Student pilot solo requirements14 CFR 61.87 Solo requirements for student pilots
Before a student pilot may fly solo, the student must pass a knowledge test given by the instructor, receive and log pre-solo flight training on the required maneuvers, and have a logbook endorsement for the specific make and model from an authorized instructor who gave the training, within the 90 days preceding the flight.
By the ATIS Alerts team · Updated October 15, 2026 · Regulation text current as of October 14, 2026. A study aid based on the official regulation text, not legal advice or an FAA interpretation.
At a glance
- A knowledge test administered by the instructor on applicable parts of 61 and 91, the airspace rules and procedures for the solo airport, and the aircraft's flight characteristics and limitations (b)(1).
- The instructor must review all incorrect answers with the student before authorizing solo (b)(2)(ii).
- Pre-solo flight training must be received and logged, and the student must show satisfactory proficiency and safety as judged by an authorized instructor (c).
- For a single-engine airplane, (d) lists 15 maneuvers and procedures, from flight preparation through stalls, slips to a landing and go-arounds.
- Solo requires a logbook endorsement for the specific make and model, from an instructor who gave the training, within the 90 days preceding the flight (n).
- Night solo needs night training at the solo airport, night navigation training nearby and a night solo endorsement (o).
In plain English
Section 61.87 sets what a student pilot must complete before flying solo. The text defines solo flight as flight time during which the student is the sole occupant of the aircraft, with a special case for gas balloons and airships requiring more than one pilot. Paragraph (b) requires a knowledge test that the student's authorized instructor administers, covering applicable sections of parts 61 and 91, the airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo will be flown, and the flight characteristics and operational limitations of the make and model. At the end of the test the instructor must review all incorrect answers with the student before authorizing solo flight.
Paragraph (c) requires the student to receive and log flight training on the maneuvers and procedures for the aircraft, and to demonstrate satisfactory proficiency and safety as judged by an authorized instructor. For a single-engine airplane, (d) lists them: flight preparation, taxiing and runups, normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings, straight and level flight and turns, climbs and climbing turns, traffic patterns, collision, windshear and wake turbulence avoidance, descents in high and low drag configurations, flight from cruise to slow flight, stall entries and recoveries, emergency procedures and malfunctions, ground reference maneuvers, approaches with simulated engine malfunctions, slips to a landing and go-arounds. Paragraphs (e) through (m) give the lists for multiengine airplanes, helicopters, gyroplanes, gliders and other aircraft.
Paragraph (n) is the endorsement rule: a student may not fly solo without an endorsement in the logbook for the specific make and model to be flown, from an authorized instructor who gave the training, within the 90 days preceding the date of the flight. Under (p)(4), the endorsement remains current for solo privileges provided an authorized instructor updates the logbook every 90 days. Night solo is a separate step under (o): it requires night flight training at the solo airport that includes takeoffs, approaches, landings and go-arounds, night navigation training in the vicinity of that airport, and a night solo endorsement for the make and model within the preceding 90 days. Solo cross-country flights have their own requirements in 61.93.
Common mistakes
- Assuming one solo endorsement covers any airplane. It is for the specific make and model to be flown (n).
- Letting the endorsement lapse. It must be within the 90 days preceding the flight, and an instructor must update it every 90 days (n), (p)(4).
- Flying solo at night on a day solo endorsement. Night solo requires its own training and endorsement (o).
The official text
14 CFR 61.87 as published on the eCFR, current as of October 14, 2026.
(a) General. A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight unless that student has met the requirements of this section. The term “solo flight” as used in this subpart means that flight time during which a student pilot is the sole occupant of the aircraft or that flight time during which the student performs the duties of a pilot in command of a gas balloon or an airship requiring more than one pilot flight crewmember.
(b) Aeronautical knowledge. A student pilot must demonstrate satisfactory aeronautical knowledge on a knowledge test that meets the requirements of this paragraph:
(1) The test must address the student pilot's knowledge of—
(i) Applicable sections of parts 61 and 91 of this chapter;
(ii) Airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo flight will be performed; and
(iii) Flight characteristics and operational limitations for the make and model of aircraft to be flown.
(2) The student's authorized instructor must—
(i) Administer the test; and
(ii) At the conclusion of the test, review all incorrect answers with the student before authorizing that student to conduct a solo flight.
(c) Pre-solo flight training. Prior to conducting a solo flight, a student pilot must have:
(1) Received and logged flight training for the maneuvers and procedures of this section that are appropriate to the make and model of aircraft to be flown; and
(2) Demonstrated satisfactory proficiency and safety, as judged by an authorized instructor, on the maneuvers and procedures required by this section in the make and model of aircraft or similar make and model of aircraft to be flown.
(d) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a single-engine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a single-engine airplane rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;
(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;
(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(12) Ground reference maneuvers;
(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions;
(14) Slips to a landing; and
(15) Go-arounds.
(e) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a multiengine airplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a multiengine airplane rating must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents, with and without turns, using high and low drag configurations;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;
(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;
(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(12) Ground reference maneuvers;
(13) Approaches to a landing area with simulated engine malfunctions; and
(14) Go-arounds.
(f) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a helicopter. A student pilot who is receiving training for a helicopter rating must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents with and without turns;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds;
(10) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(11) Ground reference maneuvers;
(12) Approaches to the landing area;
(13) Hovering and hovering turns;
(14) Go-arounds;
(15) Simulated emergency procedures, including autorotational descents with a power recovery and power recovery to a hover;
(16) Rapid decelerations; and
(17) Simulated one-engine-inoperative approaches and landings for multiengine helicopters.
(g) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a gyroplane. A student pilot who is receiving training for a gyroplane rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents with and without turns;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds;
(10) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(11) Ground reference maneuvers;
(12) Approaches to the landing area;
(13) High rates of descent with power on and with simulated power off, and recovery from those flight configurations;
(14) Go-arounds; and
(15) Simulated emergency procedures, including simulated power-off landings and simulated power failure during departures.
(h) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a powered-lift. A student pilot who is receiving training for a powered-lift rating must receive and log flight training in the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents with and without turns;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;
(10) Stall entries from various flight attitudes and power combinations with recovery initiated at the first indication of a stall, and recovery from a full stall;
(11) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(12) Ground reference maneuvers;
(13) Approaches to a landing with simulated engine malfunctions;
(14) Go-arounds;
(15) Approaches to the landing area;
(16) Hovering and hovering turns; and
(17) For multiengine powered-lifts, simulated one-engine-inoperative approaches and landings.
(i) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a glider. A student pilot who is receiving training for a glider rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning, preparation, aircraft systems, and, if appropriate, powerplant operations;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups, if applicable;
(3) Launches, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions, if applicable;
(5) Airport traffic patterns, including entry procedures;
(6) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(7) Descents with and without turns using high and low drag configurations;
(8) Flight at various airspeeds;
(9) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(10) Ground reference maneuvers, if applicable;
(11) Inspection of towline rigging and review of signals and release procedures, if applicable;
(12) Aerotow, ground tow, or self-launch procedures;
(13) Procedures for disassembly and assembly of the glider;
(14) Stall entry, stall, and stall recovery;
(15) Straight glides, turns, and spirals;
(16) Landings, including normal and crosswind;
(17) Slips to a landing;
(18) Procedures and techniques for thermalling; and
(19) Emergency operations, including towline break procedures.
(j) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in an airship. A student pilot who is receiving training for an airship rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems;
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including runups;
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind;
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions;
(5) Climbs and climbing turns;
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures;
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance;
(8) Descents with and without turns;
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from cruise to slow flight;
(10) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(11) Ground reference maneuvers;
(12) Rigging, ballasting, and controlling pressure in the ballonets, and superheating; and
(13) Landings with positive and with negative static trim.
(k) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a balloon. A student pilot who is receiving training in a balloon must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Layout and assembly procedures;
(2) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, and aircraft systems;
(3) Ascents and descents;
(4) Landing and recovery procedures;
(5) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions;
(6) Operation of hot air or gas source, ballast, valves, vents, and rip panels, as appropriate;
(7) Use of deflation valves or rip panels for simulating an emergency;
(8) The effects of wind on climb and approach angles; and
(9) Obstruction detection and avoidance techniques.
(l) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a powered parachute. A student pilot who is receiving training for a powered parachute rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, preflight assembly and rigging, aircraft systems, and powerplant operations.
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including run-ups.
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind.
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions.
(5) Climbs, and climbing turns in both directions.
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures.
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance.
(8) Descents, and descending turns in both directions.
(9) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions.
(10) Ground reference maneuvers.
(11) Straight glides, and gliding turns in both directions.
(12) Go-arounds.
(13) Approaches to landing areas with a simulated engine malfunction.
(14) Procedures for canopy packing and aircraft disassembly.
(m) Maneuvers and procedures for pre-solo flight training in a weight-shift-control aircraft. A student pilot who is receiving training for a weight-shift-control aircraft rating or privileges must receive and log flight training for the following maneuvers and procedures:
(1) Proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, preflight assembly and rigging, aircraft systems, and powerplant operations.
(2) Taxiing or surface operations, including run-ups.
(3) Takeoffs and landings, including normal and crosswind.
(4) Straight and level flight, and turns in both directions.
(5) Climbs, and climbing turns in both directions.
(6) Airport traffic patterns, including entry and departure procedures.
(7) Collision avoidance, windshear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance.
(8) Descents, and descending turns in both directions.
(9) Flight at various airspeeds from maximum cruise to slow flight.
(10) Emergency procedures and equipment malfunctions.
(11) Ground reference maneuvers.
(12) Stall entry, stall, and stall recovery.
(13) Straight glides, and gliding turns in both directions.
(14) Go-arounds.
(15) Approaches to landing areas with a simulated engine malfunction.
(16) Procedures for disassembly.
(n) Limitations on student pilots operating an aircraft in solo flight. A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight unless that student pilot has received an endorsement in the student's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown by an authorized instructor who gave the training within the 90 days preceding the date of the flight.
(o) Limitations on student pilots operating an aircraft in solo flight at night. A student pilot may not operate an aircraft in solo flight at night unless that student pilot has received:
(1) Flight training at night on night flying procedures that includes takeoffs, approaches, landings, and go-arounds at night at the airport where the solo flight will be conducted;
(2) Navigation training at night in the vicinity of the airport where the solo flight will be conducted; and
(3) An endorsement in the student's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown for night solo flight by an authorized instructor who gave the training within the 90-day period preceding the date of the flight.
(p) Limitations on flight instructors authorizing solo flight. No instructor may authorize a student pilot to perform a solo flight unless that instructor has—
(1) Given that student pilot training in the make and model of aircraft or a similar make and model of aircraft in which the solo flight is to be flown;
(2) Determined the student pilot is proficient in the maneuvers and procedures prescribed in this section;
(3) Determined the student pilot is proficient in the make and model of aircraft to be flown; and
(4) Endorsed the student pilot's logbook for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown, and that endorsement remains current for solo flight privileges, provided an authorized instructor updates the student's logbook every 90 days thereafter.
Test yourself
Practice questions from our free FAA written test prep that cite 14 CFR 61.87.
FOI
Before endorsing a student pilot for solo flight, the instructor must have:
- A. given the required training and determined the student is proficient and safe to make the flight.
- B. verified the student has logged at least 20 hours.
- C. obtained approval from the local Flight Standards District Office.
- D. confirmed the student has passed the FAA private pilot airman knowledge test.
Show answer
A. given the required training and determined the student is proficient and safe to make the flight. The endorsement is a personal certification of proficiency, not a box on an hours chart. Before the first solo the student passes a presolo knowledge test that the instructor administers (reviewing every incorrect answer), and receives and logs training on the required maneuvers in the make and model. Each solo flight then needs a make-and-model logbook endorsement from an instructor who gave the student training within the preceding 90 days.
More FOI practice →CFI Airplane
A flight instructor with fewer than 200 hours of flight training given who wishes to endorse a student for a solo flight in a single-engine airplane must:
- A. have given the training and determined the student is proficient; there is no minimum instruction-given requirement for a solo endorsement.
- B. hold at least 200 hours of instruction given.
- C. obtain a second instructor's concurrence.
- D. hold an ATP certificate.
Show answer
A. have given the training and determined the student is proficient; there is no minimum instruction-given requirement for a solo endorsement. No hours threshold applies to a solo endorsement: 61.87(p) requires training in the make and model and a proficiency determination. The 200-hour figure belongs elsewhere: 24 calendar months as a flight instructor plus 200 hours of flight training given is one way to qualify under 61.195(h) to give flight training to an initial flight instructor applicant (an 80 percent first-time pass rate on at least five endorsed applicants is an alternative), and certain part 141 chief-instructor roles carry their own minimums.
More CFI Airplane practice →CFI Airplane
A student pilot's solo endorsement for a specific make and model must be renewed:
- A. every 90 days.
- B. every 60 days.
- C. every 6 calendar months.
- D. every 12 calendar months.
Show answer
A. every 90 days. The 61.87(n) solo endorsement is for the specific make and model and must be dated within the 90 days preceding the flight; 61.87(p) has an authorized instructor update it every 90 days, and that update is the one instructors forget. Solo cross-country flights need separate 61.93 endorsements.
More CFI Airplane practice →CFI Helicopter
For a student pilot to keep flying solo, the instructor must endorse the student's logbook:
- A. every 90 days, after giving training in the make and model of helicopter flown.
- B. every 60 days, in any helicopter.
- C. every 6 calendar months.
- D. once: the initial solo endorsement does not expire.
Show answer
A. every 90 days, after giving training in the make and model of helicopter flown. The 90-day endorsement under 61.87(n) requires the instructor to have flown with the student in that make and model within the preceding 90 days. It is the endorsement instructors most often let lapse on a student who solos regularly.
More CFI Helicopter practice →
Questions pilots ask
What do I need before my first solo flight?
A passed knowledge test administered by your instructor, with all incorrect answers reviewed (61.87(b)); logged pre-solo flight training and demonstrated proficiency and safety (61.87(c)); and a logbook endorsement for the specific make and model from an authorized instructor who gave the training, within the 90 days preceding the flight (61.87(n)).
How long is a student solo endorsement good for?
It must be from within the 90 days preceding the date of the flight (61.87(n)), and it remains current for solo privileges provided an authorized instructor updates the logbook every 90 days (61.87(p)(4)).
What is on the pre-solo knowledge test?
Applicable sections of parts 61 and 91, the airspace rules and procedures for the airport where the solo flight will be performed, and the flight characteristics and operational limitations of the make and model to be flown (61.87(b)(1)).
Can a student pilot fly solo at night?
Only after night flight training at the solo airport that includes takeoffs, approaches, landings and go-arounds, night navigation training in the vicinity of that airport, and a night solo endorsement for the make and model from an instructor who gave the training within the preceding 90 days (61.87(o)).