Endorsements & Recordkeeping
Endorsements are the CFI's formal regulatory statement that a pilot is qualified for a specific privilege. Each one cites a FAR section, names the privilege granted, and is signed by an authorized instructor. Advisory Circular 61-65 contains the FAA-recommended template language for every endorsement type — use it.
Anatomy of an Endorsement
Every valid endorsement contains:
- The student's name
- The date
- The specific FAR being satisfied (§ 61.87, § 61.93, etc.)
- The exact privilege granted (specific aircraft / make-model / route)
- A statement that the student has received the required training and is proficient
- The instructor's signature, certificate number, and certificate expiration date
Endorsements live in the student's logbook (and the instructor's records). Both copies should match.
Pre-Solo Endorsements
Required before a student can fly solo. Three pieces:
- § 61.87(b) Aeronautical knowledge: The student passed the pre-solo knowledge test administered by the instructor. Test must cover applicable Part 91 regs, airspace, aircraft systems, performance, and aircraft-specific limits.
- § 61.87(c) Pre-solo flight training: Student demonstrated proficiency in the specific maneuvers required (taxi, takeoff, traffic pattern, hover, autorotation entry, etc.)
- § 61.87(n) Make and model: Authorizing solo flight in a specific make and model. Each helicopter requires its own endorsement; valid for 90 days.
Caution: the make/model endorsement expires every 90 days. Students who don't fly that often need re-endorsement before each solo.
Solo Cross-Country Endorsements
Solo XC is treated separately from solo at the home airport. Two pieces required:
- § 61.93(c)(1) Solo XC training: One-time endorsement after the student has demonstrated solo cross-country competency in the make and model
- § 61.93(c)(2) Specific solo XC flight: Per-flight endorsement reviewed and signed before each solo cross-country, listing the route and confirming the CFI has reviewed the student's planning, weather, and NOTAMs
The per-flight endorsement is the CFI's last chance to catch a planning error. Don't sign it without actually reviewing the navlog.
Knowledge Test Endorsement
§ 61.35(a)(1) / 61.103 / 61.105: The instructor certifies the student has received ground training in the required aeronautical knowledge areas and is prepared for the knowledge test. Required before the student can sit for the FAA knowledge test (PPL written, IFR written, etc.).
The student carries this endorsement to the testing center. Without it, the test is denied at the door.
Practical Test Endorsements
For the practical test (checkride), the instructor must endorse:
- § 61.39(a)(6)(i) Aeronautical knowledge: The student is prepared for the practical test on the knowledge areas the DPE will examine in the oral portion
- § 61.39(a)(6)(ii) Flight proficiency: The student is proficient in all areas of operation and tasks in the relevant ACS
Both endorsements must be in the logbook on checkride day. Without them, the DPE cannot administer the test.
If the student fails the practical, an additional endorsement is required after retraining: § 61.49 — additional training endorsement specifying the deficient areas of operation that were retrained.
Flight Review (BFR) Endorsement
§ 61.56(a) and (c): Satisfactory completion of a flight review consisting of at least 1 hour ground + 1 hour flight, on the date specified. Valid for 24 calendar months.
If the pilot does not satisfactorily complete the review, the CFI does not endorse — the pilot is simply not current to act as PIC until they pass a review with another (or the same) instructor.
Instrument Proficiency Check (IPC)
§ 61.57(d): An instrument-rated pilot who has not maintained recent IFR experience (6 + 6 + holding + intercepting/tracking + 6 instrument approaches in the preceding 6 calendar months, plus the 6 months grace period) must complete an IPC before flying IFR again.
The IPC must be administered by an authorized CFI (CFII) or examiner and must include all the areas of operation in the instrument ACS that the FAA deems necessary.
Add-On Category, Class, and Type Endorsements
- Complex aircraft — § 61.31(e). One-time endorsement for retractable, flaps, and constant-speed prop. Mostly applies to airplane category.
- High-performance — § 61.31(f). Aircraft with engine of more than 200 HP. One-time endorsement.
- Pressurized — § 61.31(g). Required for pressurized aircraft. One-time endorsement.
- Tailwheel — § 61.31(i). Required for tailwheel airplane. One-time endorsement.
- Type rating — required for aircraft > 12,500 lbs MTOW or turbojet. Issued by FAA after a separate practical test, not just an endorsement.
SFAR 73 — Robinson R-22 and R-44
Specific to two helicopter models. Required before acting as PIC.
- SFAR 73(a)(2)(i) — Robinson R-22 awareness training and proficiency check
- SFAR 73(b)(2)(i) — Robinson R-44 awareness training and proficiency check
- Awareness topics: enhanced autorotation training, engine/rotor RPM control without governor, low rotor RPM recognition and recovery, effects of low-G maneuvers
- The SFAR 73 flight review must be in the same model and is required every 12 calendar months until the pilot has 200 helicopter PIC hours total and 50 hours in the specific model
Endorsement Recordkeeping — § 61.51
Both the student and the CFI must keep records.
Student logbook should contain:
- Each lesson flown — date, route, duration, conditions, maneuvers
- Every endorsement received, with full instructor signature and certificate info
- Every checkride, knowledge test, and practical test result
- Currency-related entries (3-and-3 night, instrument approaches, holding, etc.)
CFI's records should contain:
- Copies (or carbons) of every endorsement signed
- Lesson records — what was taught, what was achieved, recommendations for next session
- Pre-flight risk assessments for each lesson (often a FRAT)
- Pre-solo knowledge test results and review
Records must be retained for at least 3 years per § 61.189. In practice, keep them indefinitely — they may matter long after the regulatory minimum.
Common Endorsement Mistakes
- Missing certificate expiration date — required on every endorsement
- Using outdated regulatory citations — FAR sections renumber occasionally; verify against current AC 61-65
- Endorsing without the underlying training — the 90-day make/model endorsement requires actual recent flight; "I assume he's still proficient" is not a basis
- Skipping the per-flight XC endorsement — even with a current solo XC training endorsement, each XC flight requires its own per-flight endorsement after CFI review of the navlog
- Endorsing a checkride applicant without observing all ACS tasks — DPEs assume the CFI has personally seen every task. If the recommendation appears uninformed, the CFI's reputation suffers.
- Forgetting to update for an aircraft change — solo authorization is make/model-specific. Switching from R-22 to Cabri requires a new endorsement.
Use AC 61-65 — Don't Improvise
Advisory Circular 61-65 (current revision 61-65J as of this writing — verify before use) contains the FAA's recommended endorsement language for every common endorsement. Each entry shows:
- The applicable FAR citation
- The exact wording template
- The required content fields (date, name, route, etc.)
Using AC 61-65 language ensures the endorsement will be accepted by the FAA, the testing center, and any DPE. Improvised wording sometimes works — but when it doesn't, the consequences fall on the CFI.
Carry a current copy in your CFI bag (paper or electronic). Many CFIs print the relevant pages and laminate them for quick reference at the airport.