Training And Certification Advisory Circulars Revised

The recently released ACs address the FAA’s pilot/instructor training and certification guidance.

Sunday, January 19, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The FAA's Flight Standards Service released eight new or revised advisory circulars (ACs) in late 2024, providing updated guidance on pilot and flight instructor regulatory compliance, which the agency will use as a baseline for assessing adherence despite their non-binding nature.
A revised AC 90-120 introduces ACAS X, a more sophisticated, next-generation Airborne Collision Avoidance System replacing TCAS, applicable to a broader range of operators and designed to enhance performance and reduce nuisance alerts.
The AOPA Air Safety Institute published its 34th Richard G. McSpadden Safety Report, identifying loss of control as the leading causal factor in general aviation accidents and noting that weather-related accidents remain highly lethal.

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Beginning in late October 2024 and extending into mid-November, the FAA’s General Aviation & Commercial Division (AFS-800), part of the agency’s Flight Standards Service, published a handful of advisory circulars (ACs) providing guidance on how the FAA wants pilots and flight instructors to comply with its various regulations.

While it’s not new that the FAA publishes ACs—they’ve been around as long as the agency itself, if not longer—it is somewhat unusual that so many, eight in total, would come out of the same office within a few days of each other.