How to set up a 14 CFR Part 142 training center

What is 14 CFR Part 142?

Part 142 is the FAA's certificate type for sim-based training centers — the regulatory home of CAE, FlightSafety International, and every airline-affiliated training organization in the US. It governs aircraft type-rating courses, recurrent training, and check-rides performed in a Level C or D full-flight simulator (FFS).

It's distinct from Part 141 — which governs primary flight training schools (PPL, CPL, IR) — and from Part 121, which governs the airline operators sending pilots to a Part 142 center for type-rating qualification.

A Part 142 certificate is the legal anchor for everything the training center does: TS-approved curricula, instructor authorizations, simulator qualifications, and the National Simulator Program (NSP) evaluations that keep the sims on certification.

Step 1: pre-application meeting with your FSDO

Before paperwork: visit your Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and request a pre-application meeting. This is where you describe your intended operation — types of training, simulator types, projected throughput — and the FSDO assigns a Principal Operations Inspector (POI) and Principal Maintenance Inspector (PMI) who will shepherd your application.

Expect 4-6 weeks lead time. Bring an organization chart, the simulators you intend to operate, the aircraft type ratings you plan to issue, and a draft of your Quality Control Program (QC) policy.

Step 2: FAA Form 8400-6 + Pre-Application Statement of Intent

FAA Form 8400-6 (Pre-Application Statement of Intent for Part 142) opens your formal application. You'll submit it to the assigned POI after the pre-application meeting. The form names your training center, location, principals (DOT, Chief Pilot, Director of Training), and your intended Training Specifications (TS).

Once 8400-6 is accepted, the FSDO issues you a Tracking Number and the Pre-Certification Statement of Intent — the green light to start preparing your full application package.

Step 3: build the Training Specifications (TS) document

The TS is your operating manual. It lists every type rating you can issue, every simulator you can use to issue it, every authorized instructor, and every quality-control checkpoint. It's reviewed and signed by your POI.

TS sections that always get scrutiny: A001 (curriculum approvals), A002 (instructor authorizations), B055 (Level D simulator program), C063 (record-keeping requirements), D095 (additional terminology and abbreviations).

• •A001: course curriculum approvals (per type)
• •A002: authorized instructors + check airmen
• •B055: each simulator's qualification + recurring evaluation
• •C063: training-record retention requirements
• •D095: terminology + abbreviations specific to your TS

Step 4: Quality Control Program (QC)

Your QC Program is the policy document explaining how you ensure training quality — instructor evaluations, lesson-plan review cycles, NSP-prep procedures, student-feedback handling, and corrective-action loops. It's the document an FAA inspector reads first during a surveillance visit.

Don't model it after a Part 121 airline's QC. Part 142 QC is leaner — focus on training-quality outcomes, not flight ops. Most successful applications use a 12-15 page QC Program with clear corrective-action triggers and an annual internal-audit calendar.

Step 5: simulator qualification + the National Simulator Program

Every simulator at a Part 142 center must be qualified by the FAA's National Simulator Program (NSP). The NSP team — based in Atlanta — issues each sim a Qualification Letter (Level A through D for FFS, Level 4-7 for FTDs). Initial qualification involves an on-site evaluation, then recurring evaluations every 12 months.

Recurring NSP visits last 1-2 days and cover objective testing (simulator vs aircraft data files), subjective testing (qualified evaluator pilot rides), and a maintenance-program audit. A simulator that fails recurring evaluation can be downgraded or pulled from service.

Step 6: instructor + check-airman authorization

Each instructor needs FAA authorization to teach each course — this lives in TS Section A002. The application process involves a written exam, an oral exam, a Demonstrated Proficiency Check, and a recommendation from your Director of Training.

Check airmen — the people who conduct check-rides under your TS — go through additional FAA training and an evaluation by an FAA Aircrew Program Manager. Check-airman authorization is per-type and per-course.

Step 7: ongoing compliance + recurrent surveillance

Once certified, your Part 142 center is under continuous FAA surveillance. POI visits typically run quarterly; PMI visits track simulator maintenance; the NSP visits hit on a 12-month cycle. Expect 15-25 inspection touchpoints per year for a center with 4-6 sims.

Audit-readiness is the operational discipline that keeps the certificate. Maintain real-time training records, log every NSP-driven repair, and run an annual internal audit that mirrors what the FAA will inspect. The tools you pick for this — scheduling, training records, audit log, compliance tracking — determine whether an FAA visit costs you 4 hours or 4 weeks.