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The College of Sequoias Aviation program students will be concurrently enrolled in Blue Sky Aviation's FAA Part 141 Approved flight training program. There is a great deal of misunderstanding regarding Part 141 training. This page hopes to help answer some questions about the value of Part 141 training.
Contrary to popular belief, the FAA does not regulate flight schools in the United States. Pilots are required to be flight instructors and comply with regulations, which means anyone with a flight instructor certificate can open a flight school and start training. Since the FAA regulates pilots under code of federal regulations (CFR) part 61, schools that do not have any FAA approval and only have a flight instructor certificate are often referred to as "Part 61" schools.
The FAA has also established regulations whereby they are willing to recognize and approve flight schools that meet a very demanding qualification process. Schools that choose to become "FAA Approved" must, among other things, have the following:
- Chief Flight Instructor (Each chief instructor must pass a check-ride given by the FAA to qualify for this position)
- Structured Training Program with FAA approved syllabus
- Each flight lesson must be documented by the flight instructor
- Instructor Training Program
- Minimum of 80% first-time pass rate for each certificate or rating sought
- Maintenance program requiring minimum inspections
- Agree to annual and surprise inspections by the FAA
The guidelines that establish performance for a flight school entity are contained in CFR Part 141. All training done under Part 141 must comply with the above standards.
This program combines the best of both worlds, because in addition to complying with the California Chancellor's Office and Title 4 of the Education Code of Federal regulations, this training program also meets established Federal Aviation Administration standards for flight schools.
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On April 28, 2008 a question arose about Blue Sky Aviation's Part 141 Training program on Vertical Reference's Flight Training Forum. The owner of Blue Sky Aviation, posted a response on the forum answering why Blue Sky has sought 141 training. While this may not be the case for all schools, it is helpful for prospective COS students to better understand how
"I also wanted to address why I elected to operate under FAA Part 141. There are many and varied reasons for doing this, but I would like to address a couple relavent to this thread. I wanted an outside agency,the FAA, to audit my company and make sure we are, in fact, providing a quality service. I open my doors to them so they can see my training syllabus, my instructor training program, student records and maintenance on the aircraft. I wanted the FAA to know they can come here unannounced any time to inspect us. The FAA has real-time access to our online maintenance scheduling system. They can also view student progress and scores to insure the program is being followed. We cannot get away with not maintaining the helicopters without the FAA knowing about it. But most importantly, I wanted the customers to know that an independent 3rd party has reviewed our program and is constantly scrutinizing the way we do things in the interest of quality and safety.
Also, I believe in the value of a structured training system. Under 141, my instructors don't have the latitude to do whatever they feel-like each day, but instead follow a cohesive program from start to finish. Since transitioning to 141, I feel much better as an operator, because I know the student is going to get the training he or she paid for. And, quite honestly, after transitioning to 141, I'm seeing students get their privates at around 40 - 45 hours, as opposed to 60 - 70 hours under 61. That in and of itself isn't impressive since you do need 200 hours minimum to meet SFAR requirements, but it is a testament to the quality of instruction. The instructors cannot 'time-build' on my student's 'dime' under a structured 141 training syllabus. (I am not saying that Part 61 instructors are 'time-building') But, as an operator, I have much more control over the training under a 141 program and this is why I do it.
I chose to use training contracts and a 141 approved program, among other things, to help give my customers confidence that if they come here, they will get their money's worth. I'm not saying 61 schools are bad, or you need a contract, I'm just explaining why I run the program the way I do only because it was brought to question."
-Ron Overacker, April 28 2008 Posted On: www.verticalreference.com
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