Instructor Report

Starting April 1, a CFI is one of the authorized individuals to accept an application for a student pilot certificate. Now what?

First, you’re probably going to want to introduce your students to the joys of the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA) at the beginning of training instead of toward the end. The FAA can issue the certificate based on a student application and instructor signature through IACRA. Having that new plastic student pilot certificate in hand prior to solo is now required, and students won’t get it when they go for their flight physical with the aviation medical examiner (AME) anymore. In order to get a student pilot certificate, your client needs to go through a TSA security vetting process that is supposed to take three or fewer weeks to complete. That could cause delays if you have a student who is speeding through the flight training process.

What about accelerated training? Given the current turnaround times for processing all other types of certificates, it is possible your client will complete all required dual training before the student pilot receives the certificate. There currently is no process in place to issue a temporary student pilot certificate. The best advice is to have the student apply for the student pilot certificate as soon as he or she even thinks about learning to fly, and not wait until the student shows up for the first day of training. Nothing stops potential pilots from applying for the certificate, even if they are just starting to think about pursuing training.

What about endorsements? They all go in the student pilot’s logbook. There is no longer a requirement to endorse the back of the student pilot certificate. The language of the endorsements doesn’t change; you still need to endorse students for the specific make and model aircraft to be flown, and students still require an updated solo endorsement every 90 days until they take their checkride. Solo cross-country endorsements are now made in the logbook for the specific aircraft category to be flown, as well as specific make and model and each solo cross-country flight after review of the cross-country planning.

A benefit to the new rule is that the new plastic student pilot certificate doesn’t expire, just like all the other pilot certificates. Students will have to get a new medical, if required, should their training time exceeds the expiration date of their medical certificate. And the logbook endorsements for solo still have the same expiration periods (as in the 90-day solo endorsement) that will need to be kept up, but the certificate itself doesn’t expire.

Some tips for making this work well for your clients:

• Fly the introductory flight. If they are hooked, sit down with them, help them create their IACRA profile, and apply for a student pilot certificate. Provide them with the list of AMEs in your area and have them make an appointment for a medical certificate (if required). Have them bring the TSA-required proof of citizenship documents (a state-issued driver’s license, a military or other government agency-issued ID, and a passport still are the most common acceptable forms) to the next lesson.

• If they’re not hooked yet, make that next appointment, explain that you’ll be helping them to create the IACRA profile then, tell them why, and ask them to bring their TSA-required documents.

• Have a plan to train them in areas that traditionally are beyond solo so that they are not waiting around for a certificate. This is not the way we’ve always done it, but the times they are a-changin’.

• Be up front with your clients about the regulation. Explain that while the process may take a little bit longer, they can continue training with you and don’t have to stop and wait to get the certificate. This may not be applicable at Part 141 schools.

• Make sure they have their required forms of identification to speed the process along and check and recheck that everything matches on the 8710, is spelled correctly, and is in the proper format to speed up the IACRA process.