FAR 141.35 — Chief Instructor Qualifications
FAR 141.35 sets the certificates, hours, and experience required to serve as a chief instructor at a Part 141 pilot school. Full breakdown for students.
In Plain English
FAR 141.35 lays out who can serve as a chief instructor at a Part 141 pilot school. The role is essentially the academic and operational head of a specific course of training, so the FAA sets minimum certificate, currency, and experience standards.
Every chief instructor (except lighter-than-air) must:
- Hold a commercial or ATP certificate plus a current flight instructor certificate, with the appropriate category/class and instrument rating if the course requires one.
- Meet the PIC recent flight experience requirements of § 61.57.
- Pass a knowledge test covering teaching methods, the AIM, parts 61/91/141, and the course's objectives and completion standards.
- Pass a proficiency test on instructional skills.
Flight-time minimums depend on the course:
- Recreational/Private: 1,000 hours PIC plus primary instructing experience (2 yrs/500 hrs or 1,000 hrs).
- Instrument courses: 1,000 hours PIC, 100 hours actual/simulated instrument, plus instrument instructing experience (2 yrs/250 hrs or 400 hrs).
- All other courses (commercial, ATP, CFI, etc.): 2,000 hours PIC plus instructing experience (3 yrs/1,000 hrs or 1,500 hrs).
Glider, balloon, and airship chiefs only need 40% of those hours. A ground school chief instructor needs 1 year of ground instructing experience at a certificated pilot school. This matters because the chief instructor's qualifications are part of what makes a Part 141 school's curriculum FAA-approved.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 141.35§ 141.35 Chief instructor qualifications.
(a) To be eligible for designation as a chief instructor for a course of training, a person must meet the following requirements:
(1) Hold a commercial pilot certificate or an airline transport pilot certificate, and, except for a chief instructor for a course of training solely for a lighter-than-air rating, a current flight instructor certificate. The certificates must contain the appropriate aircraft category and class ratings for the category and class of aircraft used in the course and an instrument rating, if an instrument rating is required for enrollment in the course of training;
(2) Meet the pilot-in-command recent flight experience requirements of § 61.57 of this chapter;
(3) Pass a knowledge test on—
(i) Teaching methods;
(ii) Applicable provisions of the “Aeronautical Information Manual”;
(iii) Applicable provisions of parts 61, 91, and 141 of this chapter; and
(iv) The objectives and approved course completion standards of the course for which the person seeks to obtain designation.
(4) Pass a proficiency test on instructional skills and ability to train students on the flight procedures and maneuvers appropriate to the course;
(5) Except for a course of training for gliders, balloons, or airships, the chief instructor must meet the applicable requirements in paragraphs (b), (c), and (d) of this section; and
(6) A chief instructor for a course of training for gliders, balloons or airships is only required to have 40 percent of the hours required in paragraphs (b) and (d) of this section.
(b) For a course of training leading to the issuance of a recreational or private pilot certificate or rating, a chief instructor must have:
(1) At least 1,000 hours as pilot in command; and
(2) Primary flight training experience, acquired as either a certificated flight instructor or an instructor in a military pilot flight training program, or a combination thereof, consisting of at least—
(i) 2 years and a total of 500 flight hours; or
(ii) 1,000 flight hours.
(c) For a course of training leading to the issuance of an instrument rating or a rating with instrument privileges, a chief instructor must have:
(1) At least 100 hours of flight time under actual or simulated instrument conditions;
(2) At least 1,000 hours as pilot in command; and
(3) Instrument flight instructor experience, acquired as either a certificated flight instructor-instrument or an instructor in a military pilot flight training program, or a combination thereof, consisting of at least—
(i) 2 years and a total of 250 flight hours; or
(ii) 400 flight hours.
(d) For a course of training other than one leading to the issuance of a recreational or private pilot certificate or rating, or an instrument rating or a rating with instrument privileges, a chief instructor must have:
(1) At least 2,000 hours as pilot in command; and
(2) Flight training experience, acquired as either a certificated flight instructor or an instructor in a military pilot flight training program, or a combination thereof, consisting of at least—
(i) 3 years and a total of 1,000 flight hours; or
(ii) 1,500 flight hours.
(e) To be eligible for designation as chief instructor for a ground school course, a person must have 1 year of experience as a ground school instructor at a certificated pilot school.
[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16347, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 141-9, 62 FR 40907, July 30, 1997, as amended by Amdt. 141-10, 63 FR 20289, Apr. 23, 1998]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What certificates and ratings must a chief instructor hold at a Part 141 school?
Per FAR 141.35(a)(1), a chief instructor must hold a commercial or ATP certificate and a current flight instructor certificate with the appropriate category/class ratings for the course, plus an instrument rating if the course requires one. Lighter-than-air chiefs are exempt from the CFI requirement.
Q2What flight time does a chief instructor need for a Part 141 instrument rating course?
FAR 141.35(c) requires at least 1,000 hours PIC, 100 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, and instrument instructing experience of either 2 years and 250 flight hours or 400 flight hours total.
Q3How does a chief instructor demonstrate they're qualified beyond just meeting the hour requirements?
Under FAR 141.35(a)(3) and (a)(4), the applicant must pass a knowledge test covering teaching methods, the AIM, parts 61/91/141, and the course's objectives and completion standards, plus a proficiency test on instructional skills and the maneuvers taught in the course.
Studying for a checkride?
Related Sections in Part 141