Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Can I take the commercial checkride in a plane without an electrical system?

Asked by: 1944 views Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations

I'm about to begin working on my commercial rating, and already have my complex endorsement and meet the experience requirements.

I'm curious to know if the commercial check ride could be done in a vintage aircraft with no electrical system, and only basic VFR flight instruments.  I can't find anything in the ACS that would require more than that, with the exception of selecting appropriate frequencies.  Perhaps it could be accomplished with a portable intercom and handheld radio?

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Aug 28, 2019

    It would help to know what Make/Model aircraft you are planning to use.
    14 CFR 61.45(b) lists required equipment for aircraft used on practical tests.

    I have instructed in some antique biplanes that had no instruments in the front cockpit. That would not work for a practical test, because the examiner would have no way to monitor things like speed, heading and altitude tolerances.

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Rkon on Aug 29, 2019

    As far as I read FAA-S-ACS-7A, there is portion of check ride where applicant has to show navigational skills with electronic navigational equipment. And, as far as I suspect it’s not a portable GPS, but installed and certified equipment. So, I vote “NO”.

    -1 Votes Thumb up 0 Votes Thumb down 1 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.