How to verify a pilot's certificate (including Part 107)
Before you fly with someone, hire a drone operator for a shoot, or bring a CFI to your airplane, the claim on their business card is checkable. Every FAA certificate — pilot, instructor, mechanic, remote pilot — is public record, and verifying one takes less time than reading their bio.
This guide covers the check itself, the Part 107 case that trips everyone up, and the honest limits of what a registry lookup proves.
The 30-second check
Search the name in AvDB's Airmen source — add a city or state if it's common. The record shows every certificate the FAA has issued to that person: level (Private, Commercial, ATP), ratings (instrument, multi-engine), instructor certificates, mechanic certificates with A&P and IA, and remote pilot. Type ratings appear as chips, each linked to what the aircraft actually is.
No record with a plausible name spelled correctly is itself an answer — though remember airmen can request address withholding, and very recent certificates take time to appear in the released data.
Verifying Part 107 drone pilots
Businesses hiring drone operators hit this constantly: commercial drone work requires a Part 107 Remote Pilot certificate, insurance often demands proof, and the FAA's site makes checking awkward. In AvDB, remote pilots are just airmen — search the name, and the Remote Pilot certificate either appears or it doesn't.
What a registry check can — and can't — prove
The registry proves certification: this person holds these certificates and ratings. It does not prove currency — flight reviews, recent-experience requirements, and medical status beyond the recorded class and date live in logbooks and medical files, not the public record. For hiring decisions the registry check is the first gate, not the whole background.
For pilots' employment history there's a separate FAA system (the Pilot Records Database) available to operators; the public airmen registry is the layer everyone else can and should use.
- Proves: certificates, ratings, type ratings, mechanic IA, medical class/date on file
- Doesn't prove: flight currency, recent experience, unexpired medical today, employment history
- Red flag: claimed certificate absent from the registry under any plausible spelling
Frequently asked questions
How do I check if someone is a licensed pilot?+
Search their name in the FAA airmen registry — in AvDB, the Airmen source with a name plus city/state shows every certificate and rating on file in seconds.
How do I verify a Part 107 drone certificate?+
Same registry — remote pilots are certificated airmen. Search the operator's name in AvDB; a valid Part 107 holder shows a Remote Pilot certificate on their record.
Does a registry record mean the pilot is current?+
No — it proves certification, not currency. Flight reviews and recent experience aren't public record. Treat the registry as the first check, and ask for logbook evidence where it matters.
Why isn't a brand-new pilot showing up?+
The FAA releases airmen data on a cycle, so a certificate earned last week may not have propagated yet. Give it a few weeks before treating absence as a red flag.
Run it in AvDB
The whole federal record, one search box
Every lookup in this guide is a single search in AvDB — free to download, with free searches every month.