FAR 141.87 — Change of Chief Instructor
FAR 141.87 explains what a Part 141 pilot school must do when changing its chief instructor, including the 60-day limit and reinstatement requirements.
In Plain English
FAR 141.87 lays out the steps a Part 141 pilot school (or provisional pilot school) must take when it changes the designation of its chief instructor. Because the chief instructor is responsible for the integrity of a training course, the FAA wants prompt notification and a strict timeline for naming a replacement.
Key requirements:
- Immediate written notification to the FAA Flight Standards office responsible for the school.
- The school may continue training for up to 60 days without a chief instructor while seeking approval of a new one.
- During that 60-day window, stage checks and end-of-course tests may be given by:
- the assistant chief instructor (if designated),
- the check instructor (if designated),
- an FAA inspector, or
- a designated examiner.
- After 60 days with no chief instructor, the school must cease operations and surrender its certificate.
- The certificate can be reinstated by designating a new chief instructor, meeting the personnel requirements of § 141.27(a)(2), and applying for reinstatement on the prescribed form.
Operationally, this rule keeps training quality and oversight intact during a leadership gap and prevents schools from operating indefinitely without a qualified chief instructor.
Regulation Text
14 CFR § 141.87§ 141.87 Change of chief instructor.
Whenever a pilot school or provisional pilot school makes a change of designation of its chief instructor, that school:
(a) Must immediately provide the FAA responsible Flight Standards office in which the school is located with written notification of the change;
(b) May conduct training without a chief instructor for that training course for a period not to exceed 60 days while awaiting the designation and approval of another chief instructor;
(c) May, for a period not to exceed 60 days, have the stage checks and end-of-course tests administered by:
(1) The training course's assistant chief instructor, if one has been designated;
(2) The training course's check instructor, if one has been designated;
(3) An FAA inspector; or
(4) An examiner.
(d) Must, after 60 days without a chief instructor, cease operations and surrender its certificate to the Administrator; and
(e) May have its certificate reinstated, upon:
(1) Designating and approving another chief instructor;
(2) Showing it meets the requirements of § 141.27(a)(2) of this part; and
(3) Applying for reinstatement on a form and in a manner prescribed by the Administrator.
[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16347, Apr. 4, 1997, as amended by Docket FAA-2018-0119, Amdt. 141-19, 83 FR 9176, Mar. 5, 2018]
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Oral Exam Questions a DPE Might Ask
Q1If your Part 141 school loses its chief instructor today, what must the school do, and how long can it keep training students?
Per FAR 141.87, the school must immediately provide written notification to the responsible FAA Flight Standards office and may continue training for up to 60 days while awaiting designation and approval of a new chief instructor.
Q2During that 60-day period without a chief instructor, who is allowed to administer stage checks and end-of-course tests?
FAR 141.87(c) allows the assistant chief instructor (if designated), the check instructor (if designated), an FAA inspector, or a designated examiner to administer those tests during the 60-day window.
Q3What happens if 60 days pass and the school still has no approved chief instructor, and how can the certificate be reinstated?
Under FAR 141.87(d) and (e), the school must cease operations and surrender its certificate, and may have it reinstated by designating a new chief instructor, meeting § 141.27(a)(2), and applying for reinstatement in the manner prescribed by the Administrator.
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