The FAA's proposed overhaul of the pilot certification regulations needs some tweaking, and AOPA wants your ideas.
"We need to know how these changes would affect your flying," said Luis Gutierrez, AOPA director of regulatory and certification policy. "Some of the benefits and problem areas are obvious, but others are a little more gray."
You can start by reviewing a chart that explains all of the FAA's proposed changes - in plain English - and AOPA's position. You can send us your feedback on the changes and our position via e-mail.
"While the FAA's proposed changes would affect pilots of different aircraft classes and certificate levels in different ways," Gutierrez continued, "we have pulled out the top 10 proposed changes that we think would positively or negatively affect our members."
Positives
By law, the FAA can't require that now, so this would remove the requirement from the FARs.
AOPA will encourage the FAA to extend this to flying pilot in command with passengers on board. | ![]() | Negatives
This would include intercepting and tracking courses and going through the takeoff, departure, en route, area arrival, approach, and missed approach phases. It could potentially require pilots to fly standard instrument departures (SIDs) and standard terminal arrival routes (STARs).
"We believe the requirements for holding should be based on the procedure, not the technology," Gutierrez said. "This requirement eventually would be difficult to fulfill as the FAA continues to decommission NDBs and VORs."
"That just doesn't make sense," said Gutierrez. "The devices can simulate instrument conditions, so why wear Foggles or hoods?"
To prove you are carrying a "current" pilot certificate, you might have to keep your logbook with you in the aircraft.
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"Changes to Part 61 don't happen very often, and this proposal was 10 years in the making, so we've got to do this right the first time," Gutierrez said. "Your input as a pilot and AOPA member is paramount, so we've tried to make it as easy as possible for you to send us your feedback."
February 20, 2007