Can You Swim? FAA's New Form Tests Pilots' Survival Smarts
Published Date: 3/10/2026
Notice
Summary
The FAA wants to collect info on pilots’ basic survival skills, like swimming, to make training safer and more useful. This new form helps instructors tailor courses and check if students can handle emergency situations. If you’re involved in general aviation training, you can comment on this plan by April 9, 2026—no big costs, just better safety checks!
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 1 costs, 1 mixed.
Training tailored using swim ability
The form asks about your swimming capability and prior survival training so the instructor and a member of the Airman Education Program team can personalize the course and verify your ability to attend hands-on ditching exercises. The stated purpose is to make the course more applicable to students in attendance and to ensure safety during the training.
You must fill FAA survival form
If you attend the post-crash survival course, you are required to complete FAA Form 3150-3 (Basic Survival Skills for General Aviation Training Record) on arrival. The FAA estimates 150 to 200 students will complete the paper form annually, taking about 3 minutes per student (36 seconds per response is also listed), for a total estimated annual burden of 10 hours; the collection is conducted monthly.
Paper-only form; data not public
The Survival Training Record is collected only on paper at the classroom when you arrive; it is not available to print from the internet and the information will not be made public. The FAA says electronic collection is not possible because the form is used at the training site and technology is not made available.
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