Part 61 refers to 14 CFR Part 61 — the US regulation that licenses the individual airman (student, private, commercial, ATP) and the instructor who teaches them. It contrasts with Part 141, where the school holds a TCO and delivers training as a pre-approved syllabus.
A Part 61 school or independent CFI can still teach every certificate from Student Pilot through ATP, but hour minimums are higher (Private Pilot at 40 hours, Commercial Pilot at 250 hours) because training isn't pre-approved on a structured stage system. Part 61 flexibility suits career-changers training part-time around a job, pilots upgrading through BasicMed, and owner-operators training in their own aircraft.
For marketing, Part 61 schools compete against Part 141 academies on a different buyer set: not cadets aiming at airline pathways, but local aircraft owners, hobby pilots working toward PPL, and instrument-rating candidates already holding a Private. Messaging that leans on aircraft type, airport access, and instructor match tends to convert better than pipeline or pathway language.
In Australia, 'Part 61' is also the CASR (Civil Aviation Safety Regulation) Part 61 flight crew licensing framework — a separate regulation from the US FAR. Both share the concept of individual-licence training outside a pre-approved syllabus, but the specifics differ.