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Can a private pilot carry passengers in a category/class they are not category/class rated for if they have a solo endorsement in that category/class?

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FAA Regulations

Im currently studying for my CFI and have been trying to get better at navigating the regulations. Part of this is I have been giving myself practice scenarios of questions students might ask and then looking them up in the regulations. I am stumped on one question: If someone has a private pilot certificate in a certain category (say private pilot rotorcraft) and is working on getting an add on rating (airplane single engine land) then they need to get a solo endorsement to solo in the airplane (according to 61.31). Now the question is: can this private plot carry passengers in the airplane even though they do not hold a airplane single engine land rating on their private pilot certificate? More broadly can a private pilot exercise private pilot privileges while operating an aircraft they are not rated for if they have the solo endorsement required by 61.31? I assume the answer is no but, I cannot find where in the regulations it says so. Either way, I know this would be a bad idea in practicality but the point of the excessive is to find it in the regulations. The pilot is not a student pilot so student pilot limitations do not apply and I could not find anything in 61 subpart E that helps either. Any help would be much appreciated. 

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3 Answers



  1. KDS on Dec 08, 2018

    Your assumption is correct. The answer is no.

    If you cannot be (act as) PIC, you cannot carry a passenger. If you cannot log PIC, you cannot be the PIC. 14 CFR 61.51(e)(1)(i) specifies that the airman must be rated in the aircraft to log PIC time.

    Of course, illegal stuff happens all of the time. Sometimes unwittingly. I knew a glider operation where the owner would send a glider student up with a person who was only rated in airplanes and act as though that was legal.

    Hopefully, Mark will come along and elaborate on your question.

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  2. ogh18 on Dec 08, 2018

    Thanks KDS! I realized also that the endorsement of 61.31(d)(2) is a solo endorsement. Solo as in one occupant of the aircraft.

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  3. KDS on Dec 08, 2018

    Indeed.

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