Pilot Courses of Instruction

Flight Instructor Endorsements & TSA Requirements for Flight Instruction

Transportation Security Administration Requirements for Flight Instruction

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has established requirements for the security training of aviation professionals and for alien flight training & citizenship validation. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has online guidance concerning compliance with these requirements and providing options for on-line training.

• AOPA's Guide to TSA's Alien Flight Training/Citizenship Validation Rule
  • Flight Training Providers

Recommended TSA endorsements are as follows:

TSA Endorsements:

Training of U.S. Citizens

1. Each flight training provider is required to determine U.S. citizenship before training is started for a recreational, sport pilot, private pilot (single or multiengine) certificate, multiengine rating (at any level), or instrument rating (does not include recurrent training). This only applies to people beginning training after October 20, 2004. Evidence may be shown by one of the following:

   1. Valid, unexpired U.S. passport.
   2. Original birth certificate of the United States, American Samoa, or Swains Island, and government-issued picture ID.
   3. Original certification of birth abroad with raised seal (Form FS-545 or DS-1350) and government-issued picture ID.
   4. Original certificate of U.S. citizenship with raised seal (Form N-560 or N-561), or a Certificate of Repatriation (Form N-581), and government-issued picture ID.
   5. Original U.S. naturalization certificate with raised seal (Form N-550 or N-570) and a government-issued picture ID.
   6. Flight training of federal employees including military personnel: Pursuant to a contract between a federal agency and a flight school, the agency must submit a written certification to TSA as to its employee's U.S. citizenship or nationality and government-issued credentials or other federally issued picture ID.
   7. Flight training of foreign military pilots endorsed by the Department of Defense to receive flight training in the U.S. (DoD endorsees): The individual must present a written statement acceptable to the TSA from the U.S. Department of Defense attach� in the individual's country of residence and a government-issued picture ID to the flight school.

2. The instructor must then comply with one of the following two options:

   1. Make an endorsement in both the instructor's logbook, or other record used by the instructor to record flight student endorsements, and the student's logbook with the following:

      I certify that (First name, MI, last name) has presented me a (type of document presented & relevant control or sequential number on the document, if any) establishing that he/she is a U.S. citizen or national in accordance with 49 CFR 1552.3(h).
      
      [Sign with date, instructor's signature, and CFI number, relevant (or all) ratings, & expiration date.]

   2. Keep a copy of the documents used to prove citizenship for five years.

3. Flight training can begin after the documents have been reviewed and either the logbook endorsement is made or copies are obtained by the instructor.

Training of Non-U.S. Citizens

See AOPA's TSA Section (noted above) for additional information, including on the training of non-U.S. citizens.

Flight Instructor Endorsements

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides recommendations for Flight Instructor "Recommended Endorsements" that a flight instructor would make in a pilot's logbook. All of these recommendations are contained in the following:

• Advisory Circular No. 61-65E, "Certification: Pilots and Flight & Ground Instructors"

The endoresements are in the following categories:

• Student Pilot
• Student Pilot Seeking Sport Pilot Certification
• Sport Pilot
• Recreational Pilot
• Private Pilot
• Commercial Pilot
• Instrument Rating
• Flight Instructor (Other Than Flight Instructors with a Sport Pilot Rating)
• Flight Instructor With A Sport Pilot Rating
• Ground Instructor
• Additional Endorsements

The "Additional Endorsements" category would include, e.g., Flight Review, Instrument Proficiency Check, Tailwheel Airplane, etc.

Additional information is in the FAA's "FAR Part 61 and 141 Frequently Asked Questions" (reproduced on this web site.) Also of interest might be the FAA's "Aeronautical Experience Check List" (also reproduced on our web site).

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