How long can a student pilot be a student pilot?

Hocky

Hocky

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Hocky
So let's say someone is a student pilot and they don't really want to carry passengers ever and have been signed off for solo... How long can that situation continue? Indefinitely?
 
They need an endorsement from an instructor every 90 days.

Brian
 
By FAR you never have to move on, practically I don't see it happening. The instructor would have to fly with you every so often to do the 90 day sign off and I would expect the instructor to get tired of being responsible for the prepetual student's conduct in the sky.

What's the real usecase here? Saving the checkride money and not having to study?
 
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Hocky said:
So let's say someone is a student pilot and they don't really want to carry passengers ever and have been signed off for solo... How long can that situation continue? Indefinitely?
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He'd be better off getting the Recreational Pilot certificate. Then he could fly solo or one passenger without sign offs. There's lots of other restrictions, too, but not as many as with solo.

The recreational pilot certificate requires less training and offers fewer privileges than the private pilot certificate. It was originally created for flying small single-engine planes but has since been largely replaced by the Sport Pilot certificate.

Eligibility requirements:
  • Be at least 17 years old
  • Be able to read, speak, write and understand the English language
  • Pass a required knowledge test
  • Pass a required oral and practical flight test administered by a FAA designated examiner
  • Hold either a student or sport pilot certificate.
  • Meet the following experience requirements:
  • 30 hours of flight time (15 hours of flight training, 3 hours of solo time, 2 hours of cross country > 25NM)

Limitations and restrictions:

  • May not carry more than one passenger
  • May not fly to an airport further than 50 nmi from the departure point without an instructor endorsement to the specific airport.
  • May not fly in Class B, C, D airspace or to any controlled airport without an instructor endorsement to the specific airport.
  • May not fly an aircraft that has more than four seats, more than one engine, more than 180HP, retractable landing gear or between sunset and sunrise.
  • If pilot has logged less than 400 hours and has not acted as pilot in command within 180 days, a flight review is required.
  • May not fly above 10,000 ft MSL or 2,000 ft AGL (whichever is higher)
 
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Hocky said:
So let's say someone is a student pilot and they don't really want to carry passengers ever and have been signed off for solo... How long can that situation continue? Indefinitely?
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Simpler and cheaper to fly ultralights.

How many decades were you planning to remain a student?
 
Why wouldn't that person go recreational pilot ,or light sport. Getting a sign off every 90 days can get old very soon.
 
airheadpenguin said:
What's the real usecase here? Saving the checkride money and not having to study?
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Trying to troll and falling flat.

If he can find an instructor willing to take his money, he can do this until his medical fails. And no one will care beyond the occasional head scratch. It may be stupid, but it isn't dangerous.

Get a life, Pete.

And leave the board. Please. Your self-entertainment doesn't fit well.
 
You could get a Certificate for a different category then get a solo endorsement for the category you want to fly forever unlicensed and if your instructor wasn't smart enough to include an expiration date that solo endorsement never expires. Convoluted and silly but possible.
 
I've known a couple of career students. When they feel like flying they get an endorsement and fly out their time. Neither had any desire to go any further, just go fly by themselves (or with an Instructor) every now and then.

To each his own.
 
I have heard that insurance companies have issues with long term students (if you own).
 
John221us said:
I have heard that insurance companies have issues with long term students (if you own).
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They do. If you own your own plane and get to around the 200 hour mark without having taken a practical test, you may find they no longer want to write coverage. The apparent reason for that is if you go that far without passing the test, they get concerned that there are gaps in your skill set preventing you from passing the test, and they don't want to pay for the result of those gaps. OTOH, if you're strictly a renter, it's up to the FBO/flight school, and I've never heard of them cutting anyone off as long as they take and pass regular rides with their instructors.
 
What is an instructor endorsement? Just them doing the usual signing of your hours at the end of the lesson?
 
Hocky said:
What is an instructor endorsement? Just them doing the usual signing of your hours at the end of the lesson?
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They have to explicitly sign of that you meet the requirements to solo for the next 90 days. This it's a combination of aeronautical knowledge and experience.

I can't imagine a cfi blindly signing of on this for an eternal student

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
Hocky said:
What is an instructor endorsement? Just them doing the usual signing of your hours at the end of the lesson?
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You're how far along and still asking this question?

It's a "90 day" endorsement per 61.87 and 61.93. There is usually a section in the back of logbooks for this purpose.
 
warthog1984 said:
You're how far along and still asking this question?

It's a "90 day" endorsement per 61.87 and 61.93. There is usually a section in the back of logbooks for this purpose.
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I have had no such endoresements. :dunno:
 
Hocky said:
I have had no such endoresements. :dunno:
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Great! What's your contact info? I'll let the FSDO know (see below).

Hocky said:
Update: Well I finally soloed :D yesterday. Thanks for all your help. The advice to try a few circuits hands off the yoke and flying only with trim did it.

As for others such as Fearless Tower, MAKG, etc (you know who you are) who felt the need to take cheap shots and make some humor at my expense... hope you're proud of yourselves. :rolleyes:
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Hocky said:
So let's say someone is a student pilot and they don't really want to carry passengers ever and have been signed off for solo... How long can that situation continue? Indefinitely?
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Yeah, but for practical purposes it won't continue long. If passengers and speed aren't an issue, they could swap to part 103 Ultralights and just continue flying on their own initiative on a very low budget.
 
The 90-day solo endorsement is only under 61.87, not 61.93 (which only covers XC's), and it requires that the endorsing instructor actually fly with you in the make/model for which that endorsement is given, and enter both the flight training and the required endorsement in your logbook. If you can't find that endorsement in your logbook, you should tell your instructor that, and not solo again until it's there and you can find it.
 
My bad there is a solo endorsement. I didn't even notice when they did that. So that's what is required every 90 days?
 
Warty just answer the question or leave it is simple. It is just a question. Others out there may be wondering the same thing.
 
I must be a troll because I'm not a timid sheep who never suggests something that is contrary to the prevailing wind. Hey warthog if you need another unpleasant creature for an ID I think "stinkbug" is available too :D
 
Hocky said:
I must be a troll because I'm not a timid sheep who never suggests something that is contrary to the prevailing wind. Hey warthog if you need another unpleasant creature for an ID I think "stinkbug" is available too :D
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No, you are in consideration as a troll because you make statements just to elicit a reaction. What weighs against you towards troll is your lack of understanding that is typical of a person who has learned how to be a pilot on MSFS or the like. You have a functional rudimentary knowledge base that lacks the detail knowledge that you should have by this point in your claimed training.

In other words, it's obvious you either don't know what you don't know, or are pretending as such, in such a fashion that it will inevitably bring out a swarm of hysterical posts for you to argue against. Either way, it kinda makes you a troll.

I give you a 30% likelihood as being the sock puppet formerly known as pflemming, interestingly enough reappearing at the same time as Jay Honeck.
 
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Henning said:
No, you are in consideration as a troll because you make statements just to elicit a reaction. What weighs against you towards troll is your lack of understanding that is typical of a person who has learned how to be a pilot on MSFS or the like. You have a functional rudimentary knowledge base that lacks the detail knowledge that you should have by this point in your claimed training.

In other words, it's obvious you either don't know what you don't know, or pretending as such, in such a fashion that it will inevitably bring out a swarm of hysterical posts for you to argue against. Either way, it kinda makes you a troll.
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Well of course I don't know a lot which is why I ask a lot of questions. Yeah, that other thread got a little out of hand because there are so many on here who get overly aggressive with me like I must submit or something.
 
Jay is a great guy just based on his postings. I've never met him though. Hopefully this year at Oshkosh.
 
My dad soloed and bought his 182 in 1972, he got his PPL in 1979. :dunno: He would let his medical lapse or his written would expire, he just never really worried too much about getting it done!:rolleyes: I flew with him a lot, and he's the reason I wanted to learn to fly, but times were a bit simpler then, the airplane was based at a grass strip and no one really cared about paperwork.:D He did of course have all the maintenance done and those types of things, but there was a group of 4 or 5 guys that flew together, my dad and the guy that owned the strip had almost identical 182's and they would go on trips all over the south east. :D
 
It must be hard to pass a checkride if one already knows everything.
 
weilke said:
It must be hard to pass a checkride if one already knows everything.
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Au contraire...

It should help get through it quite easily I would think.

:dunno:
 
Hocky said:
Au contraire...

It should help get through it quite easily I would think.

:dunno:
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Actually to the contrary, especially on the oral, it will kill you. The Examiner expects you to know 2-3 answers in their line of questioning, after that they are waiting for you to go, "I'm not sure, I'd have to look in <insert reference material here> to find that." You're not expected to know everything, just the important stuff, knowing the references and being able to find information is more important than knowing everything.
 
Hocky said:
My bad there is a solo endorsement. I didn't even notice when they did that. So that's what is required every 90 days?
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The 90-day recurring solo endorsement is a bit different than the initial solo endorsement, as it references fewer subparagraphs of 61.87, but it's pretty close.
 
Hocky said:
Au contraire...

It should help get through it quite easily I would think.

:dunno:
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Can you record video of your oral and PPT? I think it would be educational for everyone, and maybe even for you.
 
I was kinda fuzzy on what endorsements were required when I was flying as a student at first. I almost blew my first 90 day. I don't think it is atypical for a student to not know what an instructor is doing with a logbook.
 
It really depends on the student, I would expect older students to be more actively engaged in that from day 1 since they are more accustomed to documents with sophisticated meaning. Younger students I would expect to be completely oblivious at first.
 
airheadpenguin said:
It really depends on the student, I would expect older students to be more actively engaged in that from day 1 since they are more accustomed to documents with sophisticated meaning. Younger students I would expect to be completely oblivious at first.
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I was 38. My instructor said little more than "hand me your logbook". I admit I read every endorsement and probably understood them, but I wasn't as in tune with what was required as a 10-15 hour student.
 
ChrisK said:
I was kinda fuzzy on what endorsements were required when I was flying as a student at first. I almost blew my first 90 day. I don't think it is atypical for a student to not know what an instructor is doing with a logbook.
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Considering 80% of the human race is stupid, I can buy that.
 
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