Definition
A U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program that requires flight schools and individual flight instructors to verify the identity and citizenship status of any student seeking flight training in aircraft with a maximum certificated takeoff weight of 12,500 pounds or less. Non-U.S. citizens must be vetted and approved by the TSA before training begins, and instructors must complete recurrent security awareness training.
Plain English
A government rule that requires flight schools and instructors to check who their students are before teaching them to fly. U.S. citizens prove their citizenship; foreign students must be screened and approved by the TSA first.
Context Anchor
Seen when enrolling in a flight school, starting a new pilot certificate or rating, or completing the paperwork a school requires before training begins.
Why Pilots Care
It determines whether a person is allowed to receive flight training and keeps training operations in compliance with federal security rules.
Intuition Check
Do not read this as a training course about security. Here, it means a TSA screening and approval system that controls who may begin certain flight training.
Example Sentence 1
Before her first lesson, the instructor asked for her passport to satisfy the Flight Training Security Program citizenship check.
Example Sentence 2
Every approved training provider must maintain records showing it followed the Flight Training Security Program for each student.