorsement. These are additional-training endorsements, not new ratings, and they do not expire.
Key terms
- Third-class medical
- The minimum medical certificate for exercising private pilot privileges.
- BasicMed
- An alternative to an FAA medical for qualifying pilots under Part 68.
- Flight review
- A ground-and-flight review required every 24 calendar months to act as PIC.
- High-performance airplane
- An airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower, requiring a one-time endorsement.
- Complex airplane
- An airplane with retractable gear, flaps, and a controllable-pitch propeller, requiring a one-time endorsement.
Summary
The certificate never expires, but flying legally depends on a valid medical or BasicMed, staying within private privilege limits, and meeting recency-of-experience and flight-review requirements.
Quick check ▾
One question on what you just read.
Question 1 of 1
Objective mastery: 15%
0 of 1 answered
To carry passengers during the day, a pilot must have made how many takeoffs and landings in the preceding 90 days?
Sources
Every claim traces to a source — paraphrased knowledge elements pointing at the governing FAA publication; not yet verified against a retrieved source.
- 14 CFR 61.23 / 14 CFR Part 68 (BasicMed) — 14 CFR Part 61 — Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors unverified
- 14 CFR 61.113 — 14 CFR Part 61 — Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors unverified
- 14 CFR 61.57 — 14 CFR Part 61 — Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors unverified
- 14 CFR 61.31 — 14 CFR Part 61 — Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors, and Ground Instructors unverified
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