How old do you have to be to get a pilot license?

You must be at least 17 for a private pilot certificate in an airplane, or 16 for a glider or balloon.¹² Before you fly solo, you need a student pilot certificate, which has a minimum age of 16, or 14 for a glider or balloon.³⁴ You can take the Private Pilot Airplane knowledge test at 15.⁵

Student pilot first, then private pilot

You don’t need a student pilot certificate to take flying lessons, only to fly solo.⁴ Besides the age, 14 CFR 61.83 requires that you can read, speak, write and understand English.³

You apply on the FAA’s IACRA website or on paper with FAA Form 8710-1.⁴ You submit it to a certificated flight instructor, an FAA-designated pilot examiner, a part 141 school’s certification representative or a Flight Standards District Office.⁴

You must show you’re old enough for the certificate you’re seeking: at the student pilot application, and again at the practical test.⁶ If you’re under 18, a parent or guardian may have to come with you and identify themselves.⁶

For the private pilot certificate, the 17 applies to every rating other than a glider or balloon.¹ You must also hold a student, sport or recreational pilot certificate, and pass a knowledge test and a practical test.¹

The knowledge test can come first

You can take the written knowledge test before you’re old enough for the certificate.⁷ Your ID’s date of birth must show you meet, or will meet, the certificate’s age requirement before your test report expires.⁷ AC 61-65K reads this as within 24 calendar months of the date you apply for the test.⁶

The FAA’s Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix gives 15 as the minimum age for the Private Pilot Airplane test.⁵ It gives 14 for the private glider and balloon tests, 15 for sport and recreational airplane, and 16 for commercial airplane.⁵ It asks for state or federal government-issued photo ID as proof you’re old enough for the test.⁵

So you can pass the private airplane test at 15, but at the practical test you must show you’re at least 17.⁵⁶¹ The ATP multiengine airplane test works differently: you must be at least 18 when you take it.⁷⁵

The guide to the Private Pilot written test covers the ID the test center accepts, the instructor endorsement and the fee.

Minimum ages for each certificate

Certificate	Minimum age
Student pilot	16; 14 for a glider or balloon3
Sport pilot	17; 16 for a glider or balloon8
Recreational pilot	179
Private pilot	17; 16 for a glider or balloon1
Commercial pilot	1810
Airline transport pilot (ATP)	23; 21 under the experience rules of 14 CFR 61.16011

For drones, you must be at least 16 for a Part 107 remote pilot certificate; the Part 107 drone license guide has the steps.¹²

Is there a maximum age?

There’s no maximum age, the FAA says, except for pilots employed by airlines certificated under Part 121.¹³ No one may serve as a pilot in Part 121 operations once they’ve reached their 65th birthday.¹⁴ Those pilots can still fly for a company that isn’t a Part 121 carrier, the FAA says.¹³

StudyWren is an independent study tool and isn’t affiliated with the FAA or PSI.

Sources

1. 14 CFR 61.103(a), (b), (e), (h) and (j), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.103 ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵

2. FAA, “Become a Pilot” (recreational and private pilot certificate questions; page last updated March 6, 2015). https://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/rec_private Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩

3. 14 CFR 61.83, eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.83 ↩ ↩² ↩³

4. FAA, “Become a Pilot” (student pilot certificate questions; page last updated June 4, 2026). https://www.faa.gov/pilots/become/student_cert Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. FAA, “FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix” (PDF, revised September 25, 2026; Acceptable Forms of Age Verification, page 2; ATP, page 5; Commercial Pilot, page 7; Recreational & Private Pilot, page 13; Sport Pilot, page 14). https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/testing_matrix Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶

6. FAA, Advisory Circular 61-65K, “Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors” (11/14/25; paragraph 11.3, page 5). https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_61-65K.pdf Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

7. 14 CFR 61.35(a)(3), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.35 ↩ ↩² ↩³

8. 14 CFR 61.305(a), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.305 ↩

9. 14 CFR 61.96(b)(1), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.96 ↩

10. 14 CFR 61.123(a), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.123 ↩

11. 14 CFR 61.153(a), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-61.153 ↩

12. 14 CFR 107.61(a), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-107.61 ↩

13. FAA, “What is the maximum age a pilot can fly an airplane?” (FAQ; no date shown). https://www.faa.gov/faq/what-maximum-age-pilot-can-fly-airplane Accessed 2026-10-28. ↩ ↩²

14. 14 CFR 121.383(d) and (e), eCFR (current as of 2026-10-27). https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/section-121.383 ↩