What Are Requirements for Solo Flying?

Evaluating a student pilot for this endorsement takes more than laps in the pattern.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Solo flying experience builds both skill and confidence. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

A student pilot's first solo endorsement must comply with specific requirements outlined in cFAR 61.87, not just a few laps in the pattern.
Mandatory pre-solo conditions include demonstrating satisfactory aeronautical knowledge via an instructor-administered test and proficiency in 15 specific flight maneuvers.
An endorsement granted without fulfilling all the knowledge and practical skill requirements stipulated by cFAR 61.87 is improper and should be addressed by the student's primary instructor.

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Question: I’ve been working as a CFI for about three months, and I just got my first private pilot candidate ready for their first solo. I asked another CFI, a retired airline pilot who has returned to teaching and is new to the flight school, to fly with the student to “check my work” before I signed the student off. It was my day off when they did this.

When I came back the next day, I learned the CFI did two laps in the pattern with the student and then endorsed him for solo flight. Is that legal? I thought there was a lot more to it than that. I am working at a Part 61 school if that makes a difference.