Quality of Training

FAR 141.83 — Quality of Training

FAR 141.83 sets quality of training standards for Part 141 pilot schools, including FAA-administered tests and grounds for certificate suspension.

In Plain English

FAR 141.83 sets the quality standards every Part 141 pilot school (and provisional pilot school) must maintain. The rule has a few practical pieces students should understand:

The school must comply with its approved training course and deliver training good enough to meet the pass-rate requirements in § 141.5(d).
Failing to maintain that quality can lead the FAA to suspend or revoke the school's certificate.
When the Administrator requests it, the school must allow the FAA to give any knowledge test, practical test, stage check, or end-of-course test directly to its students.
If the FAA gives a stage check or end-of-course test before the student has finished the course, the test is based on the school's approved training course standards.
If the FAA gives a practical or knowledge test after the student completes the course, the test is based on the areas of operation approved by the Administrator (i.e., the ACS/PTS standards).

Why it matters: this rule is the FAA's quality-control hook on Part 141 schools. It's the reason your school must follow its TCO (Training Course Outline) exactly and why the FAA can show up and test you directly.

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Regulation Text

14 CFR § 141.83

§ 141.83 Quality of training. (a) Each pilot school or provisional pilot school must meet the following requirements: (1) Comply with its approved training course; and (2) Provide training of such quality that meets the requirements of § 141.5(d) of this part. (b) The failure of a pilot school or provisional pilot school to maintain the quality of training specified in paragraph (a) of this section may be the basis for suspending or revoking that school's certificate. (c) When requested by the Administrator, a pilot school or provisional pilot school must allow the FAA to administer any knowledge test, practical test, stage check, or end-of-course test to its students. (d) When a stage check or end-of-course test is administered by the FAA under the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section, and the student has not completed the training course, then that test will be based on the standards prescribed in the school's approved training course. (e) When a practical test or knowledge test is administered by the FAA under the provisions of paragraph (c) of this section, to a student who has completed the school's training course, that test will be based upon the areas of operation approved by the Administrator. [Docket 25910, 62 FR 16347, Apr. 4, 1997; Amdt. 141-9, 62 FR 40908, July 30, 1997]

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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask

Q1What are a Part 141 pilot school's basic obligations regarding quality of training?

Per FAR 141.83(a), the school must comply with its approved training course and provide training of a quality that meets the pass-rate requirements of § 141.5(d).

Q2What can happen if a Part 141 school fails to maintain training quality?

Under FAR 141.83(b), failure to maintain the required quality of training may be grounds for the FAA to suspend or revoke the school's certificate.

Q3If the FAA elects to administer a stage check to a student who hasn't yet finished the course, what standard is used?

FAR 141.83(d) states that when the FAA administers a stage check or end-of-course test before the student has completed training, the test is based on the standards prescribed in the school's approved training course.

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