Every privilege a student pilot earns arrives as a few lines of text and a signature in the logbook. AC 61-65 is the FAA advisory circular that gives instructors the recommended wording for those endorsements, and it is the document your instructor and your examiner both check them against. This page lists the ones a student working toward a private pilot certificate in an airplane will collect, in the order they normally arrive, with the regulation behind each and how long it lasts.
Quick answer: The current revision is AC 61-65K, dated November 14, 2025, which canceled AC 61-65J. A private pilot student in an airplane typically collects about a dozen endorsements from its Appendix A: pre-solo knowledge and flight training, solo (renewed every 90 days), solo cross-country, possibly Class B, the knowledge test, and the three that open the door to the checkride.
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What AC 61-65 Is
AC 61-65, Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors, is guidance for applicants, instructors and examiners on 14 CFR Part 61. The AC itself says it is not legally binding in its own right. The requirement to have an endorsement comes from the regulation; the AC supplies sample wording that meets it, and instructors can use that wording as written.
The K revision replaced J, dated October 30, 2024. Most of what changed follows the MOSAIC final rule and affects sport pilots: the term "light-sport aircraft" is gone from the AC, and there are new sample endorsements for sport pilot night flight, retractable gear, controllable-pitch propellers and simplified flight controls. In K, the endorsements a private pilot student uses are numbered A.1 to A.14 (practical test prerequisites and student pilot endorsements) and A.36 to A.37 (private pilot knowledge and practical tests).
Every endorsement must be legible and include the instructor's signature, the date signed, the instructor's certificate number, and either the certificate expiration date or the flight instructor recent experience end date, written as "RE" and a date for instructor certificates that have no expiration date. A missing item is the kind of detail that can end a checkride before it begins, so read each one as your instructor writes it.
| AC Number And Endorsement | Regulation | When | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.14 U.S. citizenship (TSA) | 49 CFR 1552.15(c) | Start of training | No expiry |
| A.3 Pre-solo aeronautical knowledge | 14 CFR 61.87(b) | Before first solo | No expiry |
| A.4 Pre-solo flight training | 14 CFR 61.87(c)(1) and (2) | Before first solo | No expiry |
| A.6 Solo flight, first 90 days | 14 CFR 61.87(n) | Day of first solo | 90 days |
| A.7 Solo flight, each further 90 days | 14 CFR 61.87(p) | Every 90 days while a student | 90 days |
| A.5 Pre-solo training at night | 14 CFR 61.87(o) | Only if you will solo at night | 90 days |
| A.8 Solo landings at another airport within 25 NM | 14 CFR 61.93(b)(1) | Optional, mid-course | As written |
| A.9 Solo cross-country | 14 CFR 61.93(c)(1) and (2) | Before the first solo cross-country | No expiry |
| A.10 Each solo cross-country flight | 14 CFR 61.93(c)(3) | Before every solo cross-country | That flight |
| A.11 Repeated cross-country within 50 NM | 14 CFR 61.93(b)(2) | Optional | As written |
| A.12 and A.13 Class B airspace or airport | 14 CFR 61.95; 91.131(b)(1) | Only if your solo route needs it | 90 days |
| A.36 Knowledge test | 14 CFR 61.35(a)(1), 61.103(d), 61.105 | Before the FAA written | No expiry |
| A.1 and A.2 Practical test prerequisites | 14 CFR 61.39(a)(6) | Before the checkride | Training within 2 calendar months |
| A.37 Flight proficiency and practical test | 14 CFR 61.103(f), 61.107(b), 61.109 | Before the checkride | Used at the test |
Before Solo
A.14, U.S. citizenship. Your instructor handles this at the start: a U.S. citizen shows a passport or birth certificate. The instructor either keeps a copy for five years or writes this endorsement in both logbooks. Non-U.S. citizens go through a separate TSA process, which our international student pilots page explains.
A.3, the pre-solo knowledge test. Under 14 CFR 61.87(b) your instructor writes, gives and grades this test. It must cover the applicable sections of Parts 61 and 91, the airspace rules and procedures for the airport where you will solo, and the flight characteristics and operating limitations of the make and model you will fly. Your instructor must review every wrong answer with you. The printable study list on our student downloads page is organized the same way.
A.4, pre-solo flight training. Your instructor certifies that you received and logged training on the maneuvers in 61.87 for your make and model, and that you flew them safely and proficiently.
A.6 and A.7, the solo endorsements. You may not fly solo unless the instructor who trained you has endorsed your logbook for that specific make and model within the preceding 90 days. After that, 61.87(p) keeps solo privileges current only if an authorized instructor updates the endorsement every 90 days. In practice that means a short dual flight and a fresh signature every three months until you pass your checkride. If you will solo at night, A.5 adds night training at the airport you will use, and it also lasts 90 days. What the first solo day actually looks like is on our first solo flight page.
Solo Cross-Country
Any solo flight more than 25 nautical miles from the departure airport falls under 14 CFR 61.93. Three endorsements do the work. A.9 certifies you have been trained in cross-country procedures and are proficient in that category and make and model. A.10 is written for each individual flight after your instructor reviews your planning: route, airports, date and any conditions. It does not have to come from your regular instructor, but whoever signs it must confirm the other endorsements are already in place. Before signing, the instructor must be satisfied that your planning is correct, the weather allows the flight under VFR, you are proficient, and your solo and cross-country endorsements are current.
Two shortcuts exist. A.8 allows solo takeoffs and landings at another airport within 25 nautical miles after dual training there, including flying the route both ways and entering and leaving the pattern. A.11 allows repeated flights over one specific route of not more than 50 nautical miles after the same kind of training. The hour requirements for the long solo cross-country are on our private pilot cross-country requirements page.
Class B And Towered Airports
Van Nuys has a control tower and is Class D airspace while the tower is open, and the Los Angeles Class B airspace built around LAX is close by. For a student working toward a private pilot certificate, flying solo at a towered Class D airport needs no separate endorsement; the towered-airport endorsements in AC 61-65K (A.15 and A.16) apply to students seeking sport or recreational certificates under 14 CFR 61.94. Your pre-solo knowledge test still covers Van Nuys procedures, and your solo endorsement already assumes you can handle the tower.
Class B is different. To fly solo inside it, 14 CFR 61.95(a) requires ground and flight training in that specific Class B area and an endorsement (A.12) dated within the 90 days before the flight. To take off or land solo at an airport inside Class B, A.13 and 61.95(b) require the same for that airport. Some airports are closed to solo students entirely: Los Angeles International is one of the twelve listed in Section 4 of Appendix D to Part 91. Many local routes stay beneath or outside the Class B, and your instructor will decide whether an A.12 is worth the training for your cross-country plan. Our Los Angeles airspace guide shows how the shelves sit just south of the Valley.
Knowledge Test And Practical Test
A.36 certifies you received the ground training required by 14 CFR 61.105 and are prepared for the private pilot knowledge test. You need it to sit the test under 14 CFR 61.35(a)(1). When you pass, keep the test report: it lists the private pilot ACS codes for anything you missed. Scheduling and scores are covered on our private pilot written exam page.
For the checkride you need three more. A.1 certifies training within the 2 calendar months before the month of application and that you are prepared for the test. A.2 certifies you now know the subject areas you missed on the knowledge test. A.37 certifies the training required by 14 CFR 61.107 and 61.109. If a checkride does not go your way, A.77 is the retest endorsement required by 14 CFR 61.49 after additional training. What happens on the day is on our FAA checkride page.
Track Your Endorsements
Tick each endorsement as it goes into your logbook. With the new site theme the list saves in this browser, so you can check it after each lesson; nothing is sent anywhere.
- A.14 U.S. citizenship endorsement, or TSA process completed
- Student pilot certificate received
- A.3 Pre-solo aeronautical knowledge test
- A.4 Pre-solo flight training
- A.6 Solo flight endorsement for this make and model
- A.7 Solo endorsement renewed within the last 90 days
- A.9 Solo cross-country endorsement
- A.10 Endorsement for the long solo cross-country
- A.36 Knowledge test endorsement, and the test passed
- A.1 Practical test prerequisites
- A.2 Knowledge test deficiencies reviewed
- A.37 Flight proficiency and practical test endorsement
Endorsements are half the picture; the hours in 14 CFR 61.109(a) are the other half. Enter your logged time to see which minimums you have met.
| Requirement | FAA Minimum | Regulation |
|---|---|---|
| Total flight time | 40 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a) |
| Flight training from an instructor | 20 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a) |
| Dual cross-country training | 3 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(1) |
| Night flight training | 3 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(2) |
| Training by reference to instruments | 3 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(3) |
| Checkride preparation in the last 2 calendar months | 3 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(4) |
| Solo flight time | 10 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(5) |
| Solo cross-country time | 5 hours | 14 CFR 61.109(a)(5)(i) |
If the boxes above do not appear on your screen, the lists still work on paper: copy them into the back of your logbook. The costs attached to those hours are on our private pilot license in Los Angeles page.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which Revision Of AC 61-65 Is Current?
AC 61-65K, dated November 14, 2025. It canceled AC 61-65J of October 30, 2024. Older letters such as 61-65H still circulate online; do not use them for new endorsements.
Who Can Sign My Endorsements?
An authorized instructor. For the solo endorsements under 61.87, it must be the instructor who gave you the training. The endorsement for an individual solo cross-country can come from another instructor after reviewing your planning, as long as the rest of your endorsements are in place.
What If An Endorsement Expires?
The 90-day ones simply no longer authorize solo flight. You fly with an instructor until they are satisfied and write a new one. The knowledge test and practical test endorsements do not expire in the same way, but A.1 requires training within the 2 calendar months before the month of your checkride.
Is AC 61-65 A Regulation?
No. It is guidance, and it says so. The regulations in 14 CFR Part 61 require the endorsements; AC 61-65K shows wording the FAA recommends for meeting them.
Can Endorsements Go In A Digital Logbook?
The AC's sample endorsements are written for "logbooks, or other means found acceptable to the Administrator," and each must still carry the signature, date, certificate number and expiration or RE date. Some pilots keep a paper logbook for endorsements even when they log flight time electronically; ask your instructor and examiner early what they will accept.
Do I Need An Endorsement For A Discovery Flight?
No. On a discovery flight the instructor is the pilot in command. The time is dual instruction you can log, and endorsements start when you begin working toward solo.
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Related Reading
- Your first solo flight: the 61.87 requirements in detail.
- Student pilot certificate: how to apply before you solo.
- Flight instructor course: for pilots who will one day write these endorsements.
- Student pilot resources: the whole path in order.
Sources: AC 61-65K, Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors; FAA advisory circular record for AC 61-65K; 14 CFR 61.39, 61.87, 61.93, 61.95 and 61.109; 14 CFR 91.131 and Appendix D to Part 91.