REGULATION — LEGALLY BINDING

§ 61.409 What flight proficiency requirements must I meet to apply for a flight instructor certificate with a sport pilot rating?

14 CFR Part 61 — Subpart K—Flight Instructors With a Sport Pilot Rating

Official text — 14 CFR § 61.409

REGULATION — LEGALLY BINDING

You must receive and log ground and flight training from an authorized instructor on the following areas of operation for the aircraft category and class in which you seek flight instructor privileges:

(a) Technical subject areas.

(b) Preflight preparation.

(c) Preflight lesson on a maneuver to be performed in flight.

(d) Preflight procedures.

(e) Airport, heliport, seaplane base, and gliderport operations, as applicable.

(f) Hovering maneuvers (applicable only to helicopters).

(g) Takeoffs (or launches), landings, and go-arounds.

(h) Fundamentals of flight.

(i) Performance maneuvers and, for gliders, performance speeds.

(j) Ground reference maneuvers (except for gliders, helicopters, and lighter-than-air).

(k) Soaring techniques (gliders only).

(l) Slow flight (not applicable to lighter-than-air, helicopters, and powered parachutes).

(m) Stalls (not applicable to lighter-than-air, powered parachutes, helicopters, and gyroplanes).

(n) Spins (applicable to airplanes and gliders).

(o) Emergency operations.

(p) Tumble entry and avoidance techniques (applicable to weight-shift-control aircraft).

(q) Special operations (helicopter only).

(r) Post-flight procedures.

Reproduced from the eCFR. Text as amended through 2026-07-31. Verify against the official source before relying on it operationally.

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Text published in the Code of Federal Regulations. Regulations are legally binding on pilots and operators.

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