Photo Licenses for the FAA
Smile, Your Picture Is Going on Your Pilot License
With passage of the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, the FAA is required to begin issuing improved pilot certificates within a year. The certificates must be resistant to tampering and counterfeiting, include a photo of the pilot and possibly store biometric information. The bill does not require pilots to immediately replace existing certificates with new photo certificates. Most likely, pilots would get a photo license when they add a new rating or certificate, change their address or request a certificate to replace a lost or damaged one. Also under the new law, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will be required to check the names of potential air-charter customers against government terrorist watch lists if an operator requests it. The new law mandates that the TSA establish a system whereby air-charter operators with aircraft weighing more than 12,500 pounds mtow can contact the TSA with the names of charter passengers to be screened against no-fly lists. The operator has the right to refuse service to any potential customer whose name shows up on a watch list.