Managing Instructor Qualification Records

Summary

FlightSense tracks FAA Part 141 instructor qualification records across three categories: proficiency records, course authorizations, and aircraft authorizations. The system automatically calculates expiration dates using FAA's 12-month calendar rule and alerts you when records need attention.

For instructor certificates and compliance tracking (medical, FIRC, TSA, flight review), see Tracking Instructor Compliance.

Who this is for

• Admins and Owners managing Part 141 compliance
• Chief Instructors overseeing instructor qualifications
• Assistant Chief Instructors managing subordinate instructor records

Regular instructors can view their own qualifications but cannot edit them.

Before you begin

• The instructor must be an active member of your organization
• For course authorizations, at least one published course must exist
• For aircraft authorizations, aircraft must be added to your fleet

Qualification categories

Proficiency Records

Track FAA-required proficiency checks with four types:

Course Authorizations

Specify which courses an instructor can teach and their role within each course:

Aircraft Authorizations

Authorize instructors to use specific aircraft make/models. One authorization covers all aircraft of that make/model in your fleet (e.g., authorizing "Cessna 172" covers all 172s).

For regular instructors, each aircraft authorization requires initial proficiency in that make/model for each authorized course. Chiefs and assistant chiefs do not have aircraft-specific requirements.

Steps

Viewing qualifications

1. Go to Members in the Admin Portal
2. Click on an instructor's name
3. Select the Qualifications tab
4. Review the three sections: Proficiency Records, Authorized Courses, Authorized Aircraft

Adding a proficiency record

1. Open the instructor's Qualifications tab
2. In the Proficiency Records section, click Add Record
3. Complete the form:
   • Date: When the proficiency event occurred
   • Type: Initial, Recurrent, FIRC, or Other
   • Course: Optional. Associate with a specific course, or leave blank
   • Aircraft (M/M): Required for regular instructors. Shows N/A for chiefs and assistant chiefs
   • Administered By: Select who administered the check. Options are grouped by role—FAA is listed separately, followed by qualified personnel (chiefs and assistant chiefs) from your organization
   • Notes: Optional additional details
4. Click Save

Authorizing an instructor for a course

1. Open the instructor's Qualifications tab
2. In Authorized Courses, click Add Course
3. Select the course and role
4. For Chief or Asst. Chief roles, configure granted authorities:
   • Can perform stage checks
   • Can perform progress checks
   • Can perform annual proficiency checks
5. Click Save

Authorizing an instructor for aircraft

1. Open the instructor's Qualifications tab
2. In Authorized Aircraft, click Add Aircraft
3. Select the aircraft make/model from the dropdown
4. Click Save

What happens next

The system continuously monitors qualification status:

• Active (green): More than 30 days until expiration
• Expiring (yellow): Within 30 days of expiration
• Inactive (red): Expired or missing required records

For aircraft authorizations, regular instructors see a separate status:

• Authorized (green): Has initial proficiency for at least one authorized course in this aircraft
• Missing Initial (red): Missing initial proficiency for one or more authorized courses
• N/A: Chiefs and assistant chiefs (aircraft authorization is not applicable)

Status alerts appear inline within each section when action is needed.

Common issues

How this works

FAA 12-month calendar rule

Proficiency expires at the end of the calendar month, 12 months after the proficiency date:

Proficiency Date: November 15, 2024
Expiration: November 30, 2025 (last day of the month)

Initial proficiency records establish authorization but do not themselves expire—only Recurrent checks and FIRCs follow the 12-month window.

Chief vs. instructor requirements

Chiefs and assistant chiefs follow different qualification rules than regular instructors. Understanding the distinction is key to knowing whether an instructor is qualified to fly today.

Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs (per FAA § 141.79(c)):

• Require FAA-administered Initial proficiency per course
• Recurrent within 12 months can be satisfied by a course-specific Recurrent record or a FIRC
• Aircraft make/model is not required on proficiency records
• Aircraft authorization status shows N/A

Regular Instructors (per FAA § 141.79(d)):

• Require Initial proficiency per course, administered by a chief or assistant chief
• Require Recurrent within 12 months, also administered by a chief or assistant chief
• FIRC does not satisfy the recurrent requirement for regular instructors
• Aircraft make/model is required on both Initial and Recurrent records
• Must have Initial proficiency in each aircraft make/model for each authorized course

Who can administer proficiency checks

Status calculation

The system determines course authorization status based on the most favorable applicable record:

1. Checks for a valid Initial record with the correct administrator
2. Checks for a valid Recurrent (or FIRC, for chiefs) within 12 months
3. For regular instructors, verifies aircraft make/model is included in proficiency
4. Returns the appropriate status: Active, Expiring, or Inactive