If you’d like to learn how to fly, you are going to very quickly get caught up in a number acronyms and abbreviations. One of the first things that you need to know when it comes to trying to pick a flight school is the difference between FAA part 61 and 141 flight schools.
To understand the differences between FAA part 61 and 141 flight schools, you first need to know what the FAA is and what it does. The FAA stands for the federal aviation administration. The FAA has created specific rules that apply to flight activities within the United States. There are a number of different sections of the FAA regulations and rules that are specific to the certification and training of pilots. Specifically, FAA part 61 and 141 have to do with these areas.
Let’s take a look first at FAA part 61 flight schools. FAA part 61 flight schools could in many ways be considered the community college equivalent of flight schools. These flight schools are ideal for the self motivated individual and they tend to be more lenient in general than FAA part 141 flight schools. For FAA part 61 flight schools, you don’t have to have any formal ground school. Having said that, there are a number of exams that you need to take related to ground school, so, in all reality, you are going to either do quite a bit of studying on your own, or take a ground flight course.
Next, let’s take a look at FAA part 141 flight schools. FAA part 141 flight schools have much more stringent requirements than FAA part 61 flight school. For these flight schools, you will need to have formal ground training, and you will have to have a structured training program that includes a syllabus that has been standardized by the FAA. In addition, you’ll have to pass specific tests beyond what are required in FAA part 61 flight schools. In addition to the differences between the programs and the requirements, the FAA part 141 flight schools meet requirements for federal reimbursement of training through the Veteran’s Administration, where part 61 schools do not.
In the end, which type of flight school you choose depends on several factors. There is the location factor, of course, as not every area has each kind of flight school. There is the cost factor, as FAA part 61 flight schools are less expensive than FAA part 141 flight schools. How well you work independently is also a factor you need to carefully consider.
