Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

3 Answers

Solo endorsement required for add-on or additional category/class?

Asked by: 12030 views , ,
FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, Helicopter, Private Pilot, Student Pilot

If a private pilot airplane wants to get helicopter add-on, do they require a solo endorsement to fly solo helicopter? If so, are they therefore required to take a pre solo knowledge test and what do you do about endorsing their student pilot certificate, as they may not have one....   Many thanks

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Dauntless Aviation's GroundSchool series of apps are the smart pilot's choice for fast and effective FAA knowledge test prep.
Actual, up-to-date FAA questions Polished user experience
Best explanations in the business Free lifetime updates!
Private Pilot IFR Commercial Pilot CFI ATP Sport Pilot Sport Pilot Instructor Parachute Rigger Aviation Mechanic (A&P)
You can get the app now and be studying right away. Available for PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android.

3 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Oct 17, 2014

    See 61.31(d)(2), that is the endorsement you would get to act as PIC in solo flight.

    You are not a student pilot, you are a private pilot. There is no requirement to endorse a student pilot certificate, as you do not possess one. There is no requirement for a pre-solo knowledge test. As a private pilot, you should be familiar with Part 61 and 91. However, before I would endorse you, I would test you on the aircraft.

    As you are not a student pilot, there is also no need to endorse each cross country flight.

    The endorsement to take the practical test is under 61.63(b) for the additional category rating.

    +4 Votes Thumb up 6 Votes Thumb down 2 Votes



  2. Mark Kolber on Oct 17, 2014

    …and the recommended standardized form for the endorsement (as with all other FAA standard forms of endorsements)is in Appendix 1 to AC 61-65E, in this case Endrosement #62.

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  3. Sam Dawson on Oct 17, 2014

    Also be advised that since, as Kris pointed out the pilot is a private pilot NOT a student pilot none of the student pilot limitations, WX or time (90 days), apply unless the CFI specifically puts them in the endorsement.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.