A training syllabus is the structured lesson-by-lesson plan of a course, defining objectives, exercises, standards and prerequisites for each sortie and theory session. In approved training (ATO or Part 141), the syllabus is a regulated document that records must demonstrably follow.
A training syllabus is the structured, lesson-by-lesson architecture of a course: phases, exercises, objectives, completion standards and prerequisites for every flight and theory session. In approved training — EASA ATO courses and FAA Part 141 — the syllabus is a regulated document: training must demonstrably follow it, and changes route through the approval process.
A syllabus is also version-controlled reality: when the approved version changes, every in-progress student sits somewhere in the transition, and the records must show which version each lesson was flown against.
Why it matters for flight schools
The syllabus is the audit anchor — records are checked against it, stage gates are defined in it, and 'training outside the approved syllabus' is a finding category of its own. It is also the standardisation instrument: thirty instructors teach one course only because the syllabus, not folklore, defines the course.
How FlightLogger handles it
In FlightLogger the approved syllabus is the digital spine of training — every booking maps to an exercise, every record to a syllabus item and version, so compliance with the approved structure is built in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a syllabus and a curriculum?
Usage varies, but practically: the curriculum is the educational whole — subjects, aims, philosophy — while the syllabus is the operational sequence of lessons with objectives and standards. Regulators approve, and audit against, the syllabus.
How are syllabus changes handled?
Through the organisation's approval process — documented revision, authority notification or approval as required, and controlled rollout with clarity about which students transition when. Untracked syllabus drift is a classic audit finding.