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Do I need an endorsement to sit for FAA private pilot written exam,

Asked by: 11075 views FAA Regulations

Hello All,

Thank you in advance for any answers and/or advice. I recently took a discovery flight with a local flight school and of course was beside myself. I talked to the flight instructor about taking the written before starting flight training. And he suggested that it wouldn't be a bad idea. And he told me that  most of the foreign students do just that before taking flight lessons. Unfortunately, he seemed a little uninviting and I could tell he was a little burnt out with rookie pilots. I'm not knocking him, perhaps he had a bad day. He was extremely knowledgable, but none the less everyone on this site so far seems a lot more enthusiastic about answering rookie questions.

My question is that if I do all the research myself online and deem myself elegible to take the written can I just go ahead and take it or do I need to have an instructor endorse me? Second, do I need to get a medical done before I take the written? Third, do y'all think that taking the written then taking flight lessons is a good idea/method for learning?

Thanks Again,

Mark 

 

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3 Answers



  1. Russ Roslewski on Mar 21, 2017

    I’m glad you liked your intro flight and hope that you do decided to pursue getting your certificate! Everybody has a bad day, maybe that instructor was too.

    To answer your questions:

    1. Yes, you need an instructor’s endorsement to take the written test. The testing center will ask to see it. What the instructor requires of you in order to give you that endorsement varies, but as a general rule, some proof that you studied (like a completion certificate for an online ground school) as well as some number of successful practice tests.

    2. No, you do not need to have a medical to take the written.

    3. Many people take the written before starting training. Many people take it during training. Some wait right until the very end and do it right before the checkride. I do not recommend this last method, but of the other two, there are many, many arguments either way. On the one hand, if you get it done first, you don’t have to worry about it. On the other hand, the concepts will make more sense if you wait until you’ve been flying for a while before taking it. I’m not convinced that either method is necessarily “superior”.

    Just talk with your instructor (or pick another instructor – nothing wrong with trying out a few of them, I think I had about 4 before I settled on one) and he or she will be able to guide you through the process.

    And good luck!

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  2. Mark on Mar 22, 2017

    Thank you Russ! The info you provided is much appreciated.

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  3. RickS on Apr 02, 2017

    Everyone learns differently, if you are the sort that prefers self study, then by all means, go that route. But, FWIW, I took a ground-school course last summer/fall, and it was money and time well spent. The lessons were laid out in a logical sequence such that each new one built on the material learned on the previous one(s). I am also convinced that it was due to the ground instruction that I did well on the written (got a 90%). Might be worth looking into.

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