Ask a Flight Instructor

Posts Tagged ‘student pilot’

Daniel is a student pilot with a good question that’s prompted by an unfortunate circumstance:

I took my Private Pilot Knowledge Test in September [and] failed it. I got a 55% and haven’t been able to talk to the CFI whom I studied with… what do I do? Do I go through another course with another CFI to study again to get re-endorsed, go back in to re-take the test asap, or what?

This is actually a little tricky, and it’s a slightly awkward question to answer. First off, call your CFI and tell him how you did. Regardless of how else you move forward from here, he is required by the FAA to keep a record of how his students do on knowledge and practical tests.

Now, I don’t know how you studied, or how many practice exams you took, so it’s hard to say for certain… but from where I’m standing your results rest primarily on the shoulders of your CFI. It’s obviously a two-way street—as somebody who doesn’t love digging into textbooks, I can readily admit that students don’t always study as hard as they ought to—but instructors can drop the ball too. That said, he really shouldn’t have endorsed you unless you were well and truly prepared. I require my students to bring me the results of several practice tests (I typically recommend webexams.com) before I will sign them off, and my standards are pretty high: 3 consecutive scores of 90% or better, or 4 of 85% or better. Once those standards are reached, they get the endorsement. I haven’t had a failure yet.

Again, I don’t know what you used as study materials, but Gleim’s big red test prep books have served me and my students very well across dozens of written exams. I would suggest taking some time on your own to review the books and run a good half dozen or more practice exams before returning to a CFI, whether you stick with your existing instructor or find a new one. If you decide to go with a new instructor, and you’re at a flight school with several instructors, talk to other students or an administrator about who they would recommend; consider asking up front about their historical pass rate. Whatever you choose, good luck!

Today’s question comes from Daniel who asks:

I have a private pilot certificate with a glider rating only. I am training for an airplane single-engine rating.

The FARs seem to describe the requirements for student pilots to solo, and the requirements for additional ratings to be issued, but I can’t find anything about solo requirements for rated pilots seeking additional ratings.

Since I am already a rated pilot, do I need to get a student pilot certificate in order to solo? (I have a valid medical, but it is more than two years old so it is not valid on its own as a student certificate.) It seems absurd to me to have to get a new student certificate, but I cannot find anything in the FARs to tell me otherwise.

Well Daniel, I have some good news, You will not need to get another student pilot certificate but you will need a new medical to solo since yours is expired.  To obtain a medical you’ll have to visit a AME or Aviation Medical Examiner.  The FAA has some search tools to find a local AME.  You will need at least a third class medical to solo. It will look like this.

Once you have obtained any FAA Private Pilot certificate you can use that to train for other pilot categories, class and ratings.  This time however, instead of receiving endorsements to solo on your student pilot certificate, you’ll receive the endorsements and sign-offs in your pilot logbook.

If you are looking for the official FAA reference for this, the best place to look is the Private Pilot Practical Test Standards. You want to look at page “1-V” for the Additional Rating Task Table that will show you which maneuvers and tasks you will be required to complete on your checkride.  for an additional category rating on your current private pilot’s license.  Look for the column that is labeled “glider”.  I’ve highlighted it in the table below:

After you pass the airplane private pilot checkride, you’ll turn in your private pilot glider certificate and receive a new 120 day temporary airmen certificate that will specify that you now have private pilot privileges for glider and for airplane single-engine land.

Good luck with your training and be sure to…Fly Safe!