Jaunt Air

The FAA established the recreational certificate in 1989. The catalyst for creating the new certification standard was the decreasing number of new pilots. The FAA felt that the expense and complexity of obtaining a private pilot certificate were contributing to the declining number of new students. The recreational certificate was created as a means of making it easier and less expensive to become a pilot by lessening the certification standards. The relaxed and abbreviated training standards, however, also required a reduction of privileges, and to such a degree that the recreational certificate never became popular. As of January 2008, there were only 242 recreational pilots in the United States.

An applicant for a recreational certificate must pass a written examination and a practical examination. The practical examination is administered by an FAA examiner, and consists of an oral test and a flight test.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a recreational certificate, a person must be at least 17 years of age. An applicant must also be able to read, write, and speak the English language, and be able to pass a class III physical examination.

Flight Training

An applicant for a recreational certificate must have a minimum of 30 hours of logged flight time. At least 15 hours of the total must consist of dual instruction with a certified flight instructor, with the balance being no less than 10 hours of solo flight time.

The total flight hours required of a recreational pilot applicant includes the following specific training requirements:

• 2 hours of cross-country training (at least 25 miles from home airport)
• 3 hours of solo flight
• 3 hours of flight training specifically in preparation for taking the recreational pilot practical exam

Privileges and Limitations

Recreational pilots are limited to carrying only one passenger, and may not carry passengers or cargo for compensation or hire, or fly at night. Recreational pilots may not fly more than 50 miles from the departure airport unless they have received instruction and a logbook endorsement for a destination exceeding 50 miles.

Recreational pilots also may not act as pilot in command of an aircraft that is certified:

• For more than 4 occupants
• With more than 1 powerplant
• With a powerplant of more than 180 horsepower
• With retractable landing gear

Cost of Obtaining a Recreational Certificate

There are many variables that factor into the total cost of obtaining a recreational certificate. The type of airplane used for training and the total number of hours flown (very few students finish in the minimum required hours) will have a great impact upon the total cost. Also, in preparation for taking the written examination, some people are comfortable studying on their own, while others prefer paying for a ground school course of study. A reasonable ballpark estimate for obtaining a recreational license would be $4000 to $6000.