Why are there part 141 and 61 flight schools?

Question

Shouldn't every flight school be accredited by the FAA???

Answer 1

No.

Answer 2

different levels of accreditation

yes they are

Answer 3

Don't forget about 142 training centers!

I don't think any Joe can just open a part 61 flight school without the FAA signing off on it.

Answer 4

There are a number of answers to your question.

Part of the answer is that the regimented structure of a Part 141 school is not right for all students.  Further, there are students who want to learn skills, such as aerobatics or tailwheel operations, which don't fall under the Part 141 structure.  Pilots seeking the Sport Pilot certificate would also be out of luck without Part 61 training.

Beyond that, on the school side, meeting the requirements of Part 141 can be expensive, and could make it prohibitive to have pilot schools in rural locations or for less-common segments of aviation.  (Not all airports have enough business to provide even the 10 students which Part 141 requires every 2 years; it might be similarly difficult to bring large enough numbers of students into a sailplane training operation.)  Making instruction unavailable in such places or for such operations would discourage recreational aviation and harm safety.

Beyond this, the important standards are the same in Part 61 and Part 141 schools.  Flight and ground instructors in both kinds of schools hold the same certificates, issued by the same FAA.  Students who complete training are held to the same standards in their testing no matter where they trained.  For purposes of safety, and of standardization, these are much more important than FAA approval of a specific facility or the wording in a particular training course description.

In the sense that everyone is held to the same FAA-specified standards, everyone is accredited by the FAA.  As far as having a variety of ways to approach those standards goes, it's a good thing.  In the words of Austin Powers, "It's freedom, baby, yeah!"