To be in compliance, the pilot must have the following items in his or her possession and must present them upon request by an FAA or law enforcement official.

• FAA pilot certificate.

• Government issued photo identification. This is commonly a state driver’s license, but other government issued photo identification is acceptable.

• Proof of appropriate medical certification. For a sport pilot or sport pilot student, this could be an FAA medical certificate or a valid state driver’s license.

• A student pilot must have his or her logbook on cross country flights, and a sport pilot must have either his or her logbook with the appropriate sport pilot endorsements or a record of the endorsements. Recreational pilots must also have proof of endorsement for extended cross-country flying and tower controlled airspace training if they had received those endorsements.

• Private and higher-rated pilots are not required to carry logbooks with them, and that’s probably a pretty good idea. However the FAA inspector may ask you to present some sort of proof of appropriate endorsements, such as a flight review, within a reasonable period of time.

The aircraft must also have certain papers to be legal to operate.

• The airworthiness certificate must be onboard and must be displayed so that it is visible in the cockpit.

• The registration certificate has be onboard the aircraft and the address and ownership information on record with the FAA must be accurate and up-to-date. Remember, the registration certificate must be renewed every 3 years.

• The operating limitations must be onboard the aircraft. This could be part of the aircraft operating handbook or it could be a separate document, such as with experimental aircraft, and may include placards.