Safety Rules and Regs

Air Safety Week, March 17, 2008

Re-registration and Renewal of Aircraft Registration Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM). The FAA proposes to amend requirements concerning the registration of aircraft. This proposal is based on the need to increase and maintain the accuracy of aircraft registration information in the Civil Aviation Registry. The proposed procedures would ensure aircraft owners periodically provide information regarding changes in registration. These amendments would respond to the concerns of law enforcement and other government agencies and would provide more accurate, up-to-date aircraft registration information to all users of the Civil Aviation Registry database. The Registry is responsible for developing, maintaining, and operating the national program for the registration of United States civil aircraft. In that capacity, the Registry's Aircraft Registration Branch maintains records on approximately 340,000 aircraft. During the 1980s, the use of aircraft in drug smuggling became an issue of increasing concern.

The Congress passed the FAA Drug Enforcement Assistance Act of 1988, expanding FAA's mission to include providing assistance to law enforcement agencies involved in the enforcement of laws that regulate controlled substances. In the FAA DEA Act, Congress identified specific shortcomings in the system of records, mandated specific modifications, and authorized and directed rulemaking to make the aircraft registration system more effectively serve the needs of buyers and sellers of aircraft, law enforcement officials, and other users of the system. In response to this mandate, the FAA has made a number of administrative modifications to its registration process including requiring physical addresses or locations of owners; requiring legible printed or typed names on an application for aircraft registration; and various technical upgrades to the system of records.The FAA also implemented a focused enforcement program under which nearly 1,000 Certificates of Aircraft Registration (Certificates) have been revoked.

FAA Final rule. The FAA is implementing changes to its airmen certification and aircraft registration requirements. Two years after this rule becomes effective, paper pilot certificates may no longer be used to exercise piloting privileges. Five years after this rule becomes effective, certain other paper airmen certificates, such as those of flight engineers and mechanics, may no longer be used to exercise the privileges authorized by those certificates. To exercise the privileges after those respective dates, the airmen must hold upgraded, counterfeit-resistant plastic certificates. Student pilot certificates, temporary certificates, and authorizations are not affected. In addition, those who transfer ownership of U.S.-registered aircraft have 21 days from the transaction to notify the FAA Aircraft Registry. Those who apply for aircraft registration must include their printed or typed name with their signature. These changes are responsive to concerns raised in the FAA Drug Enforcement Assistance Act. The purpose of the changes is to upgrade the quality of data and documents to assist Federal, State, and local agencies to enforce the Nation's drug laws.

Effective March 5, 2008, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) requires the following certificate holders who operate internationally to have a certificate stating that the holder is proficient in the use of the English language: private, commercial, and airline transport pilots with powered aircraft ratings; flight engineers and flight navigators; and control tower operators. The ability to read, speak, write, and understand English is already a U.S. regulatory eligibility requirement; the FAA Registry began issuing all new certificates with this endorsement on February 11, 2008. The U.S. has notified ICAO that it filed a difference that will extend the U.S. compliance date until March 5, 2009, in order to provide sufficient time for all affected U.S. airman certificate holders to comply with the ICAO Language Proficiency airman certificate endorsement requirements. Certificates that are ordered as regular replacement certificates will include the endorsement. You can order a replacement certificate on-line. You will be asked to register with Online Services if you don't already have an on-line account. Note that there is a $2 fee for replacement airmen certificates. Airmen who request temporary authority or verification of their airman certificate will not have the English proficiency endorsement until the replacement certificate has been requested and the $2 fee paid. Questions to the Airmen Certification Branch, 1-866-878-2498.

FAA Final Rule: Operation of Civil Aircraft of U.S. Registry Outside of the United States SUMMARY: This action amends certain regulations governing U.S. registered aircraft operating beyond the territorial airspace of the United States. This action is necessary to correct an error in the recodification of the regulations concerning general operating and flight rules. The intended effect of this action is to correct an inadvertent error in the regulations. DATES: This action is effective February 26, 2008.