§ 61.189 — Flight Instructor Records

Regulation Text

§ 61.189 Flight instructor records.

(a) A flight instructor must sign the logbook of each person to whom that instructor has given flight training or ground training.

(b) A flight instructor must maintain a record in a logbook or a separate document that contains the following:

(1) The name of each person whose logbook that instructor has endorsed for solo flight privileges, and the date of the endorsement; and

(2) The name of each person that instructor has endorsed for a knowledge test or practical test, and the record shall also indicate the kind of test, the date, and the results.

(c) Each flight instructor must retain the records required by this section for at least 3 years.

[Docket 25910, 62 FR 16298, Apr. 4, 1997, as amended by Docket FAA-2010-1127, Amdt. 61-135, 81 FR 1306, Jan. 12, 2016]

Research Notes

Research Notes — § 61.189 Flight Instructor Records

What Records Must Be Kept and For How Long

§ 61.189 establishes a three-year record retention requirement for two specific categories of endorsements: (1) solo flight endorsements — the student's name and the date; (2) knowledge test or practical test endorsements — the student's name, kind of test, date, and results. The record must be in a logbook or separate document. Many CFIs use a dedicated endorsement logbook that travels with them; others use a spreadsheet or digital tool. The method is not specified — only the content and the 3-year retention period. Source: 14 CFR § 61.189

Logbook Signature vs. Endorsement Record

§ 61.189(a) and (b) address two separate obligations. Under (a), the CFI must sign the logbook of every person to whom they gave flight or ground training — this is the student's logbook and is the student's property. Under (b), the CFI must maintain their own separate record of solo endorsements and test endorsements. Both are required. A CFI who signs student logbooks but keeps no separate endorsement record is out of compliance with § 61.189(b), regardless of how diligently they signed student logs. Source: 14 CFR § 61.189

2016 Amendment — Amdt. 61-135

The 2016 amendment (Docket FAA-2010-1127, Amdt. 61-135, 81 FR 1306, Jan. 12, 2016) clarified and updated the record-keeping requirements consistent with broader Part 61 modernization changes implemented in that rulemaking. Source: 81 FR 1306

CFI Commentary

Highlighted phrases in the regulation text above link to instructor notes at the bottom of this page. Look for the amber or blue highlights — each one flags a gotcha or a pro tip worth knowing.

Amendment History

2016-01-12

Originally issued 1997. Amdt. 61-135 (2016) made clarifying amendments to the record-keeping requirements.

Amendment: 61.189

AOA Notes

These notes correspond to the highlighted phrases in the regulation text above. Each one flags something worth knowing — a common misread, a checkride gotcha, or a practical pro tip.

Gotcha: Your Endorsement Records Are Your Professional Legal Protection

Most new CFIs understand they need to sign student logbooks. Many miss the second obligation: maintaining their own endorsement records separate from the student's logbook. Here's why this matters more than it sounds. Suppose a student you endorsed for a solo cross-country flight two years ago is involved in an accident. The FAA will want to see your endorsement records. The student's logbook may be unavailable, damaged, or disputed. Your separate record — the one § 61.189(b) requires you to keep — is your documentation that you conducted the required training, determined the student was safe to fly, and made the endorsement on a specific date. Three years is the minimum retention period. Many experienced CFIs keep records indefinitely. The cost of storage is negligible compared to the protection the record provides. Whether you use a physical logbook, a dedicated spreadsheet, or an app, start this habit before your first student. Don't reconstruct records from memory — contemporaneous records are the only ones that matter in an investigation.

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Gotcha: Your Test Endorsement Record Must Include Pass or Fail — Not Just That You Endorsed Them

§ 61.189(b)(2) is specific: when you endorse a student for a knowledge test or practical test, your record must include the kind of test, the date, and the results. The 'results' element is what trips up CFIs who only log that they endorsed a student without following up to record the outcome. For knowledge tests, the student receives a results page. You are not automatically notified — you have to ask. For practical tests, the DPE submits results to IACRA, but again, you need to record the outcome in your own records. The habit: when a student tells you they passed (or tells you they were issued a Notice of Disapproval), update your records the same day.

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§ 61.189 — Flight Instructor Records

Regulation Text