Change to Student Pilot Certificate Issuance

flyslow_va

flyslow_va

Well-Known Member
Published January 12, 2016 in the Federal Register.


The FAA has published a final rule concerning Student Pilot Certificates and issuance.

This change will require all Student Pilots to have a plastic airman certificate issued by the Airman Certification Branch prior to solo flight operations. This change is required by section 4012 of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act and facilitates security vetting by the Transportation Security Administration of student pilot applicants prior to certificate issuance.

Because of this regulatory change, Aviation Medical Examiners will no longer issue Student Pilot Certificates when they do an initial physical examination. A Student Pilot will apply for a Student Pilot Certificate with an 8710-1 or through IACRA and an Aviation Safety Inspector or Aviation Safety Technician at the FSDO will review the application and approve it, by authenticating the identity of the applicant, a Designated Pilot Examiner or Certificated Flight Instructor would also be able review the application and approve it.

Since plastic certificates would be issued, there is no longer a requirement for flight instructors to endorse the student pilot certificate for solo flight operations or solo cross country operations after April 1, 2016. All endorsements will be contained in the student pilot’s logbook. Also there would no longer be an expiration date for plastic student pilot certificates. If lost, a replacement can be requested for the standard $2.00 fee that is currently in place.

Paper Student Pilot Certificates will remain in effect until they expire. At that time the Student will need to transition to the plastic certificate.

Under this rule, the FAA is also backing away from photo requirements on pilot certificates.


The complete rule change can be located at this link:

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-01-12/pdf/2016-00199.pdf
 
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Interesting Change. Yes getting the plastic certificate could be an issue, especially at the pilot mills when a student can solo in less than a month.

And it looks like in the NPRM they wanted to charge $22 for this but it looks like that didn't make it thru to the final rule.
 
flyslow_va said:
Because of this regulatory change, Aviation Medical Examiners will no longer issue Student Pilot Certificates when they do an initial physical examination. A Student Pilot will apply for a Student Pilot Certificate with an 8710-1 or through IACRA and an Aviation Safety Inspector or Aviation Safety Technician at the FSDO will review the application and approve it, by authenticating the identity of the applicant, a Designated Pilot Examiner or Certificated Flight Instructor would also be able review the application and approve it.
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As I read this, now a CFI will be able to approve this themselves. Which is good, because getting the FSDO or DPE involved has made this way more complicated than necessary in the past.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
As I read this, now a CFI will be able to approve this themselves. Which is good, because getting the FSDO or DPE involved has made this way more complicated than necessary in the past.
Click to expand...


That is also how I read this. The Airman Certification Branch is expecting about a 3 week turn time for these certificates once the application is submitted. That is based on TSA background check and review. Still alot shorter than the 120 days for a new certificate or rating they currently could take to send a certificate.
 
I think the ONLY thing this does is prevent a student from performing a solo flight on their 16th birthday.

Whew, I feel safer now....:sarcasm:
 
dustoff17 said:
I think the ONLY thing this does is prevent a student from performing a solo flight on their 16th birthday.

Whew, I feel safer now....:sarcasm:
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Its a huge subsidy to the Petro-Chemical industry with all that extra plastic to be produced and printed.

I'm sure the Koch brothers are behind it :sarcasm:
 
I'm kinda new to this aviation thing, so could one of the old timers tell me if the FAA is always this asinine in their rule making?

Fix
 
Fly_Unity said:
Yes
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They're a government bureaucracy. Of course they're asinine, though I find that often the only thing people complain about more than the FAA making a rule about something is the FAA not making a rule about something. Just look at the 1500 hour thing.
 
drunkenbeagle said:
As I read this, now a CFI will be able to approve this themselves. Which is good, because getting the FSDO or DPE involved has made this way more complicated than necessary in the past.
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Yeah, I read it the same way. The Rule doesn't go into detail on the mechanism, but the "form acceptable to the Administrator" suggests to me this will be an IACRA-based process and, if done correctly, will result in a temporary certificate issuing quickly.
 
Fixtur said:
I'm kinda new to this aviation thing, so could one of the old timers tell me if the FAA is always this asinine in their rule making?

Fix
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"The FAR makes no sense" is an easy cop-out to excuse refusing to make even an attempt at understanding.

In this case much of the asininity is because Congress pretty much told them to do it in two separate pieces of legislation.
 
This requirment has been expected for a long time. Back on " February 28, 2008, the FAA published the Drug Enforcement Assistance final rule (“the DEA final rule”) (73 FR 10662). In that rule, the FAA required all pilots, except student pilots, to obtain a plastic certificate by March 31, 2010. After that date, pilots without plastic certificates may not exercise the privileges of their certificates. The FAA continued the use of paper temporary pilot certificates and student pilot certificates. The DEA final rule also satisfies the IRTPA requirement to issue pilot certificates that are resistant to tampering, alteration, and counterfeiting." In Nov 2010, the FAA also proposed requiring student pilots obtain a plastic certificate with photo and asked for comments.
 
"ERRRRR MEH GEEEEERD! I found something else to be upset about now!!!!"

Who 'effin cares if this makes it .003% more difficult. It wasn't a hard process to begin with. This doesn't make it all of the sudden a detractor to becoming a pilot.

Un-wad them panties boys.
 
mshunter said:
"ERRRRR MEH GEEEEERD! I found something else to be upset about now!!!!"

Who 'effin cares if this makes it .003% more difficult. It wasn't a hard process to begin with. This doesn't make it all of the sudden a detractor to becoming a pilot.

Un-wad them panties boys.
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From where you're sitting, I agree.
Not the same for anyone starting out.....it's all perscpective.
 
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