FAR 61.89 - Additional Requirements/Limitations

Dazzler

Well-Known Member
FAR 61.89 allows the instructor to add additional requirements/limitations for solo flight.
What kind of limitations do you instructors impose on your soloing students?

Here's what I use for solo ops. out of Minneapolis Crystal airport (KMIC) - a Class D towered airport:

Requirements for solo flight in addition to FAR 61.89
Solo flight permitted only in one of the flying club's C172P aircraft, Day VFR only, flight restricted to Crystal Class D, Class E and G airspace. Minimum visibility 5SM, minimum ceiling 5000 feet AGL, Maximum wind speed 12 knots, maximum crosswind component 7 knots, maximum gust factor 5 knots, Pre-flight, full fuel tanks and weather briefing required before flight. Must state “Student Pilot” during all radio communications.
Date_________ Signature_________________
Certificate #_______________ Expiration________
 
Geez you have quite a few of stipulations there. I just write "per flight school rules" All the rules are in the aircraft's can. For some reason it made me think of this :

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Usually my median endorsement is along the lines of:

max wind 12kt, x-wind 6 kt, gusting 5 kt; cig 3k, vis 5+
 
Usually my median endorsement is along the lines of:

max wind 12kt, x-wind 6 kt, gusting 5 kt; cig 3k, vis 5+

x2 (somewhere along those lines)

But I've gone so far as to require one to call me before every solo and another guy went solo his second time in 24 kt winds. Yeah, he is a golden boy.
 
I guess I am kind of spoiled. We and our students are bound by the SOP at our school. We have to sign a dispatch sheet for every flight...solo or not and part of the sop says another instructor may not sign a student pilot's dispatch without prior arrangement between the instructors. So our students can't just go tootling off without the blessing of HIS instructor...ever.

I guess with that said my solo endorsements are just straight out of 61-65e without any modifications.
 
Usually my median endorsement is along the lines of:

max wind 12kt, x-wind 6 kt, gusting 5 kt; cig 3k, vis 5+

x3 minus vis/cig since our school has that though I think I will start adding it since it seems to make sense.
 
My limitation is simple: "Must communicate with CFI prior to any solo flight." We discuss the wx conditions etc and determine the "go, no-go" decision together. The student calls me with as comprehensive a briefing as possible and together we determine whether or not it is prudent to conduct solo flight. I think by setting a limit of 10, 12, 14 knots or whatever, crosswind components and other such limits, is leaving yourself open to liability. If something happened to the student - ran off the side of the runway etc some hotshot lawyer may say "well, you said he was OK to solo in 10 knots of wind - clearly he wasn't." Bit hard to change the fact after you've written it in the logbook.

Just my 0.0002 worth - I know its a long stretch to think I would be protected using this idea, but there it is!


BP244
CFI/CFII/MEI
CMEL/SEL
 
My limitation is simple: "Must communicate with CFI prior to any solo flight." We discuss the wx conditions etc and determine the "go, no-go" decision together. The student calls me with as comprehensive a briefing as possible and together we determine whether or not it is prudent to conduct solo flight. I think by setting a limit of 10, 12, 14 knots or whatever, crosswind components and other such limits, is leaving yourself open to liability. If something happened to the student - ran off the side of the runway etc some hotshot lawyer may say "well, you said he was OK to solo in 10 knots of wind - clearly he wasn't." Bit hard to change the fact after you've written it in the logbook.

:yeahthat:

That's almost exactly how I do it.

My endorsement limitation always reads, "Must have my approval prior to each solo flight."

I write it this way more for flexibility than liability. On their first solo flight I'm very protective of the weather conditions...light winds, no crosswinds, good visibility. By the end of a person's training I practically say, "Can you handle it? Ok, have fun."
 
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