There are no minimum or maximum ages for obtaining a medical certificate. Any applicant who is able to pass the exam may be issued a medical certificate.

However, since 16 years is the minimum age for a student pilot certificate, people under 16 are unlikely to have practical use for an airman medical certificate.

Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for customers on bumped or cancelled flights. There are no federal requirements.

You can find information about your rights as an airline consumer on the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection website.

Each airline has its own policies about what it will do for customers on bumped or cancelled flights. There are no federal requirements.

You can find information about your rights as an airline consumer on the Department of Transportation's Aviation Consumer Protection website.

In general any temporary or permanent structure, including all appurtenances, that exceeds an overall height of 200 feet (61m) above ground level (AGL), or exceeds any obstruction standard contained in 14 CFR Part 77, should normally be marked and/or lighted.  However, an FAA aeronautical study may reveal that the absence of marking and/or lighting will not impair aviation safety.  Conversely, the object may present such an extraordinary hazard potential that higher standards may be recommended for increased conspicuity to ensure safety to air navigation. 

Normally, outside commercial lighting is not considered a sufficient reason to omit recommended marking and/or lighting.  Recommendations on marking and/or lighting structures can vary depending on terrain features, weather patterns, geographic location, and in the case of wind turbines, number of structures and overall layout of design.  The FAA may also recommend marking and/or lighting a structure that does not exceed 200 (61m) feet AGL or 14 CFR Part 77 standards because of its particular location. You can find additional guidance in Advisory Circular 70/7460-1M, Obstruction Marking and Lighting.

If the structure is on airport property, contact the nearest FAA Airports’ Regional/Airports District Office. 

If the structure is not on airport property, contact Air Traffic Organization Obstruction Evaluation Specialist that services your area.  

For civil operations, with a UAS or drone greater than 55 pounds, you would need to obtain an exemption the Special Authority for Certain Unmanned Aircraft Systems (U.S.C. 44807).

Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.

There are no PIC requirements specific to carrying skydivers. However, a private pilot may not act as PIC or second in command of an aircraft carrying persons or property for compensation or hire.  See 14 CFR 61 Section 61.113 and 14 CFR Part 105 for information about parachute operations.

You can find hang glider operating rules on the Government Printing Office Electronic Code of Federal Regulations website.

What are the special considerations that need to be taken into account when flying drones near air force bases?

You can find testing requirements for a private pilot certificate in Regulation 14 CFR 61.103(d).

You can find information about the different classes of medical certificates and how long they are valid on our website.

Upon the successful passage of TRUST, the test administrator will issue a certificate to the recreational flyer. The certificate will contain a random, 15-digit alpha numeric token. The first four characters identify the test administrator. The test administrator will provide the 15-digit alpha numeric token to the FAA. Neither the test administrator, nor the FAA, will maintain personally identifiable information about the recreational flyer.

Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.

AMCS validates the information entered based on exam type, class, and age of the applicant. Data validation ensures that the information submitted conforms to the proper format and also ensures the information is within the acceptable ranges.

AMEs are required to test an applicant's vision. Applicants must meet the vision standards either with or without correction. If an airman has no useful vision in one eye, enter 999 in the related vision fields and enter a comment in Item 60 to explain.

1. All applicants must bring a valid and current form of identification that includes their photo, date of birth, signature, and physical residential address. Acceptable forms of identification include:

More information is available in the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix (PDF).

Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.

You must present identification that includes your:

• photograph
• signature
• permanent mailing address
• proof of age

You must also present eligibility documentation, whether the test is an initial attempt or a retake, as described in FAA's Airman Knowledge Testing Authorization Requirements Matrix. 

The FAA does not set fees for the performance of the medical exam and issuance of the medical certificate. Aviation Medical Examiners are allowed to charge the applicant appropriately, as long as it is not more than the usual fee for similar examinations for other purposes. If you are concerned about the cost of the exam, please discuss this with the doctor you are thinking about seeing. The FAA has no additional fees above what the physician charges.

A Certificate Eligibility Warning means you will not be able to print a medical certificate.  There are a few reasons this can occur.  If you receive a Certificate Eligibility Warning, please contact AMCSsupport@faa.gov for support.  If the warning is valid, then you should mark Item 62 as Deferred.  This ensures the case will be reviewed by the FAA.  We recommend you enter comments in Item 60 to explain if you would have issued the medical certificate if the warning had not prevented certificate printing.

The test consists of 23 questions that focus on the following topics:

• Understanding the requirements for recreational flyers;
• Identifying airspace restrictions;
• Requesting authorization for controlled airspace;
• Conducting pre-flight assessments;
• Following community based organization (CBO) safety guidelines;
• Maintaining visual line-of-sight;
• Getting to know your drone; and
• Joining the community to keep learning.

Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.

The Recreational UAS Safety Test.

Still can't find what you are looking for? Please feel free to contact the UAS Support Center for general questions and comments.

View the full FAQ here.

The Federal drug and alcohol testing regulations under 49 CFR part 40 and 14 CFR part 120 require you to maintain the following records for the minimum retention periods noted:

• You must retain the following for a minimum of 5 years:
  • Alcohol test results of 0.02 or greater.
  • Verified positive drug test results.
  • Refusal to test determinations, including substituted or adulterated drug test results.
  • Records related to other violations of 14 CFR §§ 120.19 or 120.37, including on-duty use, pre-duty use, or use following an accident.
  • Records of notification to the FAA’s Drug Abatement Division of refusals to submit to testing by employees or applicants that hold a part 61, 63, 65 airman certificate.
  • Records of notification to the FAA’s Federal Air Surgeon of violations by employees or applicants that hold a part 67 airman medical certificates.
  • Documentation of employees' disputes of alcohol test results.
  • Referrals to the SAP.
  • Return-to-duty records, including the SAP referral, evaluation reports, follow-up testing plan, return-to-duty test result, and all follow-up test results. 
  • Annual Management Information System (MIS) reports submitted to the FAA.
  • All historical drug and alcohol records reported to the Pilot Records Database (PRD) under 14 CFR § 111.255 after reporting the records.
• You must retain records of information obtained from previous employers concerning drug and alcohol test results of employees for a minimum of 3 years.
• You must retain the following for a minimum of 2 years:
  • Documents generated in connection with decisions to administer reasonable suspicion alcohol tests.
  • Documents generated in connection with decisions on post-accident alcohol tests.
  • Documents verifying the existence of medical explanations of the inability of a covered employee to provide adequate breath for testing.
  • Materials on alcohol misuse awareness, including a copy of your policy.
  • Documentation that demonstrates the distribution of required alcohol educational materials.
  • Documentation of training provided to employees and supervisors, and the training materials.   
  • Records of inspection, maintenance, and calibration of evidential breath testing devices.
  • Documentation related to the random selection process, including but not limited to:
    • Listing of safety-sensitive employees in the random pool prior to each selection;
    • The actual random selection list each time selections are made;
    • The employer copy of the custody and control forms from the random testing; 
    • This may or may not include the verified result, which is maintained based on the result.
• You must retain records of negative and cancelled drug test results and alcohol test results of less than 0.02 for a minimum of 1 year.

You are permitted to maintain your drug and alcohol records electronically; however, they must be easily accessible, legible, formatted, and stored in an organized and reviewable manner. If your electronic records do not meet these criteria, you must convert them to printed documentation in a rapid and readily auditable manner at the request of Department of Transportation (DOT) agency personnel. The DOT’s Q&A reiterates that an employer or service agent is obligated to make the records available expeditiously to a DOT representative, regardless of how the records are maintained. 

More information about the Federal drug and alcohol record keeping requirements are explained in the DOT’s Employer Record Keeping Requirements Document.

If you have any further questions or need additional guidance that is more specific to your situation, please contact the FAA Drug Abatement Division at (202) 267-8442 or drugabatement@faa.gov.

Please visit our website to learn more about the program

Applicable Regulations:

14 CFR §120.113(d)(6)
14 CFR §120.219(a)(2)(i) and (ii)
14 CFR 111.255(e)