[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 149 (Wednesday, August 6, 2025)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 37815-37816]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-14908]
[[Page 37815]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
[Docket No. FAA-2024-2531]
14 CFR Part 141
Notification of Public Meetings and Request for Comment on the
Modernization of Pilot Schools
AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of
Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Proposed rule; notification of public meetings; request for
comment.
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SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announces public
meetings to solicit input on the modernization of pilot school
regulations.
DATES: The FAA will hold a hybrid of virtual and in-person public
meetings on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, and Wednesday, October 8, 2025,
from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. The FAA must receive requests
to attend the in-person meetings no later than September 23, 2025.
ADDRESSES: The in-person meetings will be held at the Salt Lake City
Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), 1020 North Flyer Way, Salt
Lake City, UT 84116, and virtually on Zoom. See website for
registration information link for both virtual and in-person meetings:
https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afx/afs/afs800/afs810/modernization_of_part-141_initiative.
Comments: Written comments are requested no later than September
30, 2025. Send comments identified by docket number FAA-2024-2531 using
any of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov and
follow the online instructions for sending your comments
electronically.
Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30; U.S.
Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room
W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket
Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200
New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at (202) 493-2251.
Privacy: In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 553(c), DOT solicits comments
from the public to better inform its rulemaking process. DOT posts
these comments, without edit, including any personal information the
commenter provides, to www.regulations.gov, as described in the system
of records notice (DOT/ALL-14 FDMS), which can be reviewed at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2008-01-17/pdf/E8-785.pdf.
Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at
www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for
accessing the docket or go to the Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of
the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lyndsay Carlson with the Part 141
Modernization Initiative Team, Office of Safety Standards, General
Aviation and Commercial Division, Training and Certification Group
(AFS-810), Federal Aviation Administration; telephone (202) 267-1100;
email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (14
CFR) part 141 (Pilot Schools) prescribes the requirements for issuing
pilot school air agency certificates, provisional pilot school air
agency certificates, and associated ratings, and the general operating
rules applicable to a holder of a certificate or rating issued under
part 141. Through a part 141 pilot school, a student may obtain
equivalent levels of aeronautical experience in fewer hours than
required by 14 CFR part 61 (Certification: Pilots, Flight Instructors,
and Ground Instructors). Part 141 schools are required to have FAA
certification and supplementary oversight. Specifically, part 141
includes curricula standards for training and procedures to ensure a
training course used by a school is adequate, appropriate, and
administered by qualified personnel.
The process of licensing or certification of pilot schools in the
United States is approaching 100 years of existence. Although the FAA
has revised certain regulatory requirements pertaining to pilot schools
during this time, part 141 still has many foundational ties to Civil
Air Regulations (CAR) part 50, which was implemented in the 1940s.
Regulations for pilot schools are typically promulgated to improve
safety, reduce aircraft accidents, and embrace changes such as advances
in technology and the need for data collection and analysis.
Modernizing part 141 is essential for addressing challenges pertaining
to certification, certification management, examining authority, and
evolving technology and learning methods. The objective of modernizing
part 141 is to increase safety and create a foundation for a more
structured and robust training environment to aid in the reduction of
general aviation fatal accidents.
Therefore, part 141 must be analyzed to determine how it can evolve
with the changing aviation industry. Over the course of the project,
the FAA is seeking engagement from the flight training industry through
participation in public meetings. Collaboration is encouraged to
stimulate the innovation of a modern part 141 that will serve the needs
of current and future pilot schools, as well as provide a robust and
safe training environment that instills the necessary knowledge,
skills, critical thinking, and aeronautical decision making in its
pilots to create a safer national airspace system.
Public Meetings
Information concerning the public meetings, including topics and
meeting times will be posted at the following website: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/afx/afs/afs800/afs810/modernization_of_part-141_initiative.
Each meeting will be open to the public for virtual or in-person
attendance on a first-come, first-served basis, as there is limited
space. Please confirm your attendance with the person listed in the FOR
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section and provide the following
information: full legal name and name of your industry association or
applicable affiliation. If you wish to attend the meetings in-person,
you must register before the scheduled deadline in the DATES section.
We will not have on-site registration. The FAA will email registrants
the meeting access information in a timely manner prior to the start of
the meetings.
DOT is committed to providing equal access to these meetings for
all participants. If you require an alternative version of files
provided or alternative accommodations, such as sign language,
interpretation, or other ancillary aids, please contact the Part 141
Modernization Initiative Team, at [email protected] no later than September 23, 2025.
Comments Encouraged
The FAA encourages the public to submit comments to
www.regulations.gov, Docket No.: FAA-
[[Page 37816]]
2024-2531. Comments that the FAA would find helpful include validated
data and reports, unique discussion topics or scenarios, and/or
feedback specific to modernizing part 141. The public is encouraged to
provide feedback regarding innovative ideas; methods; solutions;
products; and/or services that have, or could have, a significant
impact on pilot school training. We encourage you to submit comments
during these public meetings or electronically to Docket No.: FAA-2024-
2531. If you submit your comments electronically, it is not necessary
to also submit a hard copy.
The submission of public comments is encouraged but not required
for meeting participation. The FAA will consider public feedback to
determine the need for future considerations to the CFR. The FAA will
review comments that are post-marked, or submitted electronically, on
or before the comment closing date of September 30, 2025. Comments made
after the closing date may be reviewed as time and resources permit.
Issued in Washington, DC, on August 4, 2025.
Everette C. Rochon, Jr.,
Manager, Training and Certification Group, General Aviation and
Commercial Division, Office of Safety Standards, Flight Standards
Service.
[FR Doc. 2025-14908 Filed 8-5-25; 8:45 am]
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