Part 61 Compliance for Flight Schools
What 14 CFR Part 61 requires from your record-keeping, and how Av8Book handles it automatically.
What is Part 61?
14 CFR Part 61 governs pilot certification for flight schools that are not Part 141 approved. Most independent flight schools operate under Part 61. The regulation prescribes what students must demonstrate and what records instructors must keep — but does not require a specific syllabus.
Logbook Requirements (14 CFR 61.51)
Every flight training session must be logged with: date, total flight time, aircraft type and identification, route of flight, and time by category (PIC, dual received, solo, night, cross-country, instrument). Av8Book auto-generates these entries when a flight is completed.
CFI Endorsements (14 CFR 61.189)
Flight instructors must sign endorsements for: pre-solo, solo cross-country, knowledge test preparation, practical test readiness, and more. Each endorsement must include the CFI's certificate number and expiration date. Records must be retained for 3 years. Av8Book includes 8 endorsement templates from AC 61-65 with digital signature tracking.
Minimum Hours (Certificate Requirements)
| Certificate | Total | Key Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Private Pilot | 40 hours | 20 dual, 10 solo, 3 night, 3 instrument |
| Instrument Rating | 50 hours XC | 40 hours actual/simulated instrument |
| Commercial Pilot | 250 hours | 100 PIC, 50 XC, 20 dual, 10 solo |
Av8Book tracks progress against these minimums with visual progress bars and alerts when requirements are met.
Currency Requirements
Pilots must maintain currency: 3 takeoffs and landings in 90 days for passenger carrying, instrument approaches for instrument currency, flight review every 24 calendar months, valid medical certificate. Av8Book tracks all of these automatically from logbook data.
How Av8Book Helps
- ✓ Auto-generated logbook entries from flight completions
- ✓ 8 endorsement templates from AC 61-65 with digital signatures
- ✓ Certificate progress tracking with visual bars
- ✓ Checkride readiness dashboard (hours + endorsements + medical + currency)
- ✓ Currency tracking (90-day, instrument, flight review, medical)
- ✓ Stage check workflow with pass/fail grading
- ✓ Compliance dashboard for expiring medicals and CFI certificates