An endorsement is an instructor's formal signed authorisation in a student's record — for example to fly solo or take a knowledge test or checkride. Each endorsement has specific regulatory wording and prerequisites, and missing endorsements are a classic cause of refused checkrides.
An endorsement is an instructor's formal signed authorisation in a student's logbook or record — the FAA system's instrument of permission. Solo flight, solo cross-country, knowledge tests and practical tests each require specific endorsements with regulatory wording (standardised in AC 61-65), and several carry expiry: the solo endorsement, notably, is valid 90 days at a time.
Each endorsement certifies that required training occurred and the instructor judges the student ready — which makes the endorsement trail the legal skeleton of FAA training records: the flight that lacks its endorsement was, formally, not authorised.
Why it matters for flight schools
Missing or expired endorsements are the classic cause of refused checkrides and illegal solos — failures of tracking, not training. The 90-day solo clock is the sharpest edge: a student soloing on day 91 puts the instructor's certificate and the school's insurance in play over an administrative lapse.
How FlightLogger handles it
FlightLogger manages endorsements digitally — correct wording templates, instructor sign-off, and expiry tracking that blocks solo dispatch when the 90-day clock runs out.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a solo endorsement valid?
90 days — after which the instructor must re-endorse based on current proficiency. The clock is absolute: day 91 without renewal is an unauthorised solo regardless of how ready the student is.
What is the EASA equivalent of endorsements?
EASA training runs on organisational authorisation — solo and test recommendations documented in the ATO/DTO's training records — rather than the FAA's logbook-endorsement instrument. Same control, different paperwork architecture.