Aircraft and instrument ratings appropriate to the aircraft being flown need to be listed on the flight instructor’s instructor certificate as indicated in 14 CFR part 61, s ection 61.57(d)(2). 

## Instructors as Certifying Officials for Student and Remote Certificates 

14 CFR part 61, s ection 61.85(b) and part 107, section 107.63(b)(1) allow instructors to accept a Student Pilot or Remote Pilot Application. AC 61-141, Flight Instructors as Certifying Officials for Student Pilot and Remote Pilot Applicants , has process details for instructors and applicants. 

## Aircraft Checkouts/Transitions 

Certificated pilots depend on flight instructors for aircraft checkouts and transition training including high performance airplanes, tail wheel airplanes, motor gliders, and aircraft capable of flight at high altitudes. The flight instructor who checks out and certifies the competency of a pilot in an aircraft for which a type rating is not required by regulation accepts major responsibility for the safety of future passengers. Many newer light airplanes are comparable in performance and complexity to transport airplanes. For these, the flight instructor’s checkout should be at least as thorough as an official type rating practical test. Other considerations include: 

⦁ $_{AC 90-109, Transition to Unfamiliar Aircraft, contains information help plan the transition to any unfamiliar fixed-wing }$ airplanes, including type-certificated (TC) and/or experimental airplanes. 

For the conduct of an aircraft checkout, it is essential the flight instructor is fully qualified in the aircraft used and thoroughly familiar with its operating procedures, AFM, and operating limitations. An instructor who does not meet the recent flight experience prescribed by regulations for the aircraft concerned should not attempt to check out another pilot. 

The flight instructor should utilize a plan of action and a written training syllabus based on the appropriate ACS/PTS, and record in the pilot’s logbook the exact extent of any checkout conducted. This record serves a twofold purpose: it benefits the pilot concerned and it protects the flight instructor if questions arise later. In the event the instructor finds a pilot’s performance to be insufficient to allow sign-off, the pilot should be thoroughly debriefed on all problem areas and further instruction scheduled. In some cases, a referral to another instructor may be appropriate. 

## Pilot Proficiency 

Professional flight instructors maintain knowledge and skill as instructors and as pilots. The flight instructor is at the leading edge of the aviation industry’s efforts to improve aviation safety through additional training.$_{ }$ 

Instructors planning to take the ATP multiengine airplane knowledge test may refer to AC 61-138, Airline Transport Pilot Certification Training Program , for further guidanc e. 

