📘14 CFR §61.5 — Certificates and Ratings Issued

✏️ Plain-English Summary: This regulation simply lists the types of pilot certificates and ratings the FAA issues. It helps you understand where you are in the progression from student to ATP, and what privileges each certificate unlocks. You don’t need to memorize this reg — but you do need to know the structure.

✅ Key Takeaways for PPL Students: The FAA issues the following pilot certificates: ✅ Student Pilot

✅ Sport Pilot

✅ Recreational Pilot

✅ Private Pilot

✅ Commercial Pilot

✅ Airline Transport Pilot (ATP)

Each certificate can be issued with one or more ratings, including: ✅ Category (e.g., Airplane, Rotorcraft, Glider)

✅ Class (e.g., Single-Engine Land, Multi-Engine Sea)

✅ Type Rating (required for large aircraft or turbojets)

✅ Instrument Rating (added to Private or Commercial certificates)

🧠 You are working toward: A Private Pilot Certificate with an Airplane Single-Engine Land (ASEL) rating (and later, you may add an Instrument Rating)

✈️ Scenario: You earn your Private Pilot Certificate and want to fly a multi-engine airplane. ❌ You can’t yet — you’d need to add a multi-engine class rating. You also can’t fly a Gulfstream or a 737 — you’d need a Type Rating for each.

🎓 CFI Teaching Tip: Teach your students that certificates stay for life — but ratings are what allow you to fly different aircraft. Use the certificate = license / rating = privilege comparison. Also, pull up their IACRA application or temporary airman certificate and walk them through how to read it: “You have a PPL. Here’s your category, here’s your class.”

📚 References: FAR: 14 CFR §61.5

FAR §61.31: When type ratings are required

FAR §61.65: Instrument rating (awareness only at this stage)