Originally Posted by
GWYN
As to the FAA Airman Database, I have no idea as to how that operates, but I have searched it for various pilots I know, from highly experienced airline pilots (Fleet Managers, TRIs, TREs etc) as well as private pilots and most do not even appear on the database, so ChickenHouse is probably correct – even if I don’t fully understand his post! What’s a 61.75 piggyback? In short anything gleaned from that database appears to me to probably be completely inaccurate, at least for any non-FAA licensed pilot.
Let me explain a bit of the process.
As a holder of a foreign license you can apply to get granted the rights of a FAA pilot license based on your existing = to let pilots from abroad fly N-reg aircraft on their license without having to do a full FAA pilot license. If you apply for a validation of your foreign license, its law base will be US legal under: CFR > Title 14 > Chapter I > Subchapter D > Part 61 > Subpart C > Section 61.75 > Private pilot certificate issued on the basis of a foreign pilot license, or short CFR 61.75.
During the validation process you will enter your data through the corresponding FAA portal, the Integrated Airman Certification and Rating Application (IACRA). If your initial application for the 61.75 based FAA pilot license, which states 'based on foreign license' = piggyback of the rights of your original license, runs through the validation process and gets countersigned in IACRA by the authority doing your test, your required signing of the countersignature results in your agreement for the data also going into the airman database (if you actively uncheck the permit, the database will receive no entry). Initial validation is only granted PPL rights, everything else usually requires further testing and exam sitting.
If you later do additions to your 61.75 piggyback license, it will also run through IACRA, is countersigned there by your test authority and valid by that. If you do not enter IACRA thereafter and sign permit to let the data flow to the database, additions and alterations are valid by the IACRA management, but will not transfer to the database. Most pilots don't do the last step and it is totally legal fine with that, but so only the initial data usually appears in public search.