Back in the days of yore*, a Student Pilot’s medical also served as the Student Pilot Certificate. It’s been long enough that all those have expired. A Student Pilot Certificate is now a permanent, plastic, credit card-sized document with no expiration date. (Pilots who require a medical will do that separately.)
You and your instructor will both use the FAA’s Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) website. There you will:
- Create an account (be sure to safely note your FTN, you will need this later)
- Initiate a request for a Student Pilot Certificate
- Coordinate with your instructor to validate his/her portion (Will need your ID & FTN)
- Go back in and sign
TSA will review and give the FAA the go ahead to issue the Certificate. At that point you can print a Temporary Certificate from the website while patiently waiting for the permanent one to arrive in the mail.
The website is not super intuitive. Here’s a good set of instructions, but you can ignore the university-specific guidance if flying with me!
You and your instructor will visit IACRA again just before your checkride to initiate an application for your first “license to learn” as a Sport Pilot or Private Pilot.
*Long ago Pilot Certificates were printed on cardboard and used your Social Security Number as your pilot number. Yikes!
I instruct Light Sport, ASEL, AMEL, and IFR at Spirit Aviation in Thomson, GA (KHQU) and gliders with the Mid-Georgia Soaring Association in Monroe, GA (D73).
Being one of Terry’s students chasing my Sport Pilot cert, I’ll just say that he’s a great instructor.
Please note in no way has he asked me to write this or rewarding me in any way.
Also note I’m retired making his job that much more ‘interesting ‘.
I wish all students the best of luck.