What A Complex Or High-Performance Endorsement Is
A high performance endorsement, and its companion the complex endorsement, are one-time logbook signatures required by 14 CFR 61.31 before you may act as pilot in command of certain airplanes. They are not ratings. There is no knowledge test, no practical test, no examiner and no new plastic card — an authorized instructor trains you, finds you proficient, and writes a line in your logbook.
That single misconception costs pilots time and money. People delay the step-up because they think a checkride is involved. 14 CFR 61.31 prescribes no test of any kind for either endorsement. What it prescribes is ground and flight training, a finding of proficiency, and an endorsement.
You Fly LA flies from 7900 Balboa Blvd at Van Nuys Airport (KVNY), seven days a week from 9 AM to 9 PM. Instruction is $110 per hour and ground instruction is $110 per hour.
What Makes An Airplane Complex
The definition is not in 61.31 — it is in the definitions section, 14 CFR 61.1, and it is worth reading in full because pilots routinely get it wrong by one item.
A complex airplane means an airplane that has retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller, including airplanes equipped with an engine control system consisting of a digital computer and associated accessories for controlling the engine and propeller, such as a full authority digital engine control. For a seaplane the retractable-gear element drops out, and the definition is flaps and a controllable pitch propeller.
All three elements must be present in a landplane. A fixed-gear airplane with a constant-speed propeller is not complex, however much workload it adds. A retractable with a fixed-pitch propeller is not complex either. The FADEC clause matters for modern types where the pilot has no separate propeller control at all but the propeller is still controllable — the definition captures those deliberately.
14 CFR 61.31(e) then does the work: no person may act as pilot in command of a complex airplane unless they have received and logged ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a complex airplane, or in a full flight simulator or flight training device representative of one, have been found proficient in the operation and systems of the airplane, and have received a one-time endorsement in their logbook from the instructor certifying that proficiency.
What Makes An Airplane High-Performance
This one is a single number, and the regulation states it inside the operative sentence. 14 CFR 61.31(f) prohibits acting as pilot in command of "a high-performance airplane (an airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower)" without the same package: ground and flight training from an authorized instructor in a high-performance airplane or a representative device, a finding of proficiency in the operation and systems of the airplane, and a one-time logbook endorsement.
Note "more than 200 horsepower", not 200 or more. An airplane rated at exactly 200 horsepower is not high-performance. Note also "an engine" — the threshold is per engine, not total installed power, which is why plenty of light twins are not high-performance airplanes.
The two endorsements are independent. An airplane can be complex and not high-performance, high-performance and not complex, both, or neither. The airplane that is both is the classic step-up single, and it needs two separate signatures rather than one combined one.
| Endorsement | Regulation | What Defines The Aircraft | What The Rule Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complex | 14 CFR 61.31(e) | Retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable pitch propeller (14 CFR 61.1) | Ground and flight training, found proficient, one-time logbook endorsement |
| High-performance | 14 CFR 61.31(f) | An engine of more than 200 horsepower | Ground and flight training, found proficient, one-time logbook endorsement |
| Pressurized / high altitude | 14 CFR 61.31(g) | Service ceiling or maximum operating altitude, whichever is lower, above 25,000 feet MSL | Ground training on nine listed subjects plus flight training, both endorsed |
| Tailwheel | 14 CFR 61.31(i) | A tailwheel airplane | Flight training including normal and crosswind takeoffs and landings, wheel landings and go-arounds |
| Type-specific | 14 CFR 61.31(h) | An aircraft the Administrator has determined requires type-specific training | Type-specific training and a logbook endorsement of proficiency |
One thing the table makes obvious: none of these rows contains an hour figure. 14 CFR 61.31 sets no minimum training time for any of them. Anyone who tells you a high-performance endorsement is "a required five hours" is quoting an insurance policy or a school's own syllabus, not the regulation. The standard is proficiency, judged by the instructor who signs.
What The Training Actually Involves
Because the regulation names the outcome rather than the syllabus, the content follows the airplane. Two broad areas come up every time.
For complex airplanes, the gear and the propeller. The gear system itself: how it is actuated, what the indications mean, the airspeed limits for extension and retraction, the squat switch and the warning horn, and the emergency extension procedure flown for real rather than described. Gear-up landings are overwhelmingly a checklist-discipline failure rather than a mechanical one, so the training is heavy on when the gear goes down and what the trigger is. Then the propeller: manifold pressure and RPM as two controls that must be moved in the right order, why the sequence exists, how power is set for climb, cruise and descent, and what a propeller governor does when it fails.
For high-performance airplanes, the power and the energy. More horsepower means more torque and P-factor on takeoff, a different pitch-power relationship, more inertia in the flare, and an engine that needs managing rather than merely operating — mixture, cowl flaps where fitted, cylinder head and exhaust gas temperatures, and a descent planned early enough that you are not shock-cooling or arriving fast. A high-performance single arrives at the runway threshold with considerably more energy than a trainer, and most of the training is really about getting rid of it in the right place.
Both endorsements are ordinarily flown alongside a checkout in the specific make and model, because the operator and the insurer have their own requirements that run beyond the FAA's. The aircraft rental page sets out what a checkout involves.
Ready to step up an airframe? Tell us your total time, what you fly now and what you want to fly, and you will get the real answer on training time and aircraft availability.
Call (818) 330-1318 See The Fleet
The Aircraft On This Ramp These Endorsements Apply To
The honest version, airframe by airframe.
The Piper Arrow is the complex airplane here. It is retractable-gear with a constant-speed propeller, which is exactly the combination 14 CFR 61.1 describes, and it is the aircraft listed on our rent a plane in Los Angeles page for complex and multi-engine currency and for commercial work. The Arrow rate is quoted per aircraft rather than published on the rate card, so call for it.
The Cirrus SR22 and SR22T are the high-performance airplanes here. Both are well over the 200-horsepower threshold, and our Cirrus training page states that the high-performance endorsement under 14 CFR 61.31(f) is given as part of the Cirrus course. They are fixed-gear, so they are high-performance without being complex — a good illustration of why the two endorsements are separate. Detail is on the Cirrus SR22 page and the rates on Cirrus SR22 rental in Los Angeles.
The Cirrus SR20 depends on the generation, and you should check rather than assume. As our SR20 reference page explains, early SR20s use a 200-horsepower Continental IO-360-ES, while from the G6 generation Cirrus moved to a 215-horsepower Lycoming IO-390. Two hundred horsepower is not more than 200, and 215 is — so the same model name sits on both sides of the regulatory line depending on the airframe. Ask which engine is in the specific aircraft before you assume an endorsement is or is not required.
What is not here. There is no tailwheel airplane on this ramp, so the 61.31(i) endorsement is not something you can add with us, and we would rather say so than waste your phone call. There is also no pressurized aircraft, so 61.31(g) does not arise. The multi-engine step is a rating rather than an endorsement and has its own page at multi-engine rating in Los Angeles.
The Grandfather Clauses Most Pilots Have Never Read
Both endorsements carry an identical pair of exceptions, and older logbooks sometimes already satisfy them.
14 CFR 61.31(e)(2) and 61.31(f)(2) each say the training and endorsement are not required if the person has logged flight time as pilot in command of that class of airplane — complex or high-performance respectively, or in a representative full flight simulator or flight training device — prior to August 4, 1997. If you were flying a retractable single in the early nineties, the complex requirement may simply never have applied to you.
The second exception in each paragraph covers pilots who received ground and flight training under an approved training program and satisfactorily completed a competency check under 14 CFR 135.293 in the relevant class of airplane or representative device, documented in the logbook or training record.
If you think either applies to you, bring the logbook. An instructor can find the entry faster than you can, and if it is not there the training is short.
Endorsement, Rating Or Certificate?
Three words that get used interchangeably and should not be. A certificate is your level of pilot — student, sport, private, commercial, airline transport. A rating attaches to a certificate and expands what or how you may fly, such as the instrument rating or the multi-engine rating, and it is earned through a knowledge test, a practical test or both. An endorsement is a logbook signature from an authorized instructor, with no test and no card, and 61.31 is where most of them live. The full map is on types of pilot licenses.
Because an endorsement is a one-time signature, it does not expire and there is nothing to renew. What does expire is everything around it: your flight review every 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, your 90-day passenger currency under 61.57(a) — including the separate night currency rule in 61.57(b) — your instrument currency if you hold the rating, which is covered on the instrument proficiency check, and the operator's own re-check interval for the specific aircraft.
Insurance Is Usually The Real Gate
Pilots plan for the regulation and are stopped by the policy. The FAA sets no minimum hours for either endorsement; insurers do, and theirs are the numbers that decide whether you fly the airplane solo.
An owner's policy carries an open-pilot warranty that typically specifies minimum total time, minimum time in make and model, and often minimum retractable-gear or high-performance time specifically. Those figures vary by aircraft and by year and we will not invent one here. What we will do is tell you the requirement for the specific aircraft you want before you drive out, which is the whole point of asking in advance. Call (818) 330-1318 with your total time, your time in type and your instrument status.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is A High Performance Endorsement?
A one-time logbook endorsement required by 14 CFR 61.31(f) before acting as pilot in command of an airplane with an engine of more than 200 horsepower. It requires ground and flight training from an authorized instructor, a finding of proficiency in the operation and systems of the airplane, and the instructor's signature. There is no knowledge test and no checkride.
What Is The Difference Between Complex And High-Performance?
Complex describes the airframe. Under 14 CFR 61.1 a complex airplane has retractable landing gear, flaps and a controllable pitch propeller. High-performance describes the engine, and 14 CFR 61.31(f) sets the threshold at more than 200 horsepower. They are separate endorsements and an airplane can be one, both or neither.
How Many Hours Does A Complex Or High-Performance Endorsement Take?
14 CFR 61.31 sets no minimum training time for either endorsement. The standard is that an authorized instructor finds you proficient in the operation and systems of the airplane. Any hour figure you are quoted comes from an insurance policy or a school syllabus rather than from the regulation.
Does A Complex Or High-Performance Endorsement Expire?
No. Both are described in 14 CFR 61.31 as a one-time endorsement, so there is nothing to renew. What does expire is your flight review every 24 calendar months under 14 CFR 61.56, your 90-day passenger currency under 61.57(a), and any re-check interval the operator or insurer sets for that aircraft.
Is The Cirrus SR22 A High-Performance Airplane?
Yes. The SR22 and SR22T are well above the 200-horsepower threshold in 14 CFR 61.31(f), so a high-performance endorsement applies if you do not already hold one. They are fixed-gear, so they are not complex airplanes. Our Cirrus course includes the 61.31(f) endorsement.
Which Aircraft At Van Nuys Is The Complex Trainer?
The Piper Arrow. It has retractable landing gear and a constant-speed propeller, which is the combination 14 CFR 61.1 uses to define a complex airplane, and it is the aircraft listed for complex currency and commercial work. The Arrow rate is quoted per aircraft, so call (818) 330-1318 for it.
Do I Need A Checkride For These Endorsements?
No. 14 CFR 61.31 prescribes no practical test and no knowledge test for the complex, high-performance, pressurized or tailwheel endorsements. The instructor trains you, finds you proficient in the operation and systems of the airplane, and writes the endorsement in your logbook.
Book The Step-Up At Van Nuys
Instruction is $110 per hour and ground instruction is $110 per hour. Tell us what you hold and what you want to fly, and we will tell you which endorsement applies, what the airplane costs and what the insurer will want to see. Open 9 AM to 9 PM, seven days.
Call (818) 330-1318 Book A Free Consultation Book A Discovery Flight — $229
Not a certificated pilot yet? Start with a discovery flight at $229 for 60 minutes, flown from the left seat and logged as dual instruction. No tax, no booking fee — $229 is the total.
You Fly LA · 7900 Balboa Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406 · Van Nuys Airport (KVNY) · Open 9 AM – 9 PM, seven days.