of training and testing materials which are available in print  form from the Superintendent of Documents, GPO, and  online at the Regulatory Support Division: www.faa.gov/  about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afs/afs600.  The CFI may also use commercial publications as a source  of study materials, especially for aircraft categories where  government materials are limited. A student pilot should  follow the flight instructor’s advice on what and when to  study. Planning a definite study program and following it as  closely as possible will help in scoring well on the knowledge  test. Haphazard or disorganized study habits usually result  in an unsatisfactory score.  In addition to learning aeronautical knowledge, such as the  principles of flight, a student pilot is also required to gain  skill in flight maneuvers. The selected category and class of  aircraft determines the type of flight skills and number of  flight hours to be obtained. There are four steps involved in  learning a flight maneuver:  you, go to the FAA’s AME locator at www.faa.gov/pilots/  amelocator/. Medical certificates are designated as first class,  second class, or third class. Generally, first class is designed  for the airline transport pilot; second class for the commercial  pilot; and third class for the student, recreational, and private  pilot. A Student Pilot Certificate can be processed by an FAA  inspector or technician, an FAA Designated pilot examiner  (DPE), an Airman Certification Representative (ACR), or a  Certified Flight Instructor (CFI). This certificate allows an  individual who is being trained by a flight instructor to fly  alone (solo) under specific, limited circumstances and must  be carried with the student pilot while exercising solo flight  privileges. The Student Pilot Certificate is only required  when exercising solo flight privileges. The new plastic  student certificate does not have an expiration date. For  airmen who were issued a paper certificate, that certificate  will remain valid until its expiration date. A paper certificate  cannot be renewed. When the paper certificate expires, a new  application must be completed via the IACRA system, and  a new plastic certificate will be issued.  Once a student has accrued sufficient training and experience,  a CFI can endorse the student’s logbook to authorize limited  solo flight in a specific type (make and model) of aircraft.  A student pilot may not carry passengers, fly in furtherance  of a business, or operate an aircraft outside of the various  endorsements provided by the flight instructor. There is no  minimum aeronautical knowledge or experience requirement  for the issuance of a Student Pilot Certificate, however, the  applicant must be at least 16 years of age (14 years of age for  a pilot for glider or balloon), and they must be able to read,  speak, write and understand the English language. There are,  however, minimum aeronautical knowledge and experience  requirements for student pilots to solo.  Once the student pilot has shown proficiency in the required  knowledge areas, flight maneuvers, and accrued the required  amount of flight hours, the CFI endorses the student pilot  logbook, which allows the student pilot to take the written  and practical tests for pilot certification.  The knowledge test is the computer portion of the tests taken  to obtain pilot certification. The test contains questions of  the objective, multiple-choice type. This testing method  conserves the applicant's time, eliminates any element of  individual judgment in determining grades, and saves time  in scoring.  The course of instruction a student pilot follows depends on  the type of certificate sought. It should include the ground and  flight training necessary to acquire the knowledge and skills  required to safely and efficiently function as a certificated  pilot in the selected category and class of aircraft. The  specific knowledge and skill areas for each category and  class of aircraft are outlined in 14 CFR part 61. Eligibility,  aeronautical knowledge, proficiency, and aeronautical  requirements can be found in 14 CFR part 61.  FAA Airman Knowledge Test Guides for every type of pilot  certificate address most questions you may have regarding  the knowledge test process. The guides are available on- line (free of charge) at http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/  testing/test_guides/.  The knowledge-based portion of training is obtained through  FAA handbooks such as this one, textbooks, and other sources  Knowledge and Skill Tests  Knowledge Tests  Becoming a Pilot  Student Pilot Solo Requirements  1-21  • The CFI introduces and demonstrates flight maneuver  to the student.  • The CFI talks the student pilot through the maneuver.  • The student pilot practices the maneuver under CFI  supervision.  • The CFI authorizes the student pilot to practice the  maneuver solo.  • Recreational Pilot, see subpart D  • Private Pilot, see subpart E  • Sport Pilot, see subpart J 