FAR 141.63 — Examining Authority Qualifications
FAR 141.63 sets the prerequisites for a Part 141 pilot school to obtain and renew examining authority, including rating tenure and student pass-rate standards.
In Plain English
FAR 141.63 lists what a Part 141 pilot school must demonstrate to be granted — and to keep — examining authority (the privilege of testing its own graduates internally rather than sending them to an outside examiner).
For initial approval, the school must:
- File the application on the form the Administrator prescribes.
- Hold a Part 141 pilot school certificate and rating.
- Have held the rating in question for at least 24 consecutive calendar months before applying.
- Use a course that meets the minimum ground and flight training hours of Part 141 (no reduced-time courses).
- In the previous 24 calendar months, have trained and recommended at least 10 students in that course, with at least 90% passing the practical or knowledge test on the first attempt, given by an FAA inspector or an outside examiner (not a school employee).
To retain examining authority, the school reapplies on the prescribed form, still holds the certificate and rating, has held that rating for 24 months, and continues to use a course meeting the minimum training-time requirements.
This matters because examining authority is a major operational benefit — it streamlines testing — but the FAA only grants it to schools with a proven track record of producing well-trained applicants.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 141.63§ 141.63 Examining authority qualification requirements.
(a) A pilot school must meet the following prerequisites to receive initial approval for examining authority:
(1) The school must complete the application for examining authority on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Administrator;
(2) The school must hold a pilot school certificate and rating issued under this part;
(3) The school must have held the rating in which examining authority is sought for at least 24 consecutive calendar months preceding the month of application for examining authority;
(4) The training course for which examining authority is requested may not be a course that is approved without meeting the minimum ground and flight training time requirements of this part; and
(5) Within 24 calendar months before the date of application for examining authority, that school must meet the following requirements—
(i) The school must have trained at least 10 students in the training course for which examining authority is sought and recommended those students for a pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate or rating; and
(ii) At least 90 percent of those students passed the required practical or knowledge test, or any combination thereof, for the pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate or rating on the first attempt, and that test was given by—
(A) An FAA inspector; or
(B) An examiner who is not an employee of the school.
(b) A pilot school must meet the following requirements to retain approval of its examining authority:
(1) The school must complete the application for renewal of its examining authority on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Administrator;
(2) The school must hold a pilot school certificate and rating issued under this part;
(3) The school must have held the rating for which continued examining authority is sought for at least 24 calendar months preceding the month of application for renewal of its examining authority; and
(4) The training course for which continued examining authority is requested may not be a course that is approved without meeting the minimum ground and flight training time requirements of this part.
[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16347, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 141-9, 62 FR 40908, July 30, 1997]
Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1What does a Part 141 school need to do to qualify for initial examining authority?
Per FAR 141.63(a), the school must apply on the prescribed form, hold a Part 141 certificate and the rating sought for at least 24 consecutive months, use a course that meets the minimum ground and flight training times, and in the prior 24 months have trained and recommended at least 10 students with a 90% first-attempt pass rate on tests given by an FAA inspector or a non-employee examiner.
Q2Who must have administered the practical or knowledge tests counted toward the 90% first-time pass rate?
Under FAR 141.63(a)(5)(ii), those tests must have been given by either an FAA inspector or an examiner who is not an employee of the school.
Q3What must a school do to retain its examining authority?
FAR 141.63(b) requires the school to file a renewal application on the prescribed form, continue to hold the Part 141 pilot school certificate and rating, have held that rating for at least 24 months before the renewal application, and use a course that meets the minimum Part 141 ground and flight training time requirements.
Studying for a checkride?
Related Sections in Part 141