Weight recorded on PPL certificate

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Filing Flight Plan
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Hi Everyone,

I have a question about weight and how it gets on your PPL certificate. Reason being, when I filed for my Student Pilot certificate, I entered my weight on the form with my best estimate. Came to discover I actually weigh 40 lbs MORE than what's recorded on my Student Pilot certificate.

I am now approaching my first solo and need to get my 3rd Class medical. Obviously, an AME will weigh me and record that on my 3rd Class medical certificate. I am unhappy with my weight and have worked to lose 20 lbs since finding out how OFF I was with my estimate. I would love to lose even more as I'd love to be at my goal weight for when I get my PPL certificate.

Without putting off my first solo for several months, there's no way I can hit my goal weight before my 3rd Class medical.

I'm going to have a Student Pilot certificate that shows my estimated weight and a 3rd Class medical that shows my REAL weight. What weight is used on my PPL certificate? I strongly feel I can be at my goal weight by the time I achieve my PPL. If my 3rd Class medical says I weigh 190 lbs but by the time I actually earn my PPL I weigh 160 lbs, can I have the weight of 160 lbs on my PPL certificate? Or will I be forced to show my higher weight of 190 because that's what was recorded by my AME on my 3rd Class medical?

Weight is obviously important to me and I really want to hit my goal weight by my PPL certificate.

Thanks for any insight you can provide. I know body weight will fluctuate but I ideally want to get to my best weight so I can record it on my PPL.

Many thanks in advance!
 
No one cares.

How much you weigh on your medical really only matters as far as the AME determining whether or not you need to be screened for sleep apnea.

Think about this. Your PPL itself doesn’t expire once you get it. You won’t get a new card unless you upgrade your certificate or request a replacement. My weight on mine was how much I weighed 6 years ago. No one has ever cared about how much or how little your weight is on the card.

Keep on your goal of losing weight. Just don’t worry about what goes on the PPL card.
 
You are way more concerned about this than is necessary.

Your AME will likely not even weigh you, instead asking you what you weigh.

Other than that, about the only time I've seen it matter is for a check ride when the examiner has you do weight and balance. If your cert says you weigh xxx, but you do the calculations based on xxx-20, that may raise a question but you just need to say you've lost weight recently (or gained it if the opposite is true).
 
Your Private Pilot certificate will reflect whatever weight you enter on the 8710-1 form when you apply for the certificate in IACRA. Unless your body weight is magnitudes off, no one will notice or care whether it matches your old student pilot certificate or medical. The important thing is that you use your accurate weight for weight & balance calculations.

As a GA pilot, be prepared to freely share your accurate weight if you ever plan to fly with other pilots.
 
All of my IDS say I have brown hair.
They don't reference the volume of "Just for Men" I use to make it "brn"

I'm the Anderson Cooper lookin dude on the bottom of the photo.
I think my co-pilot's hair is naturally brn


unnamed.jpg
 
This means you might have to use the Cessna 182 instead of the Cessna 172. :D

Just kidding of course. No one is gonna care about it but you, and it sounds like you do ...
 
I've saved most of my pilot certificates when they were replaced with new ratings, etc. It's nice to look back over the past 50 years and see that there were times when I weighed more than I wanted to. The look-back helps me keep my weight down.

Most people can guess your weight without seeing your pilot certificate, and most people won't see your pilot certificate.
 
Hello! And welcome (a bit late) to flying!

The truth is, pilots rarely see each others certificates. Sure, we'll talk about who has what ratings, but very rarely would a pilot pop out their cert to show that they indeed have a Commercial rating, for example, or an Instrument rating. So unless you plan to frame your Private and highlight the weight in bright highlighter, the number of people who will see it will probably be countable on one hand (have YOU physically examined your CFI's certificate, for example?). So, relax about this part. There are plenty of other things to get concerned about during your journey to your Private certificate.

On a more 'weight loss' note, keep at it. It will happen.

On a more 'every one cares about my weight' note, that is not correct. Unless you tell them, or mention it no one is going to know that you are appalled at your weight. So, stop drawing attention to the fact that you are *gasp* 190 instead of 160 and nobody else will know or care. For example, how much do I weigh? How happy am I with my weight? See my point?

So, again, welcome to flying, enjoy the learning experience! It is one that few people take.
 
When you update IACRA for your PPL, make the change there and when you pass the checkride, your new plastic should be updated.
 
You guys are all awesome :) Thank you so much for your answers, your kind words & the chuckles it gave me along the way :) I sincerely appreciate your time. I'm excited to be part of such a cool community :)
 
What if you have NO hair? There’s no box to check if you’re bald.
 
My last certificate was issued 20 years ago.

I am guessing the weight was right at least 2 or 3 times...
 
The weight on my current certificate is at least 25# heavier than my current weight. I don't know if it was accurate two years ago. Probably. But until this thread, I honestly couldn't have told you whether pilot certificates list weight. Texas DLs no longer do.
 
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kgruber said:
Mine says "blond" hair!!
Click to expand...
When I got my DC3 (2 now) authorization my pilot certificate said black hair and my medical said gray. They said they didn't care which one I used as long as they matched. It was easier to get into the FSDO (right by my office) to have it changed.
 
flyingron said:
They said they didn't care which one I used as long as they matched.
Click to expand...
True story

So, like, this guy... Turns 18, goes down to the draft board (late 60's). You go in, there was a lady sitting at a table, you stood there and answered questions - how tall, what do you weigh, tattoos, scars? Then the big one - "Eye color?". Dumb **** kid "Ummmmmmmmm dunno." Leans forward, asks the lady "What color are they?" She replies "I can't tell you, you have to tell me." Kid blurts out the first color that comes to mind "blue." Lady writes down blue. Kid goes home looks in mirror - oops, not blue. Oh well, too late now.

Some time later, kid decides to get a pilots license. Filling out the paperwork, gets to eye color. ****. Draft card says blue, but that's wrong. What to do? Finally decides that it's better to match what the federal government already has on file. Blue.

Next, the state decides to add eye color to the drivers license, well, we are on a roll. Blue.

Now, the original draft records are probably buried in some deep dark archive and no one cares what they say. But the pilot certificate and driver's license still say blue. However, not once, not ever in the intervening years 50 some years, has anyone questioned the difference between the real eye color and what the dumb **** geezer has on his paperwork. Not once.
 
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