When must a current pilot certificate be in the pilots personal possession or readily accessible in the aircraft?

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$61.89 General Limitations

The FAA proposed minor editorial changes to this section in Notice No. 95–11. No substantive comments to this section were received; the section is adopted as proposed.

$61.93 Solo Cross-Country Flight Requirements In Notice No. 95–11, the FAA proposed to revise and reformat $ 61.93. In the proposal, the title was changed from “Cross-country flight requirements (for student and recreational pilots seeking private pilot certification)” to “Supervised pilot in command cross-country requirements for student pilots”. The FAA proposed to change the term “solo” to “supervised pilot in command” to reflect the proposed deletion of the term “solo” as discussed in the analysis of $61.1.

The most significant change proposed was the establishment of separate supervised pilot in command cross-country maneuvers and procedures for the airplane single-engine rating, airplane multiengine rating, rotorcraft helicopter rating, rotorcraft gyroplane rating, nonpowered glider rating, powered glider rating, lighter-than-air category airship rating, lighter-than-air category balloon rating, and powered-lift rating.

, In proposed paragraph (a), the FAA deleted the existing provision that a student pilot may land at an airport other than the airport of takeoff, in an emergency. This provision already exists in § 91.3, “Responsibility and authority of the pilot in command.”

Proposed paragraph (b)(1) clarified the language of the provision for performing supervised pilot in command flights to and from an airport within 25 nautical miles of the airport from which the flight originated.

Proposed paragraph (b)(2) clarified the provision for performing repeated supervised pilot in command cross-country flights that are no more than 50 nautical miles.

Proposed paragraph (c) clarified existing requirements for endorsements on the student pilot's certificate and in the student pilot's logbook. The requirement for an endorsement on the student pilot certificate would not apply to a pilot with a pilot certificate who seeks privileges in another aircraft category, because a certificated pilot would not hold a student pilot certificate.

Provisions were added in proposed paragraph (d) for the use of radios for VFR navigation and two-way communications, procedures for diverting to alternate airports, and windshear avoidance.

Comments: One commenter states that the requirements of $ 61.93(a)(1) for supervised pilot in command cross-country flight should be clarified for balloon operations, which do not originate at an airport and do not land at the departure point.

HAI asks whether the cross-country endorsement section of the student pilot certificate will be revised to allow an endorsement for aircraft make and model as required in proposed paragraph (c)(1), in light of the fact that the current requirement is merely for an endorsement of aircraft category. AOPA also questions the make and model specific requirement of paragraph (c)(1), stating that an endorsement for category alone should be sufficient, since the proposed logbook endorsement of paragraph (c)(2) would accommodate the make and model endorsement. According to AOPA, the proposal would force the FAA to issue more student certificates simply for recordkeeping functions. HAI questions whether the logbook endorsement in proposed paragraph (c)(2) for supervised pilot in command cross-country flight is necessary in light of the requirement for the certificate endorsement.

Individual commenters objecting to both proposed paragraphs (c)(1) and (c)(2) shared the associations? views. One instructor states that the “make and model” requirement could be a hardship if a flight school changed equipment in the middle of a student's training, because the student would have to repeat pre-solo maneuvers and cross-country training. The commenter requests retaining the existing rule's reference to aircraft “category” only. Another commenter states that the privilege of signing for another flight instructor should be retained under proposed $ 61.93(c)(2)(ii) and (c)(2)(iii). Another commenter requests that proposed $ 61.93 contain more useful guidance regarding what is required for a glider pilot to make a cross-country flight.

FAA Response: As discussed in the analysis of $ 61.1, the FAA has decided not to adopt the term “supervised pilot in command.” Regarding the comment on the possible terminology problem in paragraph (a) with respect to balloons, the FAA points out that it has decided to delete solo cross-country requirements for balloons in the final rule as discussed in the analysis of $61.107. Upon reviewing the comments of AOPA, HAI, and individuals regarding cross-country endorsements, the FAA has decided to replace the words “make and model” with “category” in paragraph (c)(1) of the final rule, while retaining them for logbooks in paragraph (c)(2). The intent of the change to the existing rule is to clarify that