If you've flown for any length of time, you've probably heard another pilot or CFI mention "WINGS credit." For many pilots, that's usually followed by something like, "Oh yeah, I should really look into that." It's one of those programs almost everyone's heard of, but few can explain simply.
Every hour you spend training is an investment. WINGS is the FAA's way of helping you get more out of that investment, with returns that add up quickly: saved money, less stress, and sharper flying.
WINGS rewards you for staying proficient
Think of WINGS as a loyalty program for proficiency. Every activity you complete earns you a credit, and those credits bank toward something bigger.
The FAA created it because the same mistakes keep showing up in accident reports year after year, like bad weather decisions, rusty stick-and-rudder skills, and weak preflight planning.
Rather than relying only on a flight review every two years, WINGS structures that training across a year and rewards you for doing it. Take a short course, sit in on a seminar, fly a few maneuvers with an instructor, and log it online. Do enough within a year, and the training you're already investing in starts paying you back.
Learn a few things, fly a few maneuvers
A "phase" consists of six credits. Complete all six within a 12-month window, and you’ve completed the phase:
Three knowledge activities
These can be courses, webinars, or seminars.
Three flight activities
These are maneuvers or tasks flown with a flight instructor.
No checkrides or tests required. A knowledge activity could be a 20-minute video on weather decision-making. For example, the Sporty’s ForeFlight Power Users Training qualifies for WINGS credit while covering practical workflows for flight planning, weather analysis, and in-flight operations. A flight activity could be the same short-field landings and slow flight you're already practicing. The structure just makes sure you're covering a reasonable spread of skills over time.
Three levels, matched to your certificate
WINGS has three tiers: Basic, Advanced, and Master. These roughly match private, commercial, and ATP-level skills. Every pilot starts at the Basic level, regardless of certificate held, and a Basic phase has to be completed before any Advanced or Master credit counts.
You may get everything you actually want out of WINGS from Basic alone, like flight review credit and insurance discounts (more on that below).
CFIs also receive a unique benefit. If an instructor evaluates at least 15 WINGS flight activities for at least five different pilots during their 24-month renewal cycle, and maintains a current WINGS phase themselves, they can renew their instructional currency without taking a practical test or refresher course.
Three clocks worth knowing
Like any investment, timing matters. WINGS runs on several different clocks, and they don't all reset together.
Your completed phase never expires.
Once you finish a phase, it's permanently on your record. You don't lose it.
Your flight review credit expires in 24 calendar months.
Completing a phase extends your flight review date 24 calendar months from when you finished it, the same window as a standard biannual flight review. Complete another phase before that window closes and you never need to sit for another flight review.
Your Basic currency has to be renewed every 12 months.
You must renew your currency if you want to unlock or keep unlocking Advanced or Master credit, or use WINGS to renew a CFI certificate.
There’s one more clock to keep in mind: individual credits you've banked but haven't used to complete a phase expire after 12 months. It pays not to let them go to waste.
And yes, you can repeat the same tier indefinitely. If you're a private pilot doing nothing but Basic after Basic phase for flight review credit, that's completely fine. You never have to touch Advanced or Master.
Signing up and submitting WINGS credit
Getting started is easier than it sounds. Create a free account at FAASafety.gov. This is the FAA's tracking system for the WINGS program where your credits are tracked. Once your account is created, here’s how to submit:
Knowledge activities
Complete a course or seminar. Many partner providers submit the credit for you automatically within about a week. For others, click "Request Credit" on the activity page and enter the email tied to your FAASafety.gov account.
Flight activities
Fly with a CFI. Your instructor logs it through their own FAASafety.gov account. You can pull up a printable checklist called Quick WINGS, get their signature, and submit a credit request for their approval online.
Once you've got three of each within a level, the phase completes automatically and shows up on your "My WINGS" page, where you can download a certificate. You don't have to track any of it by hand. The site totals it up for you and shows exactly what's left.
Keep your proof where you can find it
Unlike a traditional flight review, WINGS doesn't require a specific "Flight Review" endorsement in your logbook. Your CFI still needs to log and sign for the dual flight training they provided, but once the phase is complete, your flight review exemption date updates automatically on your FAASafety.gov profile. That electronic record (or the certificate you print from it) is your official proof of compliance.
Still, you can log it anyway to avoid an awkward scramble when an FBO checks you out in a rental or an examiner asks during a ramp check.
In ForeFlight Logbook, tag your completed phase as a Flight Review and attach a photo or PDF of your WINGS completion certificate directly to that entry or to your Qualifications. ForeFlight automatically calculates and displays your flight review currency alongside everything else you track.
Save money, fly with a cleaner record
The flight review credit is the headline benefit, but it's not the only one worth knowing about:
Insurance discounts
Several insurers premium discounts simply for completing a WINGS knowledge course. Some flying clubs even use member-wide participation to negotiate better group rates.
Demonstrated commitment to proficiency
Documented WINGS participation has been cited by the FAA as a factor that may work in a pilot's favor during an enforcement investigation.
If you're an active pilot, there's a decent chance you're already doing a lot of this training, and you're one login away from credit you've already earned.
Ready to earn your first WINGS credit?
Now that you know how WINGS works, the next step is simply finding qualifying activities. You don’t have to wait till your next flight lesson to get started.
Knowledge credit can be earned through online courses, live webinars, and FAA Safety Team seminars, while flight credit comes from working with a CFI on qualifying maneauvers.
Looking for an easy place to start? The Sporty's ForeFlight Power Users Training course qualifies for WINGS knowledge credit while helping you get more out of ForeFlight. ForeFlight's free live webinars also qualify for WINGS credit, covering topics like Flight planning, weather, emergency features, and Jeppesen charts.
