Flight School Safety – Does the school

Yes/no

   Really believe in safety as evidenced by programs and instruction in safety procedures, practices, and policies?

   Have signs posted informing students of safety rules and slogans?

   Include safety briefings as a part of instructional periods?

   Keep flammables in separate, marked areas?

   Enforce the yelling of “clear prop” before starting engines?

   Enforce the wearing of helmets by students?

   Enforce the wearing of seat belts and shoulder harnesses?

   Post an airport diagram showing obstacles and no-fly areas?

Instructor Qualifications and Currency

Flight School Administration - Does each instructor

   Have a BFI/UFI Exemption?

   Maintain membership current in the exempting agency?

   Fly at least bi-monthly to maintain currency/proficiency?

   Read available journals to stay abreast of industry issues?

   Maintain a logbook of all flights under the exemption?

   Maintain an adequate supply of forms for students?

   Insure that every vehicle used in training is properly registered with the proper                exempting agency?

   Verify vehicle condition inspection is complete before each flight?

   Have the proper paperwork accessible for each flight? Exemption? Registration?

   Have ALL students sign liability waivers to protect the instructor/organization?

   Use a training syllabus for each student and a lesson plan for each training period?

Flight School Endorsements – Does the Flight School

    Use written endorsements appropriately to control students?

    Use endorsements to restrict the student to training flights?

    Use endorsements to avoid violations of safety regulations by telling when and  where the student can fly? 

   Use endorsements to limit the student to proper weather conditions?

   Have a policy on the time limits of endorsements that is appropriate?

   Ensure that all endorsements have a time limit of 90 days or less?

   Use endorsements that force the student to contact the instructor at given time intervals and upon encountering specified circumstances?

Flight School Facilities - Does the flight school

   Have a training site which avoids congested areas/livestock/exotic animals?

   Control access to the training site from animals or unauthorized persons?

   Control motor vehicle parking so they are not a hazard to flying or runups?

   Maintain the training site appropriately – mowed grass, smooth runway, obstacles minimized?

   Have a posted policy about use of  the site to prevent safety hazards from visitors? i.e. Are ATVs kept off the field or marked as authorized vehicles?  Are alcoholic beverages prohibited on the field,  or at least controlled so that pilots are not drinking?  Are children and pets kept off the field?

   Have posted rules that prevent run-up near buildings, crowds, or vehicles?

   Have a posted run-up and/or maintenance area?

   Have the flight line marked to prevent access to unauthorized persons?

   Have a regularly scheduled inspection of the field for condition?

   Thoroughly inspect new flying sites for safety and condition?

   Have landowners’ hold-harmless agreements properly signed and on file?

   Maintain good public relationships with the neighbors?  Explain to them what PPC flying is about?  Offer training/introductory flights to them?

   Have a classroom that allows professional presentations?  Files? Marker boards?  Projectors?  Training aids?  Restrooms?

Flight School Policies and Procedures – Does the school have a policy for

   Pricing of Introductory flights and training programs?

   Age restrictions on students?

   Use of facilities and training site?  Who can use them? When?

   Behavior of persons on the training site?  Horseplay?  Limits of access?

   Staying off vehicles owned by others?  No tampering with accessories?

   Ensuring that vehicles brought on the premises by others are safe, in good condition, properly registered, and safely operated?

   Ensuring that students or pilots who bring their own vehicles are operating legally – proper exemption and endorsement, vehicle registration, condition inspection?

   Working with students who are not legal to bring them into compliance?

Flight School Training Programs – Does the school have a standard syllabus

   For new students to get introductory flights?  Duration and maneuvers performed?

   For ALL solo students to take an applicable pre-solo test prior to solo flight under the training exemption?

   For solo students?  Adequate ground instruction per a lesson plan?  Is dual flight conducted with proper demonstration of flight maneuvers?  Ground taxi training before flight?  Weather limits enforced? 

   For training beyond initial solo flight?

   For training in emergency procedures?  Engine outs?  Bad weather?  Other?

   For skill building maneuvers?  Turns about a point?  Go arounds?  Abort T/O?

   For entering, departing,  and following traffic patterns?

   For flights specific to BFI recommendations?  Demonstration and training new students?

   For students to get a critique of their flight immediately after the flight?

   For students to know that they are to be following a training syllabus on all flights as opposed to just flying around?

Flight School Equipment and Vehicles – Does the flight school have

   Reliable radio and communications equipment?  A maintenance schedule for this?

   Training vehicles maintained per manufacturers schedule?

   Training vehicles stored properly to protect from weather and/or tampering?

   Training vehicles properly registered and marked?  “To Be Used For Instructional Use Only” and registration numbers visible?

   Condition inspection records filed for each vehicle?

   Vehicles kept clean and neat appearing?  Damage repaired promptly?

   Log books maintained for maintenance of each vehicle?  Include engine/prop?

Flight School liability management?  Does the flight school

   Have an incorporation or other legal method to shed or manage liability?

   If an incorporation, are all forms, registration, and records properly maintained?

   Have liability releases that cover the exempting agency, landowner, airport operator, and/or other involved organizations?

   Have liability releases that notify parties of non-certification of ultralights/instructors?

   Have liability releases that require guardian signatures for students under 18?

   Ensure that signers of liability releases understand what they are signing?

   Ensure that liability releases are maintained on file?

   Have liability insurance or notify students that there is none?