The last two items on the experience list ? flight and ground training received, and training received in a simulator or FTD ? are of particular interest to instructors, because the FAA added them to the regulation when it rewrote Part 61 in 1997. Added to this are three new terms, which FAR 61.1 defines:
(6) Flight training means that training, other than ground training, received from an authorized instructor in flight in an aircraft.
(8) Ground training means that training, other than flight training, received from an authorized instructor.
(15) Training time means training received ? (i) In flight from an authorized instructor; (ii) On the ground from an authorized instructor; or (iii) In a flight simulator or flight training device from an authorized instructor.
FAR 61.51(h) specifies when to log training time, and what information the entry must include. A pilot may log training time anytime he or she receives training from an instructor in an aircraft, simulator, or FTD. The entry must include a description of the training given and the lesson's length. And the entry must be endorsed "in a legible manner" with the CFI's signature, and flight instructor certificate number and its expiration date.
This is a lot of information to cram into the tiny rectangle of space that most logbooks provide for the purpose, and most logbooks produced before the rewrite of Part 61 don't have columns for ground and flight training received. Fortunately, no regulation says that a flight must be recorded on one line in the logbook, and that pilots cannot change the headings on unused columns. In other words, to make a complete and legible entry, CFIs can use as many logbook lines as needed.
Legal Document
When you make a logbook entry, you must remember that the student's logbook is a legal document, and that CFI's entry and endorsement is "for the record." On rare occasions logbooks and their entries have been presented as evidence in court, so it behooves instructors to inscribe entries that are clear and concise ? and leave no doubt about what training the student received. If it takes an entire logbook page to make an entry, use an entire page. Legal documents must be thorough and complete.
Instructors must keep their own legal documents. FAR 61.189, "Flight Instructor Records," requires CFIs to maintain a record of each person whose student pilot certificate and logbook they endorsed for solo flight. They also must record the name of each person they have endorsed for a knowledge or practical test, and record the type of test, the date, and the results.
This information is the required minimum. CFIs must maintain these records for three years, and they can record the information in a separate record or in their logbook. In addition to the required minimum information, instructors might want to duplicate the exact logbook entries made in their students' records. This requires extra work, but it creates an identical duplicate of a student's training record, which protects both the instructor and student in case either person's logbook is lost or destroyed.
What to Write
When it comes to endorsements for such things as solo flight, knowledge and practical tests, flight reviews, high-performance and complex aircraft checkout, AC 61-65 should be your guide. The FAA hasn't updated this AC since it rewrote Part 61, so it's imperative that CFIs check the accuracy of the FAR references, and to update the language as necessary. For example, the endorsement for student flight in Class B airspace is still given as "TCA" (terminal control area).
When this advisory circular doesn't give guidance for an endorsement and you must create your own, be specific and use words and phrases taken directly from the FARs. For example, FAR 61.87(d)(1), "Solo requirements for student pilots," requires students to receive flight training in "proper flight preparation procedures, including preflight planning and preparation, powerplant operation, and aircraft systems." When recording the training given in the student's logbook, use "powerplant operation" rather than "engine starting" or "motor operation."
The same goes for other training requirements, such as collision avoidance, wind shear avoidance, and wake turbulence avoidance. It's prudent to use the word "avoidance" in your entries. And when recording training in stalls, be specific. For example, "stalls" and "stall series" are vague because they don't indicate the training given, and they don't include an important word ? "recoveries." A specific entry might be "entries and recoveries from approach-to-landing full stalls with 30 degrees angle of bank, 30 degrees of flaps, and idle power."
When endorsing flight privileges, remember that you, as the student's instructor, have the right to limit what the student can do or the conditions in which the student can fly. The purpose of these limitations is to give students the freedom to learn and explore under certain dictated conditions, and you should record these limitations in the student's logbook.
Common limitations include minimum weather conditions; maximum wind components; where the student can fly, such as the practice area; and what maneuvers he can or cannot fly when solo. There is no limitation on the kinds of limitations you place upon your students, but you should be reasonable. Whatever the limitation, FAR 61.89(a)(8) makes it illegal for your student to operate contrary to any limitation you've placed in his logbook.
Ground Instruction
FAR 61.51 (b)(2)(iv) requires pilots to log all ground instruction. This is where CFIs document ground training items such as the pre-solo knowledge test and fulfillment of the private pilot aeronautical knowledge areas.
When recording ground instruction, don't forget the new, required knowledge areas that the FAA added with the Part 61 rewrite. This includes wind shear avoidance, aeronautical decision making and judgment, how to plan for alternatives if the expected flight cannot be completed or delays are encountered, and the preflight actions found in FAR 91.103.
Remember, even if your student takes a formal ground school, as your student's "authorized instructor" it's your responsibility to make sure the student has fulfilled the aeronautical knowledge areas required by FAR 61.105, and that their fulfillment has been properly logged. Again, it's prudent to quote directly from and reference the FARs. For example, "ground instruction in aeronautical decision making as per FAR 61.105(b)(12)."
Endorsement No-No's
An instructor shouldn't record his evaluation of a student's performance in a logbook entry. Because of limited logbook space, such evaluations tend to be terse, which means they might have a negative effect on the student's attitude. A post-flight discussion is the time and place to evaluate the student's performance. Also, evaluations can be misinterpreted, misconstrued, and misunderstood, especially in a court of law.
Some entries should never appear in a logbook, such as any maneuver, procedure, or remark that even hints at being contrary to the FARs. For example, don't make an entry that reads, "Visibility marginal, less than 3 miles." Likewise, don't record remarks such as "excellent aileron rolls" without making sure the aircraft type is one certificated for aerobatics and the flight met the required altitude, airspace, and parachute requirements.
Finally, do not bend the truth. It violates FAR 61.59, "Falsification, reproduction, or alteration of applications, certificates, logbooks, reports, or records." FAR 61.59 says, "No person may make or cause to be made any fraudulent or intentionally false entry in any logbook, record, or report that is required to be kept, made, or used to show compliance with any requirement for the issuance or exercise of the privileges of any certificate, rating, or authorization under this part."
The penalty for violating this regulation is spelled out in it. "The commission of an act prohibited under paragraph (a) of this section is a basis for suspending or revoking any airman certificate, rating, or authorization held by that person."
Instructor endorsements are fundamental. In addition to recording the training given to students, they are the instructor's best form of liability protection. CFIs should give them as much attention as they do to the training they give their students.
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