Employment of former FAA employees

This regulation restricts pilot schools from hiring former FAA inspectors in certain circumstances. A pilot school cannot knowingly employ or contract with a former Flight Standards Service inspector to represent the school in dealings with the FAA if, within the previous two years, that inspector was directly responsible for inspecting or overseeing that specific school's operations.

"Acting as an agent or representative" means making any written or oral communication to the FAA on the school's behalf, regardless of whether it involves a specific matter the inspector previously handled.

Exception: This restriction doesn't apply if the individual was already employed by the pilot school before October 21, 2011.

This "cooling-off period" prevents potential conflicts of interest where an inspector might give favorable treatment to a school with the expectation of future employment, or where a newly hired former inspector might have inappropriate influence over their former colleagues.

*This is a plain-English summary for study only. The official 14 CFR text on this page is controlling — always read the current regulation and consult a CFI.*