Change of name

[Unregistered]

CFR 61.25 Change of name

(a) An application to change the name on a certificate issued under this part must be accompanied by the applicant's:

(1) Current airman certificate; and

(2) A copy of the marriage license, court order, or other document verifying the name change,

(b) The documents in paragraph (a) of this section will be returned to the applicant after inspection.

I notice that a copy of the "current airman certificate" isn't good enough, it has to be the certificate itself... this means of course that I can't exercise the privileges of my airman certificate while my documents are being "inspected". So I resolved that I wouldn't apply for a name change on my PPL until my next new rating. But can I still legally fly if my name is changed on all other forms of ID, especially picture ID (since we are required to carry picture ID now while flying as well as the airman certificate)? I have a sinking feeling now that I can't fly at all because of this until I get my name on my PPL changed over, but I can't find any reference to this in the FAR's.

 

[poadeleted20]

If your name has been legally changed so that your pilot certificate name no longer matches your photo ID name, you have a problem until that's fixed, although I imagine that if you have the name change court order, you can use that with your ID and pilot certificate temporarily. However, you need not send all that stuff to Oklahoma City -- just take all the paperwork to the local FSDO (make an appointment first) and they take care of it there, so it's only out of your hands for a minute or two. See http://registry.faa.gov/airmen.asp#NameChange.

 

[Maverick]

If your name has been legally changed so that your pilot certificate name no longer matches your photo ID name, you have a problem until that's fixed, although I imagine that if you have the name change court order, you can use that with your ID and pilot certificate temporarily. However, you need not send all that stuff to Oklahoma City -- just take all the paperwork to the local FSDO (make an appointment first) and they take care of it there, so it's only out of your hands for a minute or two. See http://registry.faa.gov/airmen.asp#NameChange.

I would also recommend going to the FSDO. It's my experience they will issue you a temporary airman's certificate under the new name on the spot. The FAA will then send you your new permanent certificate and reissue any other certificates that you may have.

 

[poadeleted20]

I would also recommend going to the FSDO.

It's not just a recommendation -- it's a requirement. See the FAA page referenced above. They have to verify in person that you were/are who you say you were/are.

 

[Unregistered]

If your name has been legally changed so that your pilot certificate name no longer matches your photo ID name, you have a problem until that's fixed, although I imagine that if you have the name change court order, you can use that with your ID and pilot certificate temporarily. However, you need not send all that stuff to Oklahoma City -- just take all the paperwork to the local FSDO (make an appointment first) and they take care of it there, so it's only out of your hands for a minute or two. See http://registry.faa.gov/airmen.asp#NameChange.

Thanks, I called the FSDO today and took care of the name change on my pilot certificate. They issued a temporary and sent the original in to OKC along with the rest of the paperwork and said that the permanent certificate would come in about 120 days. And yes, they also told me that I would be legal to fly with non-matching PPL and photo ID as long as I carried a copy of the name change court order. Just to be clear, I hadn't been flying like that without knowing for sure if it was legal: I had been holding off on changing either document because I wasn't sure for how long I would be grounded, if at all, once they no longer matched. I was just a little hesitant to call the FSDO before having a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be.

 

[poadeleted20]

Thanks, I called the FSDO today and took care of the name change on my pilot certificate.

Glad it worked out so easily.

I was just a little hesitant to call the FSDO before having a pretty good idea of what the answer was going to be.

Unfortunately, too many folks have this unfounded fear of dealing with the FAA. Like every other organization in the world, the FAA is 98% good people and 2% jerks, so the odds are in your favor if you treat them like a resource rather than the enemy.

Also, the FAA doesn't have enough people or time to chase after every little bitty thing someone does wrong. We all know that it is flat impossible to be 100% legal 100% of the time. However, for political and legal reasons, the FAA has to make the air carriers their highest priority, and individual GA light plane pilots are at the bottom of their list of people to look at behind 121, 135, 125, corporate, etc. Also, they tend to cut a bit of slack for those whom they know are good folks at heart, so having a good rep at the FSDO is helpful, and the only way to get that is to be visible to them.

Just keep in mind the difference between "visibility" and "exposure." You get visibility by asking good questions, by appearing at safety seminars, by being friendly when they drop by the airport, etc. Hey, I had lunch with a FSDO inspector and two HQ types (including one I didn't know before) last week when I just happened to bump into them at Easton -- good time, good info, good visibility. You get exposure by doing stuff that is preceded by "Y'all watch this!" I try to avoid that.

Ron