Several of general aviation’s advocacy groups have asked the FAA to extend the effective date of several exemptions on pilot training, medicals, and currency another two months.
The exemptions were part of the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) 118-1 (Relief for Certain Persons and Operations during the Coronavirus Disease 2019), which became effective April 30, 2020. The initial regulations set Sept. 30, 2020, for when the extensions would expire.
But GA’s alphabet groups say more time is needed as the COVID-19 restrictions linger.
In a letter to FAA Associate Administration for Aviation Safety Ali Bahrami, the associations explained while many states are lifting stay-at-home mandates and businesses are beginning to reopen, some restrictions continue to negatively impact general and business aviation.
“Even though some restrictions are beginning to ease or disappear, many states and local governments are still enforcing social distancing requirements. The public remains wary of venturing out, and many aviation stakeholders desire to minimize their risk to exposure. These restrictions and individual health fears will also continue to create burdens and restrictions that will negatively impact the aviation community into the foreseeable future,” the associations said in the letter.
The associations requested:
- Additional extension of relief from certain training, recency, testing, and checking requirements under Parts 61, 91 and 125 through Nov. 30, 2020
- Additional extension of relief from duration and renewal requirements for medical certificates and pilot knowledge test validity periods, among other requirements, in applicable parts of 61, 63 and 65 through Nov. 30, 2020
- Return of relief for flight instructor certificate renewals, which expired June 30, 2020
- New relief of recency of experience requirements, including night landing currency
“While the quarantine and travel restrictions are beginning to ease in most parts of the country, we are far from normal operations or business as usual,” said Brian Koester, the National Business Aviation Association’s director of flight operations and regulations. “We believe a two-month extension of the existing relief and the additional relief related to flight instructor renewal requirements and night currency meet the FAA and industry’s goals of safe operations while still filling important roles in COVID-19 recovery.”
During an Aug. 4 NBAA Virtual Business Aviation Town Hall, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said the agency continues to review the situation as the industry struggles with the pandemic.
“We’re looking at each [exemption] very carefully,” he said. “As it makes sense, we’ll continue to [issue] extensions and do them with enough predictability so that our stakeholders can plan their operations.”
Besides the NBAA, associations signing on to the letter include the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Air Medical Operators Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, Helicopter Association International, National Agricultural Aviation Association, and National Air Transportation Association.
Instead of doling out these little chunks of time, the FAA should just eliminate these checks completely until things get back to normal. Pilots don’t simply stop functioning on a certain date, nor do airplanes fall out of the sky because some bureaucratic paperwork wasn’t done. This is just obsessive adherence to arbitrary dates according to some antiquated rule book. Just suspend these rules, for the time being anyway. Believe it or not, the sun will still rise and life will go on just fine.
/Definitely need more relief. I have two pilots in a Part 91 operation supporting a DOD contract that is deemed ESSENTIAL SERVICES and they have been grounded since June 30th (March was their base month) because FAA inspector is unavailable to give a 61.58 annual check ride due to COVID travel restrictions.
I also just saw a request for exemption that was filed by another Part 91 operator flying C-130’s needing 61.58 checks. 2 Months extension is not adequate time line given the FAA is saying they may not start traveling until end of the year.