FAA Flight Instructor Airplane (FIA)Regulations (14 CFR 61/91)Hard
A 39-year-old private pilot receives a third-class medical certificate on June 10. According to 14 CFR 61.23, when does this medical certificate expire?
- AJune 30, five years later
- BThe certificate never expires once issued to a private pilot
- CJune 30, two years later
- DJune 10, exactly five years later
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. June 30, five years later
Under 14 CFR 61.23(d), a third-class medical certificate issued to a person under age 40 at the time of examination expires at the end of the 60th month (5 years) after the month in which it was issued. Since the pilot was 39, the certificate is valid through the last day of the 60th month, June 30, five years later.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Medical certificates always have an expiration date; they are not indefinite.
- C. Two years applies to pilots age 40 or older at the time of the exam, not this 39-year-old pilot.
- D. Medical certificates expire at the end of the month, not on the exact issuance date.
Medical Certificate Duration (61.23)
Medical certificate validity periods depend on class and the pilot's age at the time of examination, always expiring at the end of the appropriate month.
- Third-class, under 40: 60 calendar months
- Third-class, 40 or older: 24 calendar months
- First-class: 12 months (or 6 months for ATP privileges under 40 for some ops); Second-class: 12 months for commercial privileges
Memory trick: 'Under 40, five years to fly.'