CFI spin training and endorsement (61.183(i))

If you are weeks from your initial flight instructor airplane or glider checkride, the spin requirement in 14 CFR 61.183(i) is easy to misunderstand: it is not a generic aerobatics endorsement, and it is not what you teach primary students before solo. The rule requires logged spin training in a spin-approved aircraft, a logbook endorsement attesting instructional proficiency in stall awareness and spin entry, spins, and spin recovery, and readiness to demonstrate that proficiency on the practical test — with narrow exceptions when an examiner may accept the endorsement alone. This guide ties the regulation, AC 61-65K sample A.49, FAA-S-ACS-25 Task X.I, aircraft and parachute limitations, and handbook-backed teaching so you can explain spins out loud the way a DPE expects.

What 14 CFR 61.183(i) requires (airplane and glider CFI)

14 CFR 61.183(i) applies when you apply for a flight instructor certificate with an airplane or glider rating. Subsection (i)(1) requires a logbook endorsement from an authorized instructor stating that, after spin training in an airplane or glider certificated for spins, you are competent and possess instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures. Subsection (i)(2) requires you to demonstrate that instructional proficiency on the practical test — with an important exception: upon presentation of the (i)(1) endorsement, an examiner may accept the endorsement as satisfactory evidence of instructional proficiency in those areas, provided the practical test is not a retest because you previously failed for deficiencies in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, or spin recovery instructional procedures. If the retest is for those deficiencies, the examiner must test you on those procedures in a spin-approved aircraft.

Read that exception carefully before your ride: having A.49 in your logbook does not automatically mean you will never fly a spin on checkride day. The ACS evaluator has discretion, weather and aircraft must permit the maneuver, and any spin-related disapproval triggers 14 CFR 61.49(b), which requires remedial training, a new endorsement, a spin-capable aircraft at retest, and demonstrated instructional proficiency on stall/spin topics during the retest.

Who may provide spin training and sign the endorsement

The endorsement must come from an authorized instructor who provided the required flight training (61.183(i)(1)). In practice that is a certificated flight instructor with privileges appropriate to the aircraft used (airplane single-engine, multiengine, or glider, as applicable). The instructor should only sign after you can teach stall/spin awareness, demonstrate controlled spin entry and recovery per the AFM/POH, and explain common errors — not merely after a sightseeing ride. Your spin instructor’s signature on A.49 is the same logbook record FAA-S-ACS-25 Task X.I may reference when an evaluator accepts training in lieu of repeating the Task.

AC 61-65K sample endorsement A.49

AC 61-65K (issued 11/14/2025) Appendix A sample A.49 — Spin training: 14 CFR § 61.183(i)(1) states the endorsement is required only for flight instructor airplane and flight instructor glider applicants. Recommended wording: “I certify that [First name, MI, Last name] has received the required training of 14 CFR § 61.183(i) in [an airplane, a glider]. I have determined that they are competent and possess instructional proficiency in stall awareness, spin entry, spins, and spin recovery procedures.” Use the aircraft category you actually trained in; multiengine airplane applicants still satisfy airplane-category spin training under (i) when accomplished in a spin-approved airplane per your program and examiner expectations.

Practical test: FAA-S-ACS-25 Task X.I and examiner discretion

On the initial CFI airplane practical test, spin awareness is evaluated under FAA-S-ACS-25 Area X, Task I, Spin Awareness and Spins (references include AC 61-67, FAA-H-8083-3, FAA-H-8083-9, and the POH/AFM). The Task Note states that, at the evaluator’s discretion, a logbook record attesting instructional competency in spin entries, spins, and spin recoveries may be accepted in lieu of this Task, and the flight instructor who conducted the spin instruction must have certified that record — aligning with your A.49 endorsement. Skill element AI.X.I.S3 still requires entering and recovering from an intentional spin if requested by the evaluator; minimum entry altitude for the Task is 4,000 feet AGL unless Appendix 3 or the briefing states otherwise.

Appendix 3, Operational Requirements, Limitations, & Task Information, states “Spins apply to ASEL” for the slow flight, stalls, and spins area. That limitation governs which class rating the ACS spin Task samples on the airplane CFI test; it does not remove the 61.183(i) training requirement for airplane-category instructor applicants. Appendix 2, Stall and Spin Awareness, requires you and the evaluator to avoid operations that could lead to inadvertent stall, spin, or loss of control throughout the test.

Pair ACS language with 61.183(i)(2): endorsement acceptance is regulatory; Task omission is evaluator discretion when the Note is satisfied. Prepare both to teach spin aerodynamics on the ground and to fly the maneuver in a suitable aircraft. See also our CFI checkride what to expect and checklist for paperwork and day-of flow.

Aircraft certification, AFM/POH limitations, and spin approval

• Training must occur in an airplane or glider certificated for spins (61.183(i)(1)). Many trainers are approved for spins; some are placarded against intentional spins or require specific loading — follow the AFM/POH and type certificate data.
• AC 61-67C emphasizes observing restrictions that prohibit intentional spins in certain airplanes and consulting the AFM/POH for entry and recovery techniques before practicing spins.
• FAA-S-ACS-25 knowledge element AI.X.I.K6 expects you to explain how to determine whether an airplane is approved for spins based on airworthiness category and type certificate.
• Distinguish a spin (stalled, rotating flight) from a spiral (rapid descent, not stalled) — AC 61-67C spin recovery and spiral mode recovery sections describe different cues and responses.

14 CFR 91.307 parachutes during spin training

14 CFR 91.307(c) prohibits the pilot in command from allowing intentional maneuvers exceeding 60° of bank or 30° nose-up or nose-down relative to the horizon unless each occupant (except crewmembers) wears an approved parachute. Spins exceed those limits. 91.307(d)(2) exempts spins and other flight maneuvers required by the regulations for any certificate or rating when given by a certificated flight instructor or an airline transport pilot instructing in accordance with 61.67. CFI spin training toward 61.183(i) falls in that exception when provided by a CFI (or qualifying ATP instructor), so parachutes are not required by 91.307 solely because of the spin — but your school, insurer, or FBO policy may still impose additional requirements.

Teaching stall and spin awareness (handbooks and AC 61-67C)

FAA-H-8083-3 (Airplane Flying Handbook), Chapter 5, Spin Awareness, defines a spin as an aggravated stall with autorotation and states POH/AFM spin recovery techniques take precedence over handbook generic steps. Teach primary and advanced students stall avoidance, coordinated flight, and recovery from stalls first; intentional spins are not part of private pilot certification. For CFI applicants, AC 61-67C (Stall and Spin Awareness Training, Change 2, 1/6/16) Chapter 3 outlines spin training flow: stall practice, spin avoidance, incipient spin recovery, then demonstrated spin entry and recovery in both directions with altitude margins (the AC recommends practicing intentional spins from above 3,500 feet AGL; FAA-S-ACS-25 Task X.I selects 4,000 feet AGL minimum for the practical test Task).

When teaching recovery, lead with the manufacturer procedure, then relate it to common mnemonics instructors use in the classroom (for example power idle, ailerons neutral, rudder opposite rotation, elevator forward to break the stall — often called PARE) only as a secondary aid when the POH does not contradict. AC 61-67C paragraph 111 describes generic recovery: close the throttle, neutralize ailerons, apply full opposite rudder, reduce angle of attack with forward elevator, neutralize rudder when rotation stops, then recover to level flight without inducing a secondary stall.

FAA-H-8083-9B supports the instructional side: lesson objectives and completion standards (Chapters 5 and 7), verifying questions and critique after maneuvers (Chapter 6), and risk management themes when students fixate on airspeed instead of angle of attack. Tie spin awareness to ACS risk elements on stall tasks (uncoordinated flight, distraction, low altitude). For endorsement paperwork context, cross-study CFI endorsements, sample oral prompts in CFI oral exam questions, and CFI DPE scenario questions.

Sample DPE-style scenario questions

These are sample rehearsal prompts — not a leaked bank. Answer with teach-back structure, POH/AFM reference, and citations to 61.183(i), AC 61-65K, or FAA-S-ACS-25 as appropriate.

Try explaining this out loud (10-minute drill)

1. Quote the two halves of 61.183(i) in plain language — training/endorsement versus demonstrate on the test, including the retest exception.
2. Read AC 61-65K A.49 aloud once, then paraphrase it as if signing a real student logbook.
3. Explain 91.307(c) limits and the 91.307(d)(2) CFI-training exception without confusing it with aerobatic joyrides.
4. Teach spin recovery: POH first, then relate to AFH Chapter 5 and AC 61-67C generic steps; mention spiral misidentification.
5. Summarize FAA-S-ACS-25 Task X.I Note and when AI.X.I.S3 still applies; cite Appendix 3 “Spins apply to ASEL.”
6. Close with how mock orals build teach-back habit — start a free mock oral on a stall or spin awareness prompt when you finish.

Verify before your ride: 14 CFR 61.49(b), 61.183(i), 91.307(c)–(d); AC 61-65K A.49; AC 61-67C (Change 2); FAA-H-8083-3, Chapter 5 (Spin Awareness); FAA-H-8083-9B, Chapters 5–7; FAA-S-ACS-25 Area X Task I, Appendix 2 (Stall and Spin Awareness), Appendix 3 (Spins apply to ASEL). Confirm current eCFR and PDF revision dates on FAA.gov.

Mock Oral Mastery is not affiliated with or approved by the FAA. Not a substitute for your certificated flight instructor or required endorsements. Always use the current ACS, 14 CFR, AC 61-65, and FAA handbooks as the source of truth.