Q: I am a CFI and I am no longer working with a student after I would not give him a night flying endorsement. This student still has endorsements from me that I put in his logbook while we were training together. Can the student continue to fly under the authority of my endorsements?
A: Nothing in the FAA’s regulations or guidance renders an instructor’s endorsements void or invalid because the instructor and student are no longer working together. There does not seem to be any mechanism in the FAR or FAA guidance for an instructor to rescind or terminate an endorsement that a CFI gave after the student met the requirements of the FAR. The FARs provide that endorsements are valid until they expire to the extent of the conditions or limitations. I’m not sure why you would want your endorsements to be rendered invalid since presumably they were given only after the student had demonstrated that he had satisfactory knowledge for the operation, with any limitations or conditions that you felt appropriate at the time to ensure the safety of any flight conducted under that endorsement. If you have learned of something new that affects the student’s ability to safely fly as you have previously endorsed, then this information may need to be shared with the FAA so that appropriate action can be taken.
Kathy Yodice is an attorney with Yodice Associates in Washington, D.C.. She is an instrument-rated private pilot.
Success Story
Rich Oliveira Soens
Age: 16
First Solo: December 15, 2009, Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts.
Airplane: Cessna 172
“[Before the solo] my nerves are killing me so I go inside and get a cup of water (my mouth tastes nasty). I was overloaded with emotions; I felt like crying, laughing, jumping, being nervous, being excited. It was like my body didn’t know what to do. After my solo, I felt GREAT, and I am still on the post-solo high!”
