Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

15 – 1/2 year old medical

Asked by: 5878 views FAA Regulations

I have a student who wants to solo on his 16th birthday.  The way I read the regs, an AME can't issue a student pilot license/medical until the 16th birthday.  Am I wrong?  Can he get his medical prior to the birthday so he can focus on the solo without having to visit the doctor the same day?

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. Lance on Mar 20, 2011

    He can get his medical before his 16th birthday, but it will have to be just a medical certificate, and no student pilot certificate.  Then on his birthday, he would have to go into your local FSDO and get a student pilot certificate.  I have heard that DPE’s can give out the student pilot certificates as well, but I’m not entirely sure on that, and if all DPE’s can or if only certain ones can.

    +2 Votes Thumb up 2 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. MaggotCFII on Mar 20, 2011

    Check out the Category for “Student Pilot” and look for “Student Pilot Certificate” from mid-January.  Several answers to a similar question should be of assistance for you!
    Nice to see you have a really motivated student!

    0 Votes Thumb up 0 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.