Question is the amount of credit a Yavapai student completing its Part 61 pilot program (rather than a Part 141) can transfer to a Part 141 class if seeking commercial aviation training
Essentially, all you need under Part 61 is to own or lease an aircraft and you can train free of most of the FAA’s prying eyes and high standards. Most exciting for the College administration was that it could begin to offer pilot training immediately if it only owned or leased a training aircraft. In fact, it offered pilot training with an agreement with a local Prescott flight school for a Cessna 172 just a week after the Board approved the tuition amount and had four students signed up, according to its online registration data.
(Data for fall semester pilot training as shown on registration web site, a portion of which is set out below.)
The Blog was somewhat concerned when several web sites suggested that the FAA allows Part 141 schools to only give up to 25% credit (aka flight hours) to students transferring from Part 61 schools. However, the web sites also claimed the FAA also allows only up to 50% credit to be transferred between Part 141 schools.
Because these percentages appeared in several web postings, the Blog asked the Community College to investigate the amount of credit students completing its Part 61 program will receive if they transfer to any Part 141 training program in the United States. Or if they transfer to the commercial pilot training program also offered by the College.
In an initial response the College said the following:
[College’s initial response to Blog question]
“Our class is built with the 141 rigors, but we have been delayed by the FAA as far as approval to do part 141. We are on the FAA’s waiting list, and at some point, we anticipate approval for YC to offer part 141.
“In the meantime, we don’t have to have FAA approval for part 61 but can put the 141 rigor in what we teach to get students their private license –it is up to each school to determine how they deliver instruction under part 61.
“The FAA license is what would get them in the door at other schools, and they will get their private pilot license under the new course that we are offering.”
The College has said it is working on obtaining additional information.