FAA Policy Change for Flight Instruction in Certain Categories of Aircraft

In July, the FAA changed their requirements for instructing in certain types of general aviation aircraft to require operators of certain types of aircraft to get a letter of deviation authority (LODA) in order to offer flight training. According to the FAA, this would “prevent operators from broadly offering their aircraft for joyrides and other similar experiences under the guise of flight training.” This would impact pilots and instructors offering fight training in limited or primary category aircraft.

This policy has prompted several aviation groups to push back, stating that this new requirement really only requires the operators to be responsible for more paperwork and does nothing to enhance safety. This new policy basically put thousands of general aviation pilots in regulatory noncompliance overnight.

A bipartisan amendment has been presented that would clarify that an instructor providing student instruction or flight instruction/training “shall not be deemed to be operating an aircraft carrying persons or property for compensation or hire.” Pilots were urged to reach out to their elected officials to support the Certainty for General Aviation Pilots Act of 2021 and resulted in almost 100,000 signatures within a couple of weeks. This amendment would restore what has been in place for the last 60 years.