www.balloonlife.com

02.2001

22

Paperwork ,theGreatAmericanTra-
dition.Behind every pilot, there’s a mound
of paper, or something like that. No won-
dersomethinkpilotisshortfor “pileit
here, pile it there!”
Actually,thisarticlemightbemore
accurately titled “Endorsements” because
most of the pre-Practical Test paperwork
involves an accumulation of endorsements
thro ughou ttheins tructionalp rocess.
Whetheryouareworkingtowardyour
PrivateorCommercialCertificate,the
presentationof correct paperworkis just
asimportantasanyotherpartofyour
PracticalTest.Mostpilotsarenervous
enoughaboutthealways-presentpossi-
bilityof failing.It’shardtoimagine the
anguish felt by an applicant who is issued
aNoticeofDisapproval(pinkslip)be-
causethepaperworkisincorrectorin-
complete.Andthisisbeforeevenone
flight-relatedquestiongetsaskedbythe
examiner! Thissituationcanbea major
embarrassment for both the applicant and
the instructor.
Toavoidsuchared-facedmistake,
let’slookatthefour documentsthat are
required and the significance of each:
PilotCertificate:Applicantsfora
PrivateCertificatewillhaveaStudent
PilotCertificateastheir FAA PilotCer-
tificate. It should be carried onyour per-
son during any flying activity, and it must
have the appropriate endorsements made
for soloflight.Youwillbe surrendering
this certificate tothe FAA uponissuance
of your Temporary Private Certificate.
Applicantsfor a Commercial Certifi-
catewillpresenttheirPrivate PilotCer-
tificate. It should be carried onyour per-
sonduring flight andwill be surrendered
when youreceive your Temporary Com-
mercial Certificate.
WrittenTestResults:Bothprivate
andcommercialapplicants mustpresent
theoriginalsofthesetotheexaminer.
Thisoriginalwillbesurrenderedtothe
FAA, so if you would like a copy to keep,

make it prior topresenting the original to
theexaminer.Astatementmustbein-
cludedfromyourinstructorsayingthat
you have beengiveninstruction inthose
areasmissedon the writtenexam.
PilotLogBook:Applicantsforany
certificatemustpresentalogbookor
similar document which contains a break-
down of time flown. The minimum times
shown must at least meet those set forth in
FARPart61.The logmustalsocontain
theap prop ri at eendo rs em en tsmade
throughout thetraining and thoserequired
to certify the applicant’s readiness to take
the PracticalTest.
Log books need not be carried on your
person or in the basket but should be kept
in a safe place. It’s good practice to main-
tain acopy (usually by photocopying each
completed page of the log book) and stor-
ingit in a separate location.
Althoughit is notyet required, I sug-
gestthatalogentrybemadeuponsuc-
cessful completion of the pre-solo written
testrequiredbyFAR61.87(b).Itisnot
required that those test results beshown to
the examiner but he/she may ask for proof
ofhavingtakenit.Theflightinstructor
mustkeeparecordofthistestfortwo

years. A copy of the test in your logbook
isa good idea.
Applicationforthe Certificate (FAA
Form8710-1)Thisformneedstobe
completelyfilledoutandsigned.Itbe-
comesalegalaccountingofyourflight
time,training,your qualificationfor the
Certificate. Make sure it is correct. Again,
ifyouwishtomakeacopyforyour
records,doso.Onlyone(1)copywith
original signatures is presentedtothe ex-
aminer.
Be prepared to show at least one piece
ofidentificationthatcontainsyourpic-
ture. The examiner must verify your iden-
tity and fill in the information on the back
side of the application.
Onward! Let’s now list the documents
and related endorsements in checklist form
for each certificate:

Private Pilot Applicants
Student Pilot Certificate (See example
1 page 24) requires:
*Current certification within 24 months
*Solo endorsement(s) on rear. At least
one solo endorsement for each make and
model of balloon flown solo during train-
ing. It is a good idea, but not required, that

by Tom Hamilton

Navigating your way through the paperwork trail to a
pilot’s license

Doing the Paperwork

FAA Form 8710-1 (4-00). Make sure the instructor completes his section on the back.

23

www.balloonlife.com

02.2001

the solo endorsement in this section be
consistent with thosemadeinthelog
book (each 90 days).
Written Test Results
*Testpassedwithinpreceding24
months, check expiration date.
*Endorsement in log book covering
additionalinstructioninsubjectareas
missed.
*Note: Holders ofat least a Private
Pilot Certificatefor any other category
aircraft (powered airplane) need not take
a written exam for Private Pilot-LTA.
Log book
*Groundtraining endorsement(See
Endorsement A 1).
*Flighttrainingendorsement(See
Endorsement A 2).
*Prerequisites for flight test endorse-
ment (See Endorsement C 1)
*Writtentest missedquestionsen-
dorsement (See Endorsement C 2)
*Logged time and experience mustbe
at least those outlined in FAR 61.109(h).
*Consistent90 daysolo endorsements
(See Endorsement D).
*I recommendthata logbook entrybe
included to show the results of the Pre-
SoloWritten Test (See Endorsement E).
Application - FAA Form 8710-1 (See
Example 2)
*Formcompletedinink,typedor
printed.
*signed and dated at bottom.
*Instructor’s signature on rear.
*Note:Section IIC,“Graduateof
Approved Course” is forFAR 141 ap-
proved school graduates only, however,
all applicantsmust fill out the entire Sec-
tion II A. Section II A (2b) is the PIC or
solotime inmake andmodel balloonused
for flight test.

Comm ercial Pilot Applicants
Private Pilot Certificate
*The original ofthiscertificate willbe
returned to the FAA by the examiner and
a Temporary Commercial Pilot Certifi-
cate issued to the pilot.
Written Test Results
*Testpassedwithinpreceding24
months, check expiration date.
*Endorsement in log book covering
additionalinstructioninsubjectareas
missed.
Holders of atleasta Commercial Pilot
Certificate for any other category of air-

In1989thelateGeneTabbert,
Maumee,Ohio,developedaflight
trainingfileforballooning.He feltthat
the ballooning community needed a
hand document to adequately record
balloon flight training. Over a period
of two years, and using the Balloon
FederationofAmerica’sFlightInstruc-
tors Manualasaninitial guide,he
designed theBalloon Flight Training
File. At every opportunitythe interim
work was shown to balloon flight in-
structors, designated examiners, and
balloonmanufacturers,receivinghelp-
fulsuggestions and enthusiastic en-
couragement to continue.
TheFlight Training Fileuses the
same sequence of eventsasthe typical
balloon flight, beginning withthe pre-
flight weatherbriefing and advance
planning—endingwiththeretrieve,
packup and refueling. Safety and pub-
lic relation consideration are included
in all areas.
The format of the file is generic
and usable with any make and size of
balloon, and for either the private or
commercialrating.Theguide attempts
to be complete yet not burdensome.
Extra line spacesare providedtoallow
write in items for customizing. The 9-
1/2 inch by 12 inch “file” folder also
providesa con-
venientplaceto
storeadditional
paperwork.
Theout-
side jacketpro-
vides space for
all the general
pertinentinfor-
mationlike
name, address,
aircraft,etc.
plusendorse-
ments,test re-
sults,ground
school instruc-
tion andsign-
offs.

Inside is the heart of this training
file.The rich array of training topic
listingsallow for detail review of each
trainingsession.Areascoveredin-
cluded preflight, layout & rigging, in-
flation,launch, basicflying,crosscoun-
try flying, high altitude flight, emer-
gency situations, landings, retrieve &
packup,refueling,tetheroperations,
soloflight,andflightinstruction.These
areas are further subdivided into indi-
vidual tasks. There are 17 training pe-
riods/columns withprovision for both
instructor and student notations, space
forcomments andinitials forboth.
Portions that are unused can be lined
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TheFlight Training Fileprovides
acompletecurriculumguide,optimized
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recordkeeping,andconvenient this
file should be used by every instructor
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received. Both the instructor and stu-
dent shouldhave one for their records.
Today Liberty Balloon Co. con-
tinues to offer this excellent training
filefor$6 apiece.Contact Liberty
Balloon Co.,6730BarberHill Rd.,
Groveland, NY 14462, phone800-777-
2359.

Flight Training File

by Tom Hamilton

Continued on page 24

www.balloonlife.com

02.2001

24

craft (powered airplane) need not take a
written exam for Commercial PilotLTA.
Log book
*Groundtraining endorsement(See
Endorsement B 1).
*Flighttrainingendorsement(See
Endorsement B 2).
*Prerequisites for flight test endorse-
ment (See Endorsement C 1).
*Writtentest missedquestionsen-
dorsement (See Endorsement C 2)
*Logged time and experience mustbe
at least those outlines in FAR 61.129(h).
Application
*Same as the Private Pilot Applicant
with minor changes in Section 1.
*General Note About the 8710-1: It is
only necessary that SectionIIIofthis
applicationcontaintheminimumtime
required for application for the certificate.
It is, however, considered to be a legal
recordofyourtime.Inthe eventyou
should lose your log book, the FAA will
acceptthetimes shownonyourmost
recent application as your logged flight
time todate. If possible,I recommend that
the time blocks be filled in as accurately
as possible every time you fill out a new
application.
Alert:FAA Form 8710-1 (4-00) is a
recent revision of the old form and super-
sedes previous editions.The oldf orms are
stilling beingexcepted,butarebeing
phased out.Thenewform canbe obtained
from your local Federal Aviation District
Office or downloaded on from the Inter-
netat http://av-ingo.faa.gov/andclicking
on the “Forms” link.

Approved Schools
Approved school (Part141) paper-
workandendorsements wereomitted.
graduatesfromapprovedschoolsare
trained within a very controlled curricu-
lum (TrainingCourse Outline), including
organized ground school, phase checks,
and school examining authority. The pa-
perwork is generated within the school
structure and is controlled closely for the
student during his/her training.
Examples are included of paperwork
and sample endorsements for your uses
and have referred to them throughoutthis
article. I hope they will help make life a
littleeasier whenitcomestime tosee your
localexam iner.Thesmileonthe
examiner’s face when he or she looks at
your paperworkwillget youoff toa good
start.

SampleEndorsements

A. Private Pilot Applicants
1. Private Pilot Aeronautical Knowledge, Ref. FAR61.105
“I have given Mr. Rip Line the groundinstruction requiredby FAR
61.105(b)” by Joe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, NoExpiration.
2. Private Pilot Flight Proficiency, Ref. FAR 61.107
“I have given Mrs. Chase Driver the flight instruction requiredby FAR
61.107(b) (8) and findher competent to perform eachpilot operation safely as
a private pilot,” by Joe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, No Expiration.
B.CommercialPilot Applicants
1. CommercialPilot Aeronautical Knowledge, Ref. FAR 61.125
“I have given Mr. Rip Line the groundinstruction requiredby FAR
61.125(b)” byJoe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, Noexpiration.
2. CommercialPilot Flight Proficiency, Ref. FAR 61.127
“I have given Mrs. Chase Driver the flight instruction requiredby FAR
61.127(h) andfind her competent to perform eachpilot operationsafely as a
commercialpilot,” byJoe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, NoExpiration.
C. Private and Commercial Applicants
1. Prerequisite for flight Test Endorsement, Ref. FAR 61.39
“I have given Mr. Rip Line flight instructioninpreparation for the Private/
CommercialLTA flight test within the preceding60days and findhim
competent to pass the test,” byJoe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789. No Expira-
tion.
2. Deficient Areas onWrittenTest Report Endorsement, Ref FAR
61.39(a.6)
“I have given Mrs. Chase Driver instruction in those subjectareasshown
deficient in her writtentest report,” byJoe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, No
Expiration.
Note:EndorsementsA.1-A.2, B.1-B.2, or C.1-C.2 maybe combinedintoa
single endorsementshowing both references and/or instruction followed bythe
flight instructor’s (C/LTA) signature.
D. Student Pilots
1. 90 DaySolo Endorsement, Ref. FAR61.87(k1-9)
“I have given Mr. Rip Line instruction ina CameronO-77andhe has met
the requirements of FAR 61.87(k.1-9). He iscompetent to make solo flightsin
a CameronO-77hot air balloon,” by Joe Instructor, C/LTA 123456789, No
Expiration.
2. Pre-soloWrittenTest, Ref. FAR 61.87(b)
“I have given Mrs. Chase Driver the pre-solowrittenrequiredby FAR
61.87(b) andshe has passed witha grade of 85%,” by Joe Instructor, C/LTA
123456789, NoExpiration.

Examp le 1 - Endorse-
ment section of student
pilot certificate.