No original certificate? No problem!

poadeleted20

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As regards various discussions on the subject of not having your original pilot/medical/CFI certificate, the FAA now has an immediate on-line means to solve the problem.

Requesting Temporary Authority to Exercise Certificate Privileges Online
You may request temporary authority to exercise certificate privileges of a valid airman and/or medical certificate or verification of an expired flight instructor certificate in the form of a facsimile (FAX) or e-mail. This authority will be valid for 60 days pending receipt of a permanent replacement certificate or reinstatement of an expired flight instructor certificate. Only one (1) on-line request for temporary authority can be obtained within any six (6) month period.
Just go to this web page, select "Request Temporary Authority," log in, and you can get an immediate email of a .pdf copy of a letter which looks like this:
[FAA Letterhead]
MARCH 24, 2012

[NAME]
[ADDRESS]


OUR RECORDS SHOW YOU HOLD AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT CERTIFICATE 123456 WITH RATINGS AIRPLANE SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE LAND, ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER, ENGLISH PROFICIENT, ISSUED mm/dd/yyyy.

FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATE 003012004CFI WITH RATINGS AIRPLANE SINGLE AND MULTIENGINE, ROTORCRAFT-HELICOPTER, INSTRUMENT AIRPLANE AND HELICOPTER, VALID ONLY WHEN ACCOMPANIED BY PILOT CERTIFICATE NUMBER 1234567, ISSUED mm/dd/yyyy, AND EXPIRES mm/dd/yyyy.

SECOND CLASS MEDICAL DATED mm/dd/yyyy; MUST HAVE AVAILABLE GLASSES FOR NEAR VISION.


THIS TEMPORARY AUTHORITY TO EXERCISE THE PRIVILEGES OF YOUR CERTIFICATE(S) EXPIRES ON MAY 23, 2012.


...which you can print and present. According to AFS-810, this provides legal, temporary authority to fly (see "other documentation acceptable to the FAA") if you don't have your original certificates with you. There is not currently any specific guidance to field Inspectors about this, but it's on AFS-810's list of things to do, and any Inspector with questions should know how to contact AFS-810 for futher guidance.​



So, if you have a computer and internet access, you can instantely have a valid document to cover the 61.3 requirement for pilot, flight instructor, and medical certificates in the event you left your wallet in your other pocket, or your dog ate your medical, or whatever. Just don't let your dog near your wallet more than once every six months.​
 
Thanks Ron. Do you know if they are actually going to require it be printed, or would showing it to them on an iPad be sufficient? There's no logical reason it would need to be printed, but this is a bureaucracy, after all.
 
Thanks Ron. Do you know if they are actually going to require it be printed, or would showing it to them on an iPad be sufficient? There's no logical reason it would need to be printed, but this is a bureaucracy, after all.
No, I don't, but I'll suggest it. The new head of AFS-810 is a pretty regular guy focused on keeping aviation safe, not keeping paper mills or lawyers busy.
 
Haven't they had this for years? I don't think this is anything that new Ron.
 
I think the automation part is new. Used to be that you'd fax or fill out an online form, and they'd fax you the letter. Now it's a no-wait procedure.
 
I think the automation part is new. Used to be that you'd fax or fill out an online form, and they'd fax you the letter. Now it's a no-wait procedure.
The automation part (getting it by email) has been around for at least 5 years because I did it.
 
Yep, and it's also discussed at the Academy during String.

It's not addressed in 8900.1, but then again so are several other things. Thus it falls into "tribal knowledge". :)
 
Which tribe? Semiholes?:wink2::D
Yep, and it's also discussed at the Academy during String.

It's not addressed in 8900.1, but then again so are several other things. Thus it falls into "tribal knowledge". :)
 
Thanks, Ron. Now I just need to remember about this and the URL when I need it.
 
Thanks, Ron. Now I just need to remember about this and the URL when I need it.
You can find the link on www.faa.gov/pilots which is pretty easy to remember. Of course, being the interwebs, they're allsubject to change, so Ron's idea of just Googling it (or searching on the FAA site) seems like a good one too.
 
It really does not matter if you don't have a certificate with you. The FAA ramp boys and Customs always verify your status via the FAA website. What is actually in the briefcase is a laptop or I pad with internet capability. Make sure your pilot and aircraft data are correct on the FAA website.

José
 
Some of us probably remember the days when the temp was a TELEGRAM.
They subsequently went to fax.
Now you get the same letter they used to fax as the PDF.

Used to be that Ferry Certificates looked like regular airworthiness certificates. I have a stack of them in my aircraft records...
 
It really does not matter if you don't have a certificate with you. The FAA ramp boys and Customs always verify your status via the FAA website. What is actually in the briefcase is a laptop or I pad with internet capability. Make sure your pilot and aircraft data are correct on the FAA website.
I have not yet seen a FSDO Inspector carrying a briefcase while doing routine surveillance, but perhaps that's coming.
 
Its been several years but the guy in Austin did have a portable and he was able to look up pilot certs as José says.
However soon we will all have embedded microchips, and the REMS (Runway End Microchip Scanner) will know who is legal, rated, and current - a fail recorded by the monitor, and the system will pop up the spikes at the hold short line.
 
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