CFI Endorsements: The Complete List (All 96 Templates in AC 61-65K, November 2025)

AC 61-65 reference at sunset on a CFI's desk — Angle of Attack CFI endorsements complete list" />

A CFI endorsement is a signed entry by an authorized flight instructor, in a pilot’s logbook or on an FAA form, attesting that the pilot meets a specific 14 CFR Part 61 requirement. AC 61-65K, issued November 14, 2025, contains 96 sample endorsement templates across 14 categories. Working CFIs use roughly 12 of those 96 every year. Every one of the other 84 has a moment when it’s the right one.

I’m Chris Palmer, two-time Master Aviation Educator, Gold Seal CFI, founder of Angle of Attack. In aviation education since 2006, CFI since 2017. Below is every endorsement in AC 61-65K, every FAR cite hyperlinked, the exact template wording for the ones you’ll actually sign, and the seven gotchas that get new CFIs in trouble.

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What Is a CFI Endorsement?

A CFI endorsement is your signed certification that a pilot meets a specific requirement of 14 CFR Part 61. Name, date, certificate number, recent-experience or expiration date, written into a logbook or onto an FAA form. Every line carries the same legal weight as your certificate, because it IS your certificate speaking.

The FAA enforces it hard. A fraudulent or intentionally false entry in any logbook, record, or report used to show compliance with Part 61 is grounds for the FAA to suspend or revoke every airman certificate the violator holds. Not just the CFI. Every certificate. The school owner pushed you, the student begged, the weather is closing in. None of that is a defense.

So before we even talk about the 96 templates, anchor on this. The endorsement isn’t paperwork. It’s a credential statement about the pilot and a credential statement about you. The next CFI who flies with this pilot will read your name. The DPE will read your name. The FSDO inspector will read your name. If something goes wrong and the NTSB or the insurance carrier opens the logbook, they’ll read your name.

That’s the frame. Every signature is on a stage.

The certificate the student earns is a license to learn — the beginning, not the end. That’s a real thing to put your name on.

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What Changed in AC 61-65K (And Why It Matters)

AC 61-65K dropped on November 14, 2025, signed by Hugh Thomas for the FAA’s Flight Standards Service. It cancels AC 61-65J. If your endorsement reference still says J, or worse, H or G, you’re working from a document that doesn’t match the current regulation.

Three things changed that working CFIs need to know.

One, the count went up. AC 61-65K contains 96 sample endorsement templates organized in 14 categories. The old J revision had roughly 80. The increase is mostly the MOSAIC sport-pilot additions, eight new templates covering night, retractable gear, controllable propeller, and the new simplified flight controls category. None of those existed in the old AC.

Two, the CFI certificate format changed in December 2024. 14 CFR § 61.197 was amended to replace the flight-instructor-certificate expiration mechanism with a 24-calendar-month rolling recent-experience requirement. The FAA’s certificate-printing convention — captured in AC 61-65K — labels this as the Recent Experience (RE) end date on every endorsement line. CFIs whose certificates were issued or renewed after December 1, 2024 don’t have an expiration date printed on them anymore. The endorsement line now reads RE 12-31-2026 instead of Exp. 01-31-2025. AC 61-65K shows both formats because the legacy certificates with Exp. dates are still valid until they expire. Most competitor endorsement guides on the SERP today still show only the old format.

Three, A.45, the Fundamentals of Instructing endorsement, became a hard requirement on September 1, 2024. Before that date, a CFI applicant could walk into a PSI testing center and take the FOI knowledge test without an endorsement. On July 24, 2024, the FAA notified PSI that the FOI test now requires an A.45 endorsement under § 61.183(d). Applicants who studied from older materials get turned away at the testing center. It’s the single most-missed endorsement among CFI candidates studying with outdated guides.

Here’s the A.45 template as written in AC 61-65K:

“I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received the required fundamentals of instruction training of 14 CFR § 61.185(a)(1). I have determined that they are prepared for the Fundamentals of Instructing knowledge test.” (AC 61-65K, Appendix A, A.45)

If you’re working from a reference that pre-dates any of these three changes, your endorsements are out of date, even if the template wording looks identical.

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The Complete List — All 96 Endorsements in AC 61-65K

This is the article’s reference anchor. Every endorsement in AC 61-65K, in the FAA’s own category order. Bookmark this section. The category notes follow the table.

1. Prerequisites for the Practical Test

2. Student Pilot Endorsements

3. Additional Student Endorsements (Sport/Recreational Track)

4. Sport Pilot Endorsements

5. Recreational Pilot Endorsements

6. Private Pilot Endorsements

7. Commercial Pilot Endorsements

8. ATP Endorsements

9. Instrument Rating Endorsements

10. Flight Instructor Endorsements (Other Than Sport-Pilot CFI)

11. Flight Instructor With Sport Pilot Rating Endorsements

12. Ground Instructor Endorsement

13. SFAR 73 Endorsements (Robinson R-22 / R-44)

14. Additional Endorsements — The Working CFI’s Bread and Butter

That’s 96 endorsements in 14 categories. The remaining sections walk through the ones you’ll actually use, and the ones that catch new CFIs by surprise.

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The Endorsements You’ll Use Every Week

Of those 96 endorsements, an active Part 61 airplane CFI signs about 12 of them in any given month. The other 84 sit on the shelf for the occasional add-on, the helicopter applicant, the glider student, the EFVS pilot.

The working 12 are:

1. A.3, pre-solo aeronautical knowledge (every student before first solo)
2. A.4, pre-solo flight training (per make and model)
3. A.6, solo flight, first 90-day period (the big one)
4. A.7, solo flight, each additional 90-day period (the renewal)
5. A.9, solo cross-country
6. A.10, solo cross-country specific flight (per flight)
7. A.36 and A.37, private pilot knowledge and practical
8. A.42, A.43, A.44, instrument rating series
9. A.38 and A.39, commercial pilot knowledge and practical
10. A.69, flight review (the most-used endorsement in a career CFI’s life)
11. A.71, Instrument Proficiency Check (CFII)
12. A.72, A.73, A.75, complex, high-performance, tailwheel

Everything else is a card you may never play. But when you do play it, you need the wording right. That’s what this article is for.

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Pre-Solo and Solo Endorsements

The student-pilot endorsements (A.3 through A.14) are the path from discovery flight to solo cross-country. The regulations behind them are § 61.87 (pre-solo and solo flight), § 61.93 (solo cross-country), and § 61.95 (Class B solo operations).

Three rules carry the load.

Pre-solo and first-solo are make-and-model specific. A Cessna 172 endorsement does not authorize a Piper Cherokee solo. Series variations within the same make and model, 172R versus 172S for example, are covered. Across models, you need a new endorsement.

The solo endorsement renews every 90 days. Under § 61.87(p), the A.6 first-solo endorsement (and A.7 renewals) is valid for 90 calendar days from the date of issue. After 90 days, the student needs a new endorsement before solo flight, which means a new pre-solo flight training check.

Class B solo is a separate endorsement from the 25-NM-to-another-airport endorsement. A.8 covers § 61.93(b)(1), solo to a specific airport within 25 NM. A.12 covers § 61.95(a), solo flight inside Class B airspace. Different regulation, different scope. Most cheat sheets online conflate them.

Here’s the verbatim A.6 template for the first-solo endorsement, as written in AC 61-65K:

“I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received the required training to qualify for solo flying. I have determined they meet the applicable requirements of 14 CFR § 61.87(n) and are proficient to make solo flights in [M/M].” (AC 61-65K, Appendix A, A.6)

The make-and-model goes in the second bracket. The student’s full legal name goes in the first. Your signature, date, certificate number, and RE-date or Exp-date go on the second line. That’s the entire endorsement.

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Knowledge Test and Practical Test Endorsements

The knowledge-test and practical-test endorsements show up in two places. A.1 and A.2 at the top of Appendix A (general practical test prerequisites), and the per-certificate endorsements (A.36/A.37 for private, A.38/A.39 for commercial, A.42–A.44 for instrument).

Two rules matter here.

The 2-calendar-month training window. A.1, the practical-test prerequisites endorsement under § 61.39(a)(6)(i) and (ii), requires the training to be received within 2 calendar months preceding the month of application. Not 60 days. Two calendar months. So if a student applies on March 15, training received any time in January or February covers it — the endorsement may be signed when the training is completed, with the endorsement date reflecting when the training was given. Sign it too early (before the 2-calendar-month window) and the DPE will turn the applicant away at the practical.

A.45, the FOI knowledge test endorsement, became a hard requirement on September 1, 2024. This is the one CFI applicants miss most. Before that date, you could walk into PSI Services and take the Fundamentals of Instructing test without an endorsement. After it, you need a CFI to sign you off using the A.45 wording under § 61.183(d). The endorsement certifies the candidate has received the required fundamentals of instruction training under § 61.185(a)(1) and is prepared for the test. CFI candidates studying with old materials are walking in without it and getting bounced.

A.77, retesting after failure, works for both knowledge and practical tests. Same template, just different placement. After a knowledge test failure, the endorsement goes on the AKTR. After a practical test failure, it goes on Form 8710-1 or 8710-11. One template, two locations.

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Complex, High-Performance, High-Altitude, and Tailwheel

The four “additional aircraft” endorsements (A.72 through A.75) are the famous ones. They’re the endorsements pilots talk about at the FBO and the ones every new CFI eventually signs.

The trap is the difference between them. Pilots routinely confuse complex and high-performance. The DPE knows the difference. The insurance carrier knows the difference. The regulation makes them different things, and the endorsement must match the airplane.

Some load-bearing distinctions.

A standard Cessna 182 (fixed gear) is high-performance but not complex. It has a 230-235 HP engine and a constant-speed propeller, but fixed landing gear. The Cessna 182RG (R182) adds retractable gear — making it BOTH complex AND high-performance. Same airframe family, two different endorsement profiles. A Mooney M20 series is also typically both. Read the airplane, not the endorsement.

The complex endorsement still exists, even though the practical-test requirement was removed from the commercial ACS in 2018. A.72 stayed in AC 61-65K through every revision since. To act as PIC in a complex airplane, the pilot still needs the endorsement under § 61.31(e). The commercial pilot certificate doesn’t change that.

High-altitude is for pressurized aircraft only. § 61.31(g) defines “pressurized aircraft” for purposes of the endorsement as one with a service ceiling — or maximum operating altitude, whichever is lower — above 25,000 ft MSL. So a pressurized airplane with a 22,000 ft service ceiling? Endorsement not required (the airplane can’t get there). A pressurized airplane with a 30,000 ft service ceiling? Required. An unpressurized airplane with a 28,000 ft service ceiling? § 61.31(g) doesn’t apply at all — but § 91.211 (supplemental oxygen) still does, and that’s a separate operational rule. Read the reg, read the airplane.

Here’s the verbatim A.72 template for complex, straight out of AC 61-65K:

“I certify that [First name, MI, Last name], [grade of pilot certificate], [certificate number], has received the required training of 14 CFR § 61.31(e) in a [M/M] complex airplane. I have determined that they are proficient in the operation and systems of a complex airplane.” (AC 61-65K, Appendix A, A.72)

Notice the second sentence. “Proficient in the operation and systems.” That’s the verification the FAA is asking you to sign your name to. Not “passed the training.” Proficient. Different standard, different signature.

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Flight Review and IPC Endorsements

A.69, the flight review endorsement, is the single most-used endorsement in a career CFI’s life. Every active pilot needs one every 24 calendar months under § 61.56. The endorsement is short and the regulation is straightforward.

Here’s the verbatim A.69 template:

“I certify that [First name, MI, Last name], [grade of pilot certificate], [certificate number], has satisfactorily completed a flight review of 14 CFR § 61.56(a) on [date].” (AC 61-65K, Appendix A, A.69)

Two failure modes show up over and over.

There is no “unsatisfactory” flight review endorsement. AC 61-65K is explicit about this: “No logbook entry reflecting unsatisfactory performance on a flight review is required.” If the pilot didn’t pass, you don’t endorse the logbook. Period. No “failed” notation. No “needs additional training” note. The pilot simply doesn’t get the endorsement until the next attempt. The 24-month clock continues running on the prior endorsement, which means they remain legal to fly under the previous flight review until that one runs out. The fact that this attempt wasn’t satisfactory is between you and the pilot.

A.71, the IPC, has its own template and its own trigger. Under § 61.57(d), a pilot needs an Instrument Proficiency Check when they’ve been out of instrument currency for more than 6 calendar months past their currency lapse. The endorsement only authorizes them to act as PIC under IFR. It doesn’t reset any other endorsement, and it isn’t the same as a flight review (though one flight can sometimes accomplish both). AC 61-65K carries the same “no unsatisfactory entry” guidance for A.71 that it does for A.69: if the pilot doesn’t pass the IPC, no logbook entry reflecting that is required.

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Spin Training Endorsement (A.49) — Airplane and Glider Only

A.49 is the spin training endorsement for airplane and glider CFI applicants only. Helicopter, gyroplane, powered-lift, weight-shift, and balloon CFI candidates don’t need it because spin training isn’t part of their initial training requirement under § 61.183(i).

The endorsement reads:

“I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received the required training of 14 CFR § 61.183(i) in [an airplane, a glider]. I have determined that they are competent and possess instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures.” (AC 61-65K, Appendix A, A.49)

Note the language. “Competent and possess instructional proficiency.” Not just “able to recover.” Instructional proficiency. The applicant needs to be able to teach spins, not just survive them.

For what spin training actually covers and how to prepare for it, see our CFI spin endorsement guide.

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What’s New in AC 61-65K (The MOSAIC Sport-Pilot Additions)

The MOSAIC final rule was published as 90 FR 35034 on July 24, 2025 and became effective on October 22, 2025. AC 61-65K updates the AC to match, and it added eight brand-new endorsements to the sport pilot category that didn’t exist before.

The eight new endorsements:

• A.22, passing sport pilot practical test with simplified flight controls limitation
• A.25, aircraft with VH greater than 87 KCAS
• A.26, sport pilot flight training at night
• A.27, PIC in aircraft with retractable landing gear
• A.28, PIC in airplane with manual controllable pitch propeller
• A.95, PIC in aircraft with simplified flight controls
• A.96, initial cadre training in simplified flight controls aircraft

These reflect the expanded privileges MOSAIC gave to sport pilots. Sport pilots can now fly heavier aircraft, faster aircraft, retractable-gear aircraft, controllable-pitch aircraft, and at night, with the appropriate endorsements. The simplified flight controls category is brand new, covering aircraft designed with reduced-control-input flight systems.

If you’re a sport pilot CFI, every one of those eight is now in your daily reference. If you’re a Part 61 airplane CFI not working with sport pilots, you’ll likely never sign them. But the existence of the category matters because students will ask. Be ready to answer.

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The Phantom Endorsement (§ 61.195(h)) — Required but Not in AC 61-65K

This is the endorsement that gets initial CFI applicants in trouble more than any other, and it isn’t even in AC 61-65K Appendix A.

Under 14 CFR § 61.195(h)(2), the flight instructor recommending a first-time CFI applicant must meet one of three pathways:

1. The 24-month / 200-hour pathway: Have held a CFI certificate for at least 24 calendar months AND have given at least 200 hours of flight training as a CFI (80 hours for gliders). This is the path most working CFIs use.
2. The 5-and-80% pathway: Have trained and endorsed at least 5 practical-test applicants in the preceding 24 calendar months, with at least 80% passing on the first attempt.
3. The enhanced qualification pathway: Have graduated from an FAA-approved Part 141 or Part 142 flight instructor enhanced qualification training program (per § 61.195(h)(3)).

The recommending instructor must certify, in writing, that they meet at least one of these. But AC 61-65K Appendix A doesn’t include a template for it. So new CFIs ask their recommending instructor for “the endorsement,” get the standard A.47 practical-test recommendation, and walk into the checkride missing the § 61.195(h) certification entirely.

The DPE catches it in the first ten minutes of the oral. The checkride doesn’t proceed.

Here’s the wording I recommend, pasted into the applicant’s logbook by the recommending instructor:

“I certify that I am qualified to recommend a first-time flight instructor applicant in accordance with 14 CFR § 61.195(h). [Optionally: I meet § 61.195(h)(2)(i) — at least 24 calendar months as a CFI and at least 200 hours of flight training as a CFI.]”

It’s straightforward. The reason it gets missed is that nobody talks about it. AC 61-65K doesn’t list it. Most endorsement guides skip it. The CFI candidate trusts their recommending instructor to know, and the recommending instructor trusts the candidate to ask. Neither happens.

The fix is simple. If you’re recommending a first-time CFI applicant, sign the § 61.195(h) language too. If you’re the applicant, ask for it explicitly.

Professionalism is not a certificate — it’s behavior. Catching the phantom endorsement before the oral is the kind of behavior that separates the CFIs who pass on the first try from the ones who don’t.

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How to Format an Endorsement Correctly

AC 61-65K (page A-7) is explicit about what every endorsement must contain. Five elements, every time:

1. Legibility. The FAA can decline an endorsement that can’t be read.
2. Instructor’s signature.
3. Date of signature.
4. CFI or CGI certificate number.
5. Flight instructor Recent Experience (RE) end date, OR certificate expiration date, depending on which form your certificate is on.

The two formats live side by side in AC 61-65K. Here are both, verbatim.

Format for a CFI certificate issued or renewed after December 1, 2024 (no expiration date):

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI RE 12-31-2026

Format for a legacy CFI certificate still showing an expiration date:

/s/ [date] J. J. Jones 987654321CFI Exp. 01-31-2025

If you became a CFI after December 1, 2024, your certificate doesn’t show an expiration date anymore. It shows a Recent Experience (RE) end date — when your current recent-experience period under § 61.197 ends. Your endorsement line uses RE rather than Exp.

If you became a CFI before December 2024 and your certificate still shows an expiration date, you keep using the Exp. format until your next renewal. Both are valid in the AC. Don’t use the wrong one.

Some additional format notes.

Make and model. Solo endorsements (A.4, A.6, A.7, A.8, etc.) must include the specific make and model in brackets. “Cessna 172S,” not just “Cessna.” Not “C-172” if the airplane is a 172S, because the difference matters at the FSDO and the insurance carrier.

The FAR cite goes inside the endorsement body. AC 61-65K’s sample templates include the FAR citation in the body of the endorsement: “…the applicable requirements of 14 CFR § 61.87(n)…” The FAR citation isn’t decoration. It’s how the FAA knows you read the regulation you were certifying compliance with. Leaving it out is a flag.

Digital endorsements. Some flight schools and apps use digital endorsement systems (FltLogic, ForeFlight Logbook endorsements, etc.). The FAA accepts them, but the same five elements must appear. Don’t trust the app to fill in your certificate number or RE-date automatically without checking.

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Common Endorsement Mistakes

The seven gotchas that catch new CFIs.

If you’re building the judgment behind every one of these, the calls you make at the airport that determine whether you sign or you don’t, Section 5 of the TotalCFI Course walks through it case by case. The companion piece to this article is our CFI endorsements gatekeeper guide, the narrative angle on when not to sign.

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Where to Find AC 61-65K

The official document lives at the FAA’s website. Bookmark these three links.

• AC 61-65K, the official PDF — November 14, 2025. This is the canonical source. Everything in this article is verified against the official PDF, line by line.
• 14 CFR Part 61 at Cornell Law. The regulations themselves, hyperlinked throughout this article. When the AC says “see § 61.87(n),” this is where you go to read the actual rule.
• FAA Advisory Circulars page for future revisions. When AC 61-65L is published (someday), it’ll be here.

Two things to track. MOSAIC implementation will continue evolving. The October 2025 effective date was just the start. The FAA may issue clarifying guidance or additional sport pilot endorsements over the next two years. The § 61.197 RE-date format is still relatively new (since December 2024). Some legacy CFI certificates with expiration dates are still in circulation and will be until they renew. Both formats are valid right now.

For the gatekeeper-judgment companion to this reference, see our CFI endorsements decoded guide. For broader CFI privileges, see CFI privileges and limitations. For specific CFI-rating endorsements like the CFII, see CFII privileges and limitations, and for MEI, MEI privileges and limitations. For what a CFI can and cannot teach, see what a CFI can teach. And for the CFI versus CFII distinction, see CFI vs CFII.

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Frequently Asked Questions