TSA extends deadline for recurrent security training
Flight instructors and flight school employees now have an additional six months to renew their TSA-mandated security awareness training. The Transportation Security Administration has just published an exemption to allow CFIs and others to take recurrent security training within 18 months, rather than one year, of their initial training.
"While this is a good first step, AOPA continues to advocate for biennial recurrent security awareness training, so that it would coincide with a CFI's certificate renewal," said Rob Hackman, AOPA manager of regulatory and certification policy. "That would significantly reduce the regulatory burden on instructors."
Federal law requires that anyone who comes in direct contact with flight students, including instructors and flight school employees, undergo annual security awareness training. The initial training had to have been completed by January 18 of this year.
But many had taken their initial training as early as November of last year. So by law, they would have been required to take recurrent training now.
One small problem: No recurrent training programs have yet been developed by TSA or other providers. (CFIs and flight schools can, however, develop their own recurrent security awareness training programs to meet TSA regulations.)
In its notice of exemption, TSA also said that flight school operators had opined that it would be more efficient for them to train all employees simultaneously, and the 18-month window would give them the flexibility to do that. TSA also noted that simultaneous training would reduce record-keeping and costs.
December 15, 2005
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