Introduction to Flying

the ability to communicate effectively with the student pilot. Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA). If During the certification process, a flight instructor applicant the application is completed on paper, it must be sent to is tested on the practical application of these skills in specific the local Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), who will teaching situations. The flight instructor is crucial to the forward it to AFS-760. Once the application is processed, the scenario-based training program endorsed by the FAA. He applicant will receive the Student Pilot Certificate by mail at or she is trained to function in the learning environment as an the address provided on the application. advisor and guide for the learner. The duties, responsibilities, and authority of the CFI include the following: The aforementioned process will become effective on April 1, 2016. The new certificate will be printed on a plastic card, • Orient the student to the scenario-based training which will replace the paper certificate that was issued in the system past. The plastic card certificate will not have an expiration • Help the student become a confident planner and date. Paper certificates issued prior to the new process will inflight manager of each flight and a critical evaluator still expire according to the date on the certificate; however, of their own performance under the new process, paper certificates cannot be renewed. • Help the student understand the knowledge Once the paper certificate expires, the Student Pilot must requirements present in real world applications submit a new application under the new process. Another significant change in the new process is that flight instructors • Diagnose learning difficulties and help the student will now make endorsements for solo privileges in the overcome them Student Pilot’s logbook, instead of endorsing the Student • Evaluate student progress and maintain appropriate Pilot Certificate. records • Provide continuous review of student learning To be eligible for a Student Pilot Certificate, the applicant must: Should a student pilot find the selected CFI is not training in • Be at least 16 years of age (14 years of age to pilot a a manner conducive for learning, or the student and CFI do glider or balloon). not have compatible schedules, the student pilot should find • Be able to read, speak, write, and understand the another CFI. Choosing the right CFI is important because the English language. quality of instruction and the knowledge and skills acquired from their flight instructor affect a student pilot’s entire Medical Certification Requirements flying career. The second step in becoming a pilot is to obtain a medical The Student Pilot certificate (if the choice of aircraft is an airplane, helicopter, gyroplane, or an airship). (The FAA suggests the individual The first step in becoming a pilot is to select a type of aircraft. get a medical certificate before beginning flight training to FAA rules for obtaining a pilot’s certificate differ depending avoid the expense of flight training that cannot be continued on the type of aircraft flown. Individuals can choose among due to a medical condition.) Balloon or glider pilots do not airplanes, gyroplanes, weight-shift, helicopters, powered need a medical certificate, but do need to write a statement parachutes, gliders, balloons, or airships. A pilot does not certifying that no medical defect exists that would prevent need a certificate to fly ultralight vehicles. them from piloting a balloon or glider. The new sport pilot category does not require a medical examination; a driver’s Basic Requirements license can be used as proof of medical competence. A student pilot is one who is being trained by an instructor Applicants who fail to meet certain requirements or who pilot for his or her first full certificate, and is permitted have physical disabilities which might limit, but not to fly alone (solo) under specific, limited circumstances. prevent, their acting as pilots, should contact the nearest Before a student pilot may be endorsed to fly solo, that FAA office. Anyone requesting an FAA Medical Clearance, student must have a Student Pilot Certificate. There are Medical Certificate, or Student Pilot Medical Certificate can multiple ways that an aspiring pilot can obtain their Student electronically complete an application through the FAA’s Pilot Certificate. The application may be processed by an MedXPress system available at https://medxpress.faa.gov/. FAA inspector or technician, an FAA-Designated Pilot Examiner, a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI), or an Airman A medical certificate is obtained by passing a physical Certification Representative (ACR). If the application is examination administered by a doctor who is an FAA- completed electronically, the authorized person will submit authorized AME. There are approximately 6,000 the application to the FAA’s Airman Certification Branch FAA-authorized AMEs in the nation. To find an AME near (AFS-760) in Oklahoma City, OK, via the Integrated 1-20