Now THINK Boys, THINK!

Like many of you, I received the following Notice from the FAASteam:

Flight Instructor Endorsements
Notice Number: NOTC8054

The FAA recently received the following email message from a stakeholder external to the FAA. The email read - 

“I was contacted by an applicant for an Initial CFI in the XXX FSDO with an issue regarding the newly released Touchdown Autorotation Proficiency Endorsement. Per the applicant, he had never received any training in the performance of a touchdown autorotation. When the DPE arrived to administer the practical test, the DPE questioned the CFI applicant about the training he had received to obtain this endorsement. The applicant advised he had never received this training, so the DPE would not accept the endorsement.

Once the DPE advised the training school that he would be doing a touchdown autorotation during the practical test, the DPE was advised that the school did not have insurance to conduct this maneuver, so the practical test was cancelled.

It was at this time the DPE began investigating why a school would provide this endorsement without actually conducting flight training for the touchdown autorotation. He was advised that the XXX FSDO told their DPEs that this training could be conducted either by ground or flight. 

We believe this was not the intent of the endorsement process.”

The FAA would like to reiterate to flight instructors, training schools, and designees, that this training is not intended to be conducted by ground training only. There is a proficiency component to this training in which the flight instructor attests to the applicant’s competence in these tasks. In order to accomplish this, the flight instructor issuing this endorsement must have flown with the applicant in order to make that determination. 

For more information related to flight instructor practical tests in helicopters, refer to FAA-S-8081-7B (with Changes 1, 2, & 3). You can find the most recent copy of this document at https://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/test_standards/media/FAA-S-8081-7B.pdf. 

As a reminder, this is no different from the requirements outlined in 14 CFR § 61.183(i) for airplanes and the stall/spin endorsement. Flight instructors, training schools, and designees preparing someone for the airplane flight instructor practical test, or conducting the practical test, should refresh themselves on this requirement. 

Thanks for the help with this and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the Airman Training and Certification Branch at (202) 267-1100.   

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The first thought that jumped into my mind was the scene where Harold Hill stands in front of the band and says "Now THINK boys, THINK!" as that band who has never played an instrument begins a concert.

After reading the Notice a second time, I was struck by this line:

"The FAA would like to reiterate to flight instructors, training schools, and designees, that this training is not intended to be conducted by ground training only. "

Given that the idea of teaching touchdown autorotations using Harold Hill's THINK method, wouldn't it be a good idea to also reiterate that to the FAA.

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