Are Part 141 flight schools better?

Wings of Eagles Aviation offers both Part 141 and Part 61 flight training. (Don’t know what that means? Read our breakdown on the differences between the two types of flight training here.)

However, because we offer 141, that means that all of our flight training must be held to a higher standard.

What does this mean? More FAA oversight.

Pilot schools that are authorized to conduct Part 141 flight training are regulated in accordance with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 141, which means greater oversight from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). You can read all about the Part 141 certification process here.

A certificated Part 141 pilot school, upon certification, is issued an Air Agency Certificate and also Part 141 letters of authorization (LOAs), which are standardized letters describing the schools’ operational requirements, conditions and limitations. According to § 141.5 Requirements for a pilot school certificate:

The FAA may issue a pilot school certificate with the appropriate ratings if, within the 24 calendar months before the date application is made, the applicant—

This is one of the reasons why we’re so proud of our checkride pass rate here at Wings of Eagles Aviation. Part 141 requires that our 141 students maintain an 80% or better checkride pass rate, but we consistently maintain better than 90%.

Our checkride track record:

• Total checkride passes in 2025: 182
• Percentage of checkride passes on the first try: 91%
• Most common checkride in 2025: Private Pilot (59 checkrides)
• Second most common checkride in 2025: Instrument Rating (43 checkrides)

Part 141 certification also holds our instructors to a higher standard.

Along with this increased FAA oversight of our safety and students’ successes, our instructors are also subject to higher testing standards and regular evaluations. Every Wings of Eagles flight instructor is required to pass an initial proficiency check and annual recurrent proficiency checks, which are not required in Part 61-only flight schools.

This comes from § 141.79 Flight training:

Each certificated flight instructor [. . .] must satisfactorily complete the following tasks, which must be administered by the school’s chief instructor, assistant chief instructor, or check instructor:

To sum it up, 141 flight schools are running a tighter operation.

Regardless of whether you’re receiving Part 141 or Part 61 flight instruction at Wings of Eagles Aviation, you are still receiving the same high-quality education experience, because our school is held to a higher overall standard.

The FAA:

• has greater oversight of our operations,
• holds our students’ successes to a higher standard,
• and holds our instructors to a higher standard.

Ready to start flying? Learn more here.