Part 61 Series — Private Pilot Privileges & Limitations: What You Can (and Can’t) Do
Mar 29, 2026
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You passed the checkride. You shook hands with the examiner. You’re officially a Private Pilot.
Now what?
Can you take friends flying and split the cost? Can you fly yourself to a business meeting? Can someone “tip” you for the flight? Can you post seats for sale online?
This is where many new private pilots get tripped up.
Your certificate gives you privileges — but it also comes with limitations. And those limitations live primarily in one very important regulation:
§61.113 — Private Pilot Privileges and Limitations
In this fifth installment of our Part 61 series, we’ll break down exactly what that regulation allows — and where the legal lines are drawn for small-aircraft pilots.
Because earning your certificate is one thing.
Using it correctly? That’s where professionalism begins.
Every year, your airplane disappears into the maintenance hangar for its annual inspection.
A few days (or weeks) later, you get the call.
Sometimes it’s:“Everything looks great.”
Other times it’s:“We need to talk…”
But what exactly is the mechanic required to inspect during that annual? Is it just a quick once-over? A glorified oil change? Or something far more detailed?
The answer lives in FA...
You changed the oil.You replaced the spark plugs.The airplane runs beautifully.
But here’s the uncomfortable question:
Did you log it correctly?
Under FAR Part 43, maintenance isn’t just about turning wrenches — it’s about how the work is performed and how it is documented. In aviation, the logbook is more than a notebook. It’s a legal record. It determines whether an aircraft is airworthy, whe...
Every pilot has had the thought at some point:
“It’s just an oil change… why can’t I do that myself?”
Under most circumstances in aviation, the answer to “Can I do this?” is buried somewhere in the FARs. When it comes to maintenance, that answer lives in FAR Part 43.
Here’s the good news for private pilots who own (or operate) small aircraft:
You can legally perform certain types of maintenance...
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