The FAA recently updated 35-year-old guidance on CFR Part 125, clearing up some long-standing confusion about training requirements for the corporate shuttle and other large-aircraft operations. AC 125-1A, Operations of Large Airplanes Subject to 14 CFR Part 125, replaces the original advisory circular released in January 1981.

According to NBAA, a substantial portion of the 76-page AC is “either new or significantly revised.” One of the key changes, the association said, is that the new AC provides clear guidance on training requirements. The AC specifies that operators are not required to have a formal training program, but that they should “provide training for your crewmembers, or otherwise assure that they will be capable of successfully completing the [Part 125] testing requirements.” NBAA said in the past, various FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDOs) differed on whether formal training programs were required.

The guidance also covers the use of Part 142 training centers to meet the Part 125 requirements, including the ability to contract for check airmen.

“The new AC substantially clarifies how an operator can comply with the training requirements,” said Lee Blake, corporate shuttle manager at Cummins and vice chair of NBAA’s Domestic Operations Committee. “Hopefully, this will help reduce the variation seen across FSDOs.”