To instructors and students,

All flight students who are not citizens of the USA must register with TSA's Alien Flight Student Program before beginning flight training. This should be done online. I don't have the address at hand, but if you google AFSP you will find your way there.

Independent CFIs (such as we) giving instruction to foreign students must register with AFSP also.

Here's a little-known trap: Even if your student is a USA citizen, he must still present a passport (or birth certificate plus state-issued photo ID) to his instructor, who must then endorse the student's logbook that these documents have been produced. Additionally, the instructor must keep records of such endorsements for at least five years.

Instructors please note: You are not endorsing that the student proved his citizenship, only that the documents were presented to you.

And note also: These rules apply only to those who seek a private pilot certificate, an instrument rating, or multi-engine training. Oddly, students seeking the commercial certificate are not included in the regulation.

John Nadon
CAP chief pilot