CIAC stands for centro de instrução de aviação civil: a civil aviation training center certified by ANAC, Brazil's civil aviation authority, under RBAC 141 (Brazil's equivalent of FAR Part 141), to train people who will apply to the Agency for a license, rating or certificate. To check whether a school is a CIAC and which courses it has approved, the official lookup is the CIAC search in the S141 System, run by ANAC itself.
Below: what the regulation says, the lookup step by step, and what to watch for, both for students and for school managers.
What a CIAC is under RBAC 141
Section 141.3 of RBAC 141 (Amendment No. 03, in force since January 1, 2024) defines a CIAC as a certified organization whose purpose is to train human resources for civil aviation, leading its students to the licenses, ratings and certificates required by ANAC. Under section 141.1, this covers the training of pilots, flight engineers, flight dispatchers and aircraft maintenance technicians, in the courses set out in RBAC 61, 63 and 65.
The current regulation does not use the institution's name as a criterion. Sections 141.1(b) and 141.5(a) state that any legal entity wishing to offer or teach these courses needs a CIAC certificate and training specifications (EI, especificações de instrução), including technical schools and universities. "Flight school", "aeroclub" and "CIAC" can describe the same organization; what counts is the certificate. The exceptions are in section 141.1 itself: sport aviation associations accredited under RBAC 183, training centers certified under RBAC 142, and air operators that train their own personnel under an approved program.
Two older terms are still in use. IS 141-004A (IS, Instrução Suplementar, is ANAC's supplementary guidance, similar to an FAA advisory circular) records that the CIAC certificate is the updated name of the former Certificado de Autorização para Funcionamento (operating authorization certificate), and that "curso aprovado" and "curso homologado" (approved course) refer to a course taught by a CIAC under an approved training program listed in its EI.
Section 141.13 classifies CIACs into three types:
| Type | What it may teach |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ground instruction, and practical instruction only in courses without in-flight instruction |
| 2 | Only practical flight instruction, with complementary ground training |
| 3 | Both |
The certificate alone does not say which courses the school may teach: under 141.3, it authorizes the courses set out in the EI. The list is in the EI.
How to check whether a school is a CIAC
ANAC keeps a public page in the S141 System titled "Pesquisa dos Centros de Instrução de Aviação Civil - CIAC com Cursos e seus respectivos Programas de Instrução aprovados pela ANAC" (search for CIACs with courses and their training programs approved by ANAC). The steps:
- Open the CIAC search. No login is required.
- Search for the school. The filters accept CIAC code, CNPJ (the Brazilian company tax ID), legal name or trade name, state, city and CIAC type. The CNPJ on your contract or invoice is the safest search, because the trade name may differ from the legal name.
- Check the status. The filter distinguishes Ativo (active), Suspenso (suspended), Suspenso Cautelarmente (precautionary suspension), Revogado (revoked), Cassado (cancelled for cause) and Pendente Cadastro (registration pending). Under section 141.11, the certificate remains valid until it is suspended, cancelled or revoked.
- Filter by course. You can combine group (pilot, flight attendant, mechanic, flight dispatcher), course (private pilot, commercial pilot, instrument flight, flight instructor, among others), specialty (airplane, helicopter and others), type (theoretical, practical or theoretical/practical) and delivery mode (in person, blended or distance learning). There is also a PQI filter, the Programa de Qualidade na Instrução (training quality program), in stars.
- Open the training specifications. In the results list, each CIAC has its details and a link to its EI, the document that, according to IS 141-004A, details the CIAC's terms and conditions of operation.
The page Relação de cursos, escolas e centros de treinamento certificados pela ANAC gathers links to other Agency systems, and the certification service page on gov.br states that certification can also be checked in the Diário Oficial da União (Brazil's official gazette) and in SEI, ANAC's electronic filing system.
What students should check before enrolling
The course, not just the school. Section 141.71(a) only allows a CIAC to teach the courses listed in its EI, with an approved program that is not suspended, revoked or cancelled. A school certified for the ground course is therefore not authorized to teach the practical one. And the type has to match: a type 1 CIAC does not provide flight instruction.
The unit where you will train. A branch of a CIAC is a satellite CIAC, and section 141.51 requires that it, and the courses taught there, be expressly listed in the approved EI.
A filed program is not an approved program. Item 1.20 of IS 141-007D says a CIAC may not sell, enroll students in, waitlist or advertise a suspended or revoked program, and that the same applies to a program that has been filed but not yet approved.
Certificate on display and accurate advertising. Section 141.5(c) requires the certificate to be posted in a place visible and accessible to the public at the main base and at satellites. Section 141.87(e) prohibits the use of ANAC's logo or any sign resembling a seal in advertising and course completion certificates; the Agency's name may be used to announce the certification and the approved program while they remain valid.
A non-approved course is something else. Item 1.7 of IS 141-007D notes that some courses do not depend on approval, such as the private pilot ground course, and asks the CIAC to make it clear when a course is not approved by ANAC. The ANAC knowledge test is still required for the private pilot license (section 61.77 of RBAC 61).
What if flight instruction is not at a CIAC?
For the private pilot license, section 61.79(a) of RBAC 61 requires the applicant to have received flight instruction at a CIAC certified by ANAC. Instruction received elsewhere does not meet that requirement. On the school's side, section 141.81(b) only allows the CIAC to issue the course completion certificate and refer the student to ANAC exams if the student completed the instruction set out in the approved program.
If the program is suspended or revoked while the course is under way, item 1.20 of IS 141-007D requires the CIAC to notify enrolled students immediately and offer options, including transfer to another CIAC, which may be one of the student's own choosing.
For managers: the public lookup is your business card
What shows up in S141 is what the student sees before signing the contract. It is worth checking, from time to time, that the published EI match the real operation:
- aircraft: 141.45(c) requires the aircraft used for instruction to be included in the EI;
- addresses and satellites: changing an address or opening or closing a satellite requires an EI amendment (141.49(c) and 141.51(b));
- advertising: 141.87(c) requires removing ads for courses that are not in the EI or that have been revoked, suspended or cancelled;
- enrollments and completions: 141.79(g) requires reporting to ANAC the students who enrolled in and completed each course, which IS 141-001E directs to be done through the S141 System.
For what inspectors expect in student records, training forms and certificates, see the article on IS 141-007D; for quality assurance, the article on IS 141-006A; and for the routine of training forms, the FIP and the CIAC's paper folder.
Alis is a system for CIACs: it brings together the training log and the FIP (flight instruction form), student and instructor management, and compliance with IS 141-007D. Details are on the Alis flight schools page.
This article is informational and does not replace consulting ANAC's current regulations or your operation's approved manuals.