Solo Cross-Country with a Lapsed Endorsement
Anna is a 17-year-old student pilot with 14 hours total time and 4 hours solo, training at a Class D control-zone aerodrome. Her Category 4 medical certificate was issued 46 months ago. Her instructor signed her solo flight endorsement 100 days ago, and she has not flown solo since. Today she plans a 60 NM solo cross-country in a Cessna 152. The forecast is 3,000 ft broken with 6 SM visibility; the actual weather at departure is 2,500 ft overcast with 5 SM. The aircraft has 30 gal usable fuel, burns 8 gal/hr, and the round trip is 2.4 hours. Anna's mother has driven two hours to watch her depart, and Anna feels pressure to go. She has not checked the aircraft's journey log or maintenance release. She asks you whether she can legally make the flight.
1. Identify every licensing and medical item that must be valid before Anna may legally fly solo today, and state whether each is valid in the setup.
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Three items matter before solo flight: the student pilot permit, a valid medical certificate, and a current solo flight endorsement. A Category 4 medical is valid for 60 months for a holder under 40, so Anna's 46-month-old certificate is still valid. The solo endorsement, however, is normally valid for 90 days under the CARs; at 100 days it has lapsed. Without a current endorsement, Anna cannot legally act as pilot-in-command solo, even if the aircraft and weather are fine. The permit itself must also be valid and in her possession, and the endorsement must cover the aircraft type. Conclusion: no legal solo flight today until an instructor re-signs the endorsement after checking her recent performance. The mother's presence and the planned cross-country are irrelevant to legality.
2. Assume the instructor re-signs the solo endorsement this morning. Evaluate the weather and fuel for the planned flight. What decision should Anna make, and why?
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With a re-signed endorsement, the legal weather test is met in the Class D control zone: VFR requires at least 3 SM visibility and a 1,000 ft ceiling, and the actual 5 SM and 2,500 ft overcast exceed that. Fuel also works: 2.4 hours at 8 gal/hr is 19.2 gal, plus a day-VFR reserve of 30 minutes (4 gal), for 23.2 gal against 30 gal usable. So the flight is legal on paper. Judgement still matters: Anna has not flown solo for 100 days, is a low-time student, and is under family pressure. A prudent instructor would require a dual refresher or a local solo before signing a cross-country endorsement. If Anna feels rushed, she should delay. Legality is necessary but not sufficient; personal minimums and recency should drive the go/no-go decision.
3. How would your answer change if Anna's medical certificate had been issued 61 months ago?
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If the medical had been issued 61 months ago, it would be expired for a Category 4 holder under 40, because the maximum validity is 60 months. Anna would need a new medical examination and certificate before any solo flight. The same logic applies if she turns 40: the validity period shortens to 24 months, so an older certificate could expire earlier than expected. The lesson is to check the date and the category, not just whether a certificate exists. An expired medical makes the solo flight illegal even with a fresh instructor endorsement and perfect weather.