In article , Roy Smith
wrote:

Certainly, if you rent from an FBO or club, somebody's going to want to
see your license, medical, BFR endorsements, etc. But if you bought
your own plane, the odds are you could go a lifetime of flying without
anybody ever asking to see any paperwork. I'm sure there are plenty of
people flying around without licenses, on expired medicals, etc.

Years ago, when I was a wee lad, my father would take me flying.
When he died a few years ago, I asked my mother if I could have his
pilot's certificate. She couldn't find one and I don't think he ever
had one.

He took flying lessons when he was in high school, then went into WW2.
While in Thailand, one evening he "borrowed" a British L-5 on floats.
It was a hour drive from the base into Bankok, or 15 minutes by air. He
and a buddy got in the airplane and took off and landed in a canal in
Bankok. They got the parts they needed, got back in the L-5 and headed
for home. It was dusk, with sufficient visibility to see. He cut the
power and glided in to land in the canal by the base. When the floats
touched the side of the canal, they egressed back to their quarters.
The Brits complained, my dad's CO said he couldn't prove it was my
father, but advised him not to do it again.

When I was young, my father would rent planes all the time with just a
checkout. If people know you, you can still do the same thing now.