Course Content
Module 1: What is an Airshow
Module 1 — What Is an Air Show. Before we get into authority, documents, or duties, we need a shared understanding of the environment we’re operating in. This is where a lot of candidates underestimate the complexity. An air show isn’t just a flying event — it’s a layered operational environment with multiple authorities operating simultaneously. Exactly. We’ll define the air show, establish who the stakeholders are, walk through the ABRP credential levels, and cover the foundational standards that govern Air Boss conduct. Including the Safety Creed — which is the professional foundation everything else builds on.
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Module 2: FAA Regulatory Framework
Module 2 — the FAA Regulatory Framework. This is the legal and procedural infrastructure that makes an air show a lawful event rather than a mass gathering with unauthorized low-altitude flying. I’ll be honest — when I was coming up, this was the module where candidates’ eyes glazed over. Documents, forms, acronyms. But the Air Boss who doesn’t understand this framework is the Air Boss who gets blindsided on show day. Exactly right. Authority, documents, and airspace — know where they come from, who holds them, and what they actually require of you. Let’s get into it.
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Air Boss 101

The air show TFR application goes through FAA AFS-830, the National Field Office for Aviation Events. That’s a separate agency and a separate filing from the CoW/A, which goes through the FSDO. Two filings, two agencies  both must be accurate.

And the submission timeline?

Forty-five days minimum before the show. Submit earlier if you can. That buffer gives you time to catch and correct errors before the NOTAM publishes. An error in the application becomes an error in the published TFR, and at that point you’re dealing with it under time pressure.

What goes into the application itself?

Geographic coordinates of the ASDA outer boundary, all show dates and times including rehearsals and practice days, the altitude limits for the TFR from surface to the specified ceiling, and contact information for the organizer and Air Boss. Every element has to be correct because ATC and non-participating aircraft will rely on what gets published.

Once it’s published, the Air Boss reviews the actual NOTAM not the application draft.

That’s critical. Read the published NOTAM line by line. Verify dates, coordinates, altitudes, and times match what you submitted. If there’s a discrepancy between the CoW and the published TFR, contact the FSDO immediately. You do not begin aerial operations with conflicting documents.

And if the show wraps before the TFR expires?

Notify ATC that show operations are complete. That’s an active step returning the airspace matters as much as securing it in the first place.