FAR 141.33 — Pilot School Personnel
FAR 141.33 sets personnel requirements for Part 141 pilot schools, including instructors, chief instructors, ATP-CTP staff, and check instructors.
In Plain English
FAR 141.33 sets the personnel requirements a Part 141 pilot school (or provisional pilot school) must meet. The school has to be properly staffed with qualified instructors and support personnel for every approved course it offers.
Key requirements:
- Adequate staffing with certificated flight instructors, ground instructors, or commercial pilots with a lighter-than-air rating, plus a chief instructor for each approved course.
- Dispatchers, aircraft handlers, and line/service personnel must be trained in their job duties.
- Every instructor must hold the appropriate flight or ground instructor certificate (or commercial pilot with LTA rating) with ratings matching the course and aircraft used.
- Instructors in the ATP Certification Training Program (§ 61.156) need an ATP certificate with airplane multiengine class rating, at least 2 years of PIC experience under specific Part 91K/135/121 operations, and recurrent simulator training every 12 months if teaching in an FSTD.
- A chief instructor is required for each course (§ 141.35); an assistant chief instructor (§ 141.36) and a check instructor (§ 141.37) may be designated, the latter requiring at least 10 enrolled students.
- One qualified person may hold multiple positions.
This matters because Part 141 training only counts toward your certificate when delivered by a properly staffed, FAA-approved school.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 141.33§ 141.33 Personnel.
(a) An applicant for a pilot school certificate or for a provisional pilot school certificate must meet the following personnel requirements:
(1) Each applicant must have adequate personnel, including certificated flight instructors, certificated ground instructors, or holders of a commercial pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air rating, and a chief instructor for each approved course of training who is qualified and competent to perform the duties to which that instructor is assigned.
(2) If the school employs dispatchers, aircraft handlers, and line and service personnel, then it must instruct those persons in the procedures and responsibilities of their employment.
(3) Each instructor to be used for ground or flight training must hold a flight instructor certificate, ground instructor certificate, or commercial pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air rating, as appropriate, with ratings for the approved course of training and any aircraft used in that course.
(4) In addition to meeting the requirements of paragraph (a)(3) of this section, each instructor used for the airline transport pilot certification training program in § 61.156 of this chapter must:
(i) Hold an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane category multiengine class rating;
(ii) Have at least 2 years of experience as a pilot in command in operations conducted under § 91.1053(a)(2)(i) or § 135.243(a)(1) of this chapter, or as a pilot in command or second in command in any operation conducted under part 121 of this chapter; and
(iii) If providing training in a flight simulation training device, have received training and evaluation within the preceding 12 months from the certificate holder on—
(A) Proper operation of flight simulator and flight training device controls and systems;
(B) Proper operation of environmental and fault panels,
(C) Data and motion limitations of simulation;
(D) Minimum equipment requirements for each curriculum; and
(E) The maneuvers that will be demonstrated in the flight simulation training device.
(b) An applicant for a pilot school certificate or for a provisional pilot school certificate must designate a chief instructor for each of the school's approved training courses, who must meet the requirements of § 141.35 of this part.
(c) When necessary, an applicant for a pilot school certificate or for a provisional pilot school certificate may designate a person to be an assistant chief instructor for an approved training course, provided that person meets the requirements of § 141.36 of this part.
(d) A pilot school and a provisional pilot school may designate a person to be a check instructor for conducting student stage checks, end-of-course tests, and instructor proficiency checks, provided:
(1) That person meets the requirements of § 141.37 of this part; and
(2) The school has an enrollment of at least 10 students at the time designation is sought.
(e) A person, as listed in this section, may serve in more than one position for a school, provided that person is qualified for each position.
[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16347, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 141-9, 62 FR 40907, July 30, 1997; Amdt. 141-12, 74 FR 42563, Aug. 21, 2009; Amdt. 141-17, 78 FR 42379, July 15, 2013; Amdt. 141-17A, 78 FR 53026, Aug. 28, 2013]
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What are the basic instructor qualifications required at a Part 141 pilot school?
Per FAR 141.33(a)(3), each instructor must hold a flight instructor certificate, ground instructor certificate, or commercial pilot certificate with a lighter-than-air rating, with ratings appropriate to the approved course and any aircraft used.
Q2What additional requirements apply to instructors in a Part 141 ATP Certification Training Program?
FAR 141.33(a)(4) requires those instructors to hold an ATP certificate with an airplane multiengine class rating, have at least 2 years of PIC experience under § 91.1053(a)(2)(i), § 135.243(a)(1), or PIC/SIC under Part 121, and, if teaching in an FSTD, complete recurrent training and evaluation within the preceding 12 months.
Q3Can one person serve as both chief instructor and check instructor at a Part 141 school?
Yes. FAR 141.33(e) allows a person to serve in more than one position so long as they are qualified for each, and the school must have at least 10 students enrolled to designate a check instructor under FAR 141.33(d)(2).
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