Regulation Text
§ 61.2 Exercise of Privilege.
(a) Validity. No person may:
(1) Exercise privileges of a certificate, rating, endorsement, or authorization issued under this part if the certificate, rating or authorization is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired.
(2) Exercise privileges of a flight instructor certificate if that flight instructor certificate is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired.
(3) Exercise privileges of a foreign pilot certificate to operate an aircraft of foreign registry under § 61.3(b) if the certificate is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired.
(4) Exercise privileges of a pilot certificate issued under § 61.75, or an authorization issued under § 61.77, if the foreign pilot certificate relied upon for the issuance of the U.S. pilot certificate or authorization is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired.
(5) Exercise privileges of a medical certificate issued under part 67 to meet any requirements of part 61 if the medical certificate is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired according to the duration standards set forth in § 61.23(d).
(6) Use an official government issued driver's license to meet any requirements of part 61 related to holding that driver's license, if the driver's license is surrendered, suspended, revoked or expired.
(b) Currency. No person may:
(1) Exercise privileges of an airman certificate, rating, endorsement, or authorization issued under this part unless that person meets the appropriate airman recent experience and medical requirements of this part, specific to the operation or activity.
(2) Exercise privileges of a foreign pilot license within the United States to conduct an operation described in § 61.3(b), unless that person meets the appropriate airman recent experience and medical requirements of the country that issued the license, specific to the operation.
Research Notes
Applicability and Scope
Section 61.2 was significantly revised in recent years to address privacy protections for airmen — specifically to clarify when airmen can invoke protections under the Privacy Act for their certificate and medical records. This section governs the general conditions under which pilots may exercise the privileges of their certificates.
The section cross-references Part 194 (MOSAIC framework) for operations under that regulatory scheme, establishing that exercise-of-privilege requirements differ for operations under the new light-sport aircraft framework. This is new territory as of 2024.
Reference: AC 61-65J — Certification: Pilots and Flight and Ground Instructors covers general exercise-of-privilege requirements and certificate carriage rules.