253 

Federal Aviation Administration, DOT 

§ 121.909 

student to complete a segment of in-
struction (to include all instruction, 
demonstration, practice, and evalua-
tion, as appropriate, to reach pro-
ficiency). 

Qualification standard 

means a state-

ment of a minimum required perform-
ance, applicable parameters, criteria, 
applicable flight conditions, evaluation 
strategy, evaluation media, and appli-
cable document references. 

Qualification standards document 

means a single document containing 
all the qualification standards for an 
AQP together with a prologue that pro-
vides a detailed description of all fac-
ets of the evaluation process. 

Special tracking 

means assigning a 

person to an augmented schedule of 
training, checking, or both. 

Training session 

means a contiguously 

scheduled period devoted to training 
activities at a facility approved by the 
FAA for that purpose. 

Variant 

means a specifically config-

ured aircraft for which the FAA has 
identified training and qualifications 
that are significantly different from 
those applicable to other aircraft of the 
same make, model, and series. 

§ 121.909 Approval of Advanced Quali-

fication Program. 

(a) 

Approval process. 

Application for 

approval of an AQP curriculum under 
this subpart is made to the responsible 
Flight Standards office. 

(b) 

Approval criteria. 

Each AQP must 

have separate curriculums for indoc-
trination, qualification, and continuing 
qualification (including upgrade, tran-
sition, and requalification), as specified 
in §§ 121.911, 121.913, and 121.915. All 
AQP curriculums must be based on an 
instructional systems development 
methodology. This methodology must 
incorporate a thorough analysis of the 
certificate holder’s operations, air-
craft, line environment and job func-
tions. All AQP qualification and con-
tinuing qualification curriculums must 
integrate the training and evaluation 
of CRM and technical skills and knowl-
edge. An application for approval of an 
AQP curriculum may be approved if 
the program meets the following re-
quirements: 

(1) The program must meet all the re-

quirements of this subpart. 

(2) Each indoctrination, qualifica-

tion, and continuing qualification 
AQP, and derivatives must include the 
following documentation: 

(i) Initial application for AQP. 
(ii) Initial job task listing. 
(iii) Instructional systems develop-

ment methodology. 

(iv) Qualification standards docu-

ment. 

(v) Curriculum outline. 
(vi) Implementation and operations 

plan. 

(3) Subject to approval by the FAA, 

certificate holders may elect, where 
appropriate, to consolidate informa-
tion about multiple programs within 
any of the documents referenced in 
paragraph (b)(2) of this section. 

(4) The Qualification Standards Doc-

ument must indicate specifically the 
requirements of the parts 61, 63, 65, 121, 
or 135 of this chapter, as applicable, 
that would be replaced by an AQP cur-
riculum. If a practical test require-
ment of parts 61, 63, 65, 121, or 135 of 
this chapter is replaced by an AQP cur-
riculum, the certificate holder must es-
tablish an initial justification and a 
continuing process approved by the 
FAA to show how the AQP curriculum 
provides an equivalent level of safety 
for each requirement that is to be re-
placed. 

(c) 

Application and transition. 

Each 

certificate holder that applies for one 
or more advanced qualification cur-
riculums must include as part of its ap-
plication a proposed transition plan 
(containing a calendar of events) for 
moving from its present approved 
training to the advanced qualification 
program training. 

(d) 

Advanced Qualification Program re-

visions or rescissions of approval. 

If after 

a certificate holder begins training and 
qualification under an AQP, the FAA 
finds the certificate holder is not meet-
ing the provisions of its approved AQP, 
the FAA may require the certificate 
holder, pursuant to § 121.405(e), to make 
revisions. Or if otherwise warranted, 
the FAA may withdraw AQP approval 
and require the certificate holder to 
submit and obtain approval for a plan 
(containing a schedule of events) that 
the certificate holder must comply 
with and use to transition to an ap-
proved training program under subpart 

254 

14 CFR Ch. I (1–1–24 Edition) 

§ 121.911 

N of this part or under subpart H of 
part 135 of this chapter, as appropriate. 
The certificate holder may also volun-
tarily submit and obtain approval for a 
plan (containing a schedule of events) 
to transition to an approved training 
program under subpart N of this part 
or under subpart H of part 135 of this 
chapter, as appropriate. 

(e) 

Approval by the FAA. 

Final ap-

proval of an AQP by the FAA indicates 
the FAA has accepted the justification 
provided under paragraph (b)(4) of this 
section and the applicant’s initial jus-
tification and continuing process es-
tablish an equivalent level of safety for 
each requirement of parts 61, 63, 65, 121, 
and 135 of this chapter that is being re-
placed. 

[Docket No. FAA–2005–20750, 70 FR 54815, 
Sept. 16, 2005, as amended by Docket FAA– 
2018–0119, Amdt. 121–380, 83 FR 9173, Mar. 5, 
2018; Docket No. FAA–2022–1355; Amdt. 121– 
387, 87 FR 75846, Dec. 9, 2022] 

§ 121.911 Indoctrination curriculum. 

Each indoctrination curriculum must 

include the following: 

(a) For newly hired persons being 

trained under an AQP: The certificate 
holder’s policies and operating prac-
tices and general operational knowl-
edge. 

(b) For newly hired crewmembers and 

aircraft dispatchers: General aero-
nautical knowledge appropriate to the 
duty position. 

(c) For instructors: The fundamental 

principles of the teaching and learning 
process; methods and theories of in-
struction; and the knowledge necessary 
to use aircraft, flight training devices, 
flight simulators, and other training 
equipment in advanced qualification 
curriculums, as appropriate. 

(d) For evaluators: General evalua-

tion requirements of the AQP; methods 
of evaluating crewmembers and air-
craft dispatchers and other operations 
personnel, as appropriate, and policies 
and practices used to conduct the kinds 
of evaluations particular to an AQP 
(e.g., LOE). 

§ 121.913 Qualification curriculum. 

Each qualification curriculum must 

contain training, evaluation, and cer-
tification activities, as applicable for 

specific positions subject to the AQP, 
as follows: 

(a) The certificate holder’s planned 

hours of training, evaluation, and su-
pervised operating experience. 

(b) For crewmembers, aircraft dis-

patchers, and other operations per-
sonnel, the following: 

(1) Training, evaluation, and certifi-

cation activities that are aircraft- and 
equipment-specific to qualify a person 
for a particular duty position on, or du-
ties related to the operation of, a spe-
cific make, model, series, or variant 
aircraft. 

(2) A list of and text describing the 

knowledge requirements, subject mate-
rials, job skills, and qualification 
standards of each proficiency objective 
to be trained and evaluated. 

(3) The requirements of the certifi-

cate holder’s approved AQP program 
that are in addition to or in place of, 
the requirements of parts 61, 63, 65, 121 
or 135 of this chapter, including any ap-
plicable practical test requirements. 

(4) A list of and text describing oper-

ating experience, evaluation/remedi-
ation strategies, provisions for special 
tracking, and how recency of experi-
ence requirements will be accom-
plished. 

(c) For flight crewmembers: Initial 

operating experience and line check. 

(d) For instructors, the following as 

appropriate: 

(1) Training and evaluation activities 

to qualify a person to conduct instruc-
tion on how to operate, or on how to 
ensure the safe operation of a par-
ticular make, model, and series air-
craft (or variant). 

(2) A list of and text describing the 

knowledge requirements, subject mate-
rials, job skills, and qualification 
standards of each procedure and pro-
ficiency objective to be trained and 
evaluated. 

(3) A list of and text describing eval-

uation/remediation strategies, stand-
ardization policies and recency require-
ments. 

(e) For evaluators: The requirements 

of paragraph (d)(1) of this section plus 
the following, as appropriate: 

(1) Training and evaluation activities 

that are aircraft and equipment spe-
cific to qualify a person to assess the 
performance of persons who operate or