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6 Answers

Spin endorsment for student pilot?

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FAA Regulations

I have a student (student pilot) who asked me to show him a spin and the recovery procedure, so i did. Than he asked me to let him enter and recover from a spin, so he did. Now he wants me to give him the spin endorsment... can i do that? i don't meet the requirements for teaching and endorsing initial CFI's so in case he will in the future become a CFI that endorsment doesn't count? I guess he wants it on his logbook just to show off with his friends cause he won't become a CFI, but still...

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6 Answers



  1. Wes Beard on May 03, 2013

    Why give an endorsement for CFI spin training when they can’t use it anyway? From what I recall from the endorsement, or also includes ground training on spins… did that occur?

    I don’t know all the specifics but I’ve never had a student pilot want me to demonstrate spins and then want to demonstrate one. Seems a little macho to me. Again, I have no idea about these specifics.

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  2. Mark Kolber on May 04, 2013

    To add on to Wes’ answer, the only FAA spin endorsement is the one in 61.183 for the initial CFI Airplane or Glider certificate:

    ==============================
    …the applicant is competent and possesses instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures after providing the applicant with flight training in those training areas in an airplane or glider, as appropriate, that is certificated for spins
    ==============================

    Does your student pilot have “instructional proficiency”? Do you think he would be capable of teaching spins to other pilots tomorrow? Perhaps so – maybe Patty Wagstaff had instructional proficiency as a student pilot.

    OTOH, if your student simply wants a non-FAA endorsement (a/k/a “unofficial, meaning nothing”) showing that he received some spin training so he can show it off in his logbook, sure, why not. I’ve seen them for such things as mountain flying and other types of flying. Just be sure the wording of the endorsement doesn’t lead someone to think it’s the one for his CFI.

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  3. Sam Dawson on May 04, 2013

    Adding to what Mark and Wes wrote, if you do not meet the requirements of 61.195(h) (which it sounds like you do not), you may NOT give the endorsement. Period. There is no exception for spin training. If you put this endorsement in his logbook you are violating the FAR and putting yourself in a position for possible enforcement action.

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  4. Bob Watson on May 04, 2013

    Your student sounds capable, but I’d be wary to put anything more into his logbook than “emergency spin recovery training” in his log book. Anything that looks like an endorsement might be seen as encouragement to go out and spin ’til the wings fall off. As a student pilot, flying solo, it would be easy for him to get into a pickle without some more practice and ground training (it’s not clear from your post whether you provided that or not).

    I heard too many stories of student pilots and lo-time private pilots going up in a non aerobatic plane and bending things by botching spin recoveries. Knowing the conditions that cause them and how to recover from them is very valuable. IMO, however, if they want to go beyond that, they should sign up for aerobatic instruction with a plane and CFI who can teach them. That person, might be you, I don’t know. Just that an aerobatic lesson is a bit more formal than “here’s a spin…now you try.”

    From the sound of it, I’d bet your student would jump at the opportunity.

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  5. Mark Kolber on May 04, 2013

    Excellent point, Sam. I didn’t even think of the “senior CFI” issue!

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  6. lo_fly on May 05, 2013

    Thank you guys for your answers, always helpful.

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