Every FAA flight test includes an oral portion. Don't pass the oral = don't get to fly.
Don't know of any changes to the ATP requirements. There are changes to the minimum experience & licence required for an FO in an airline ie it's becoming 1500 hours & ATP instead of the current CPL/IR.
Should have mentioned that the ATP flight test can be done in any aircraft, even a single or light twin. Keep in mind the FAA segregates licences by category & class at each licence level. Category is Fixed wing, Rotary wing, Glider etc. Class, for fixed wing, is Single Engine Land, Single Engine Sea, Multi Engine Land, and Multi Engine Sea (SEL, SES, MEL, MES, respectively). You have to do the flight test in each category & class to get the licence in that class. A test in a MEL will not give you SEL privileges. You'd have to do another test to get SEL added to your licence. You can short cut the system - slightly - if you do the test in an amphibian. Alight on water, and land on land + the other test items & you can get the licence for SEL/SES, or MEL/MES in one hit.
Last edited by Tinstaafl; 5th Dec 2012 at 04:14.