That long, not inexpensive road to the flight deck of some turbine-powered people- or cargo-mover has finally resulted in a successful interview and an invitation to join the company. If your new employer is an FAR Part 121 airline, a Part 135 charter company, a Part 91-K “fractional” operator, or even a Part 125 carrier that operates big air transport machinery for limited use—such as transportation of professional ball teams or travel clubs—that organization needs to dig into your background, with your consent, to comply with what is known as the Pilot Records Improvement Act of 1996 (PRIA).
PRIA was enacted primarily as a result of seven fatal commercial airline accidents between 1987 and 1994. These events were attributed, in part, to errors made by pilots who had been hired without background safety checks being completed. Later reviews of these pilots’ records revealed prior safety violations or training problems that followed them to subsequent airline employment, without the new air carrier being aware of these violations or problems. In all cases, the new companies had lacked access to, or had failed to obtain, the pilot’s flight qualifications and other safety related records from the FAA and/or previous employers before completing the hiring process.
The PRIA trail begins with the new employer, who solicits an array of documentation designed to demonstrate that the new hire is an upstanding citizen and a reasonably competent pilot.
The FAA is solicited to provide a verification of the current medical certification, date of issue, class, and any current limitations. The FAA also confirms current airman certification including date of issue, category, class, type ratings, and any limitations. Additionally, the government provides a summary of closed FAA enforcement actions within the previous five-year period, as well as any past or current certificate revocations.
Your past employer(s) will be contacted and asked for certain details, and your work history for the previous five years, as stipulated in 49 U.S.C. Section 44703(h)(1). This U.S. law mandates that the past employer submit records pertaining to training, proficiency, competence, and evaluations made by any Part 121 or 135 check airman; any disciplinary action taken with respect to the individual that was not subsequently overturned; and any release from employment or resignation, termination, or disqualification with respect to employment.
Finally, the National Driver Register will be contacted regarding the airman’s motor vehicle driving record. An array of forms and releases need to be completed by both the incoming pilot and the employer. Here is the kicker from the FAA: “Before allowing an individual to begin service as a pilot, an air carrier or air operator must request and receive PRIA-related records, regardless of whether they hire the pilot directly or by contract.” If interested, you as an applicant may receive copies of all documentation.
There are certain exceptions for previous employers that are no longer in business, and whose pilot records are simply unavailable. But certain representations must be presented to the FAA that a good faith effort has been made to obtain the documentation. There are other special provisions for operators of small airplanes (7,500 pounds or less), which can start a pilot flying but are given 90 days to assemble all of the components required by PRIA.
Although flight schools are not obliged to comply with PRIA, many pilots first entering the regional airline force have had no previous professional flying experience other than as a line instructor at a school. The advice to the employers states, “If you are a Part 121 or 135 air carrier or a Part 125 air operator who is preparing to hire a pilot whose previous experience is only with Part 91 operators, you should still send a PRIA records request to these companies for any training or safety-related information that they may have.” There is a lingering question about whether “Part 91 operators” includes flight schools, but it would make great sense to perform commendably at the flight school while building time to the airline transport pilot minimums.
Historically, PRIA has been a completely paper-based process. Partially because of the crash of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009 and the discovery that the captain of that flight was alleged to have past performance issues and failed checkrides, the FAA launched its Pilot Records Database (PRD) in recent years; it is designed to provide more immediate, electronic access to PRIA documents. The PRD capability is being phased in and should be fully operational in 2019.
Bear this in mind: After you shake hands with the recruiter and you are assigned a class date in the near future, that company will continue its due diligence. Word to the wise: complete truthfulness in the interview. One applicant during an interview at a major airline years ago stated he had never failed a checkride. A PRIA check proved him wrong. He could have introduced the failure and discussed what he learned from the experience. You’ve heard it before: “Honesty is the best policy.”
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