Pilot Proficiency Award Program
Encyclopedia
The FAA's Pilot Proficiency Award Program (Wings) promotes air safety
and encourages general aviation
pilots to continue training and provides an opportunity to practice selected maneuvers in a minimum of instruction time. After you've logged three hours of dual instruction under the program and attended at least one FAA-sanctioned safety seminar, you’ll be eligible to receive a distinctive set of wings . You’ll also earn a certificate of completion. If you successfully complete a phase of the Wings Program within the period specified by Section 61.56(e) of the Federal Aviation Regulations
, you don’t need to accomplish the flight review for that time period.
As laid out in Advisory Circular 61-91H, the program has twenty phases and offers you a twenty-year recurrent training opportunity. You’ll be eligible for more wings every year after earning your first set, each added set marking your progress.
Phase I wings are plain bronze
tone. Phase II wings are silver
tone with a star added. Phase III wings are gold
tone with a star and wreath. Phase IV wings are gold tone and have a simulated ruby
mounted in the shield. Phase V wings are gold tone with a rhinestone mounted in the shield. Phase VI wings are gold tone with a simulated sapphire
mounted in the shield. Phases VII, VIII, and IX wings are gold tone with the appropriate Roman numeral displayed within the wreath. Phase X wings are bright gold tone with the Roman numeral X and shield located within a ring of 10 stars.
No complimentary wings will be issued. Pilots, regardless of certificate type, ratings, or position, must earn the privilege of wearing the pilot proficiency wings. A pin and certificate will be awarded for Phases I through X. A certificate only will be awarded for Phases XI through XX.
Seaplane
pilots who specify “seawings” on the proficiency award application get a distinctive set of seawings.
The original Wings program ended on December 31, 2007, although another month was allowed to process final applications. It was replaced by a new program from the new FAA safety website. The FAA's new program attempts to provide better standards for pilots getting flight reviews and training, adding the most common causes of accidents into the curriculum and providing set standards for maneuvers, instead of giving a minimum flight time to complete. Currently, the FAA does not plan to provide pins for completion of a level of the new Wings program, but it mentions in its tutorial that private companies might in the future provide pins to those who qualify. The new website will also keep track of a pilot's recurrent training and will be able to remind the pilot by e-mail if their training is close to expiring, requiring them to get a new flight review
or complete another Wings course.
On April 11, 2008, aviation insurer Avemco announced that they are sponsoring the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program by supplying all WINGS participants with WINGS lapel pins upon program completion.
On 24 September, 2010, the FAA announced specific recognition for those sea-rated pilots who complete a phase of WINGS in a seaplane or amphibian. The Seaplane Pilots Association agreed to send a a lapel pin to these pilots, and at least one insurance company, Falcon Insurance Agency of Florida, Inc., has indicated they will offer “significant premium discounts” to members of the Seaplane Pilots Association who complete a phase of WINGS in a seaplane.
Air safety
Air safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
and encourages general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
pilots to continue training and provides an opportunity to practice selected maneuvers in a minimum of instruction time. After you've logged three hours of dual instruction under the program and attended at least one FAA-sanctioned safety seminar, you’ll be eligible to receive a distinctive set of wings . You’ll also earn a certificate of completion. If you successfully complete a phase of the Wings Program within the period specified by Section 61.56(e) of the Federal Aviation Regulations
Federal Aviation Regulations
The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations...
, you don’t need to accomplish the flight review for that time period.
As laid out in Advisory Circular 61-91H, the program has twenty phases and offers you a twenty-year recurrent training opportunity. You’ll be eligible for more wings every year after earning your first set, each added set marking your progress.
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
tone. Phase II wings are silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
tone with a star added. Phase III wings are gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
tone with a star and wreath. Phase IV wings are gold tone and have a simulated ruby
Ruby
A ruby is a pink to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum . The red color is caused mainly by the presence of the element chromium. Its name comes from ruber, Latin for red. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sapphires...
mounted in the shield. Phase V wings are gold tone with a rhinestone mounted in the shield. Phase VI wings are gold tone with a simulated sapphire
Sapphire
Sapphire is a gemstone variety of the mineral corundum, an aluminium oxide , when it is a color other than red or dark pink; in which case the gem would instead be called a ruby, considered to be a different gemstone. Trace amounts of other elements such as iron, titanium, or chromium can give...
mounted in the shield. Phases VII, VIII, and IX wings are gold tone with the appropriate Roman numeral displayed within the wreath. Phase X wings are bright gold tone with the Roman numeral X and shield located within a ring of 10 stars.
No complimentary wings will be issued. Pilots, regardless of certificate type, ratings, or position, must earn the privilege of wearing the pilot proficiency wings. A pin and certificate will be awarded for Phases I through X. A certificate only will be awarded for Phases XI through XX.
Seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
pilots who specify “seawings” on the proficiency award application get a distinctive set of seawings.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the program, you must:- Hold an ultralight / recreational pilot certificate or higher
- Hold a current medical certificateMedical certificateA medical certificate is a document stating either that a person has passed a medical examination, or that a person is unfit for work for a stated period of time .- See also :* Documentation* Medical documentation...
if required. - Log dual flight instruction in specified maneuvers. The time required varies by category: 3 for airplane, 2 for rotorcraft (helicopterHelicopterA helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
or gyrocopter), ultralight, or lighter-than-airAerostatAn aerostat is a craft that remains aloft primarily through the use of buoyant lighter than air gases, which impart lift to a vehicle with nearly the same overall density as air. Aerostats include free balloons, airships, and moored balloons...
, and 3 (or 6 flights) for glidersGlider (sailplane)A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
; one hour of ground training is also usually required. - Attend at least one FAA-sanctioned safety seminar, or other approved course. This can be done by going to a designated safety meeting or completing one of several approved courses online, such as those offered by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots AssociationAircraft Owners and Pilots AssociationThe Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is a Frederick, Maryland-based non-profit political organization. Incorporated on 15 May 1939, AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States...
.
Applying
To apply for the Pilot Proficiency Award Program, send your application to your local FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO).New Wings Program
Biennial flight review
A periodic flight review is mandated for pilots by the aviation authorities of many countries. The review takes different forms in different countries....
or complete another Wings course.
On April 11, 2008, aviation insurer Avemco announced that they are sponsoring the WINGS Pilot Proficiency Program by supplying all WINGS participants with WINGS lapel pins upon program completion.
On 24 September, 2010, the FAA announced specific recognition for those sea-rated pilots who complete a phase of WINGS in a seaplane or amphibian. The Seaplane Pilots Association agreed to send a a lapel pin to these pilots, and at least one insurance company, Falcon Insurance Agency of Florida, Inc., has indicated they will offer “significant premium discounts” to members of the Seaplane Pilots Association who complete a phase of WINGS in a seaplane.