14 CFR 135.299 Line Check Requirements for Part 135 PICs

Under 14 CFR 135.299, every pilot-in-command flying commuter or on-demand operations must pass a line check at least once every 12 calendar months, and the Part 135 line check requirements call for a real flight over a route segment the operator actually flies, conducted by an FAA-approved check pilot or an FAA inspector.¹ A certificate holder that uses a pilot without a current check is out of compliance, and so is the pilot.

When the Line Check Is Due

The rule works on a calendar-month cycle. A pilot who completed a check in March 2025 has until the end of March 2026 to complete the next one.¹ Once that month closes without a completed check, the pilot cannot legally serve as PIC for the certificate holder.

There is a one-month cushion on either side. If the pilot completes the check in the calendar month immediately before or after the month it was due, the FAA treats it as on time and the original anniversary month stays in place.² A pilot due in March who finishes in February or April still shows March as the anniversary going forward.

Miss both the due month and the grace month and the original anniversary is gone. The new completion month becomes the baseline for the next cycle, and any PIC flying done after the due month lapsed was flying out of compliance for both the pilot and the operator.

What the Check Flight Has to Include

A line check is not a simulator session and not a training flight. It must be an actual flight that reflects the operator’s real missions, and the regulation sets three minimums:¹

At least one full route segment that the operator actually flies. A short repositioning hop that doesn’t reflect typical operations won’t satisfy the rule.
Takeoffs and landings at one or more airports the operator regularly uses, so the evaluator can watch the pilot handle real approaches, taxi operations, and ground handling on the routes they actually work.
For pilots authorized to fly IFR, at least one flight during the check must be flown over a civil airway, an approved off-airway route, or a portion of either. This layer does not apply to VFR-only pilots, whose checks still need the route segment and representative airports.

Who Can Give the Check

Only two people can conduct a Part 135 line check: an FAA-approved check pilot or the FAA Administrator, which in practice means an FAA inspector.¹ A senior captain who has not been formally designated and approved as a check pilot cannot administer the check, regardless of experience.

To hold the designation, a check pilot must have the certificates and ratings required to serve as PIC in Part 135 operations for the aircraft involved, must have completed the required training and proficiency checks for that aircraft, and must be specifically approved by the FAA for check pilot duties.³

What the Evaluator Is Watching For

The pilot runs the flight the way they would on any normal revenue trip. Preflight, passenger or cargo handling, ATC communications, fuel management, approach, landing. The evaluator observes without interfering in normal operations.

What they are judging is whether the pilot handles the duties and responsibilities of a PIC to the standards of Part 135 operations.¹ That includes the operator’s own procedures, not just the federal minimums. A pilot who flies safely but disregards company standard operating procedures is not demonstrating satisfactory performance.

If the Pilot Fails

The evaluator has some flexibility during the check itself. They can provide additional training on specific tasks the pilot struggled with and have the pilot repeat those items, and they can require the pilot to repeat other tasks beyond the ones that were unsatisfactory if that’s needed to confirm overall proficiency.²

If the pilot still cannot demonstrate satisfactory performance after that training, the certificate holder cannot use the pilot, and the pilot cannot serve, as a flight crewmember in Part 135 operations until they satisfactorily complete the check.² The grounding is broader than it may look. The pilot is not just barred from serving as PIC; they cannot serve in any flight crewmember capacity under Part 135 until the deficiency is resolved.

Records and Reporting After the Check

After a satisfactory check, the evaluator certifies the result in the pilot’s training record.¹ The certificate holder maintains records showing the date and result of each proficiency and route check, along with the aircraft type flown, kept at the operator’s principal business office or another location approved by the FAA. The minimum retention period for those records is 12 months.⁴

The result does not stay in the operator’s filing cabinet. Under the Pilot Records Database rules, reporting entities must submit training, qualification, and proficiency records maintained under the Part 135 recordkeeping requirements to the FAA’s centralized database, with each entry showing the date, aircraft type, duty position, and whether the result was satisfactory or unsatisfactory.⁵ For unsatisfactory results, the specific tasks or maneuvers that fell short must be documented. A failed line check follows the pilot to the next employer, since any air carrier considering hiring the pilot is required to review the PRD record.