Photo Licenses for the FAA

[lead zeppelin]

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.

[bafanguy]

Did they say how they would go about taking these required pictures ? Licenses are issued by a number of non-government agencies such as flight school DE's, airline APD's, etc. And, when you report a lost/destroyed certificate, who/how/where does one get a picture if you didn't already have one on file in Big Brother's computers ?

[411A]

AME's will be issued photo equipment, and the picture will be taken as part of a medical.

[er82]

sounds like a good idea to me. hope they introduce it in the Uk.

[My names Turkish]

What Happens if your living outside the US, and there are a big big amount of Non US resident FAA ticket holders. How do they get their photo and Biometrics on a new licence? I hope someones not going to tell us we have to go to an understaffed overworked US embassy or consulate!?

[hobie]

quote "possibly store biometric information"

I thought the U.S. and TB's view was that I.D. documents without Biometric data were next to usless :confused:

[Re-Heat]

Great idea - I can't believe UK licences don't have a photo on it at a minimum - we should follow suit so long as the CAA is restricted at how much they can charge!

[Robert Vesco]

Good idea, hope that Europe will soon follow suit. As a matter of fact, it would be really nice if some EU states would drop the stupid ´telephone book´ style licence and come up with a credit card style licence like in the US! Add a picture and presto!

Turkish, I also wonder how I will have to update my FAA licence. Already looking forward to the trip to the nearest US consulate and meet all those friendly people there... :ugh:

[maxy101]

I quite like my telephone book licence....makes it look more official than a photo card "driving" licence. A photo would be a good idea though.

[BEagle]

Why not put the photo on the medical certificate? Then whenever you re-validate your medical you'll get an up-to-date photo rather than something a few years out of date?

[Lou Scannon]

Yes...but at which stage in the medical would the doc take the photograph?:uhoh:

[bafanguy]

Hopefully, it won't be shortly after he says, "...just lean over the edge of the table for me..."

[Farrell]

i think photos are a great idea!

[Iron City]

Please remember that in the US the license is the license and the medical is the medical and you need both (and then some) to fly as PIC legally. The license is issued by the FAA from Oklahoma City and the medical by the designated medical examiner.


There is a possible standard for this already, look on http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/drafts.html#fips-201 for a standard to be published February 2005 for the access badges for U.S. federal buildings and information systems.

[Sleeve Wing]

Not so long back, didn't UK Professional Licences have to have a photo on the front page ?
Better still, you could use it as a Passport too.

Surely the return of such info. would also see off the Security Brigade nonsense every morning.

Happy Festives, Sleeve.

[lead zeppelin]

Photo Certificate Requirements Need Clarifying
While the national intelligence reform law President Bush signed last Friday carries a provision for photo IDs for “pilots,” confusion reigns over which airman certificates are included. An FAA spokesman told AIN Alerts that the law would include any U.S.-issued license, including that for pilots, A&Ps, air traffic controllers and dispatchers. But the law specifically refers only to improved pilot licenses. “It does seem to be less than clear,” said Jeffrey Myers, AOPA executive v-p of communications. “We will be pressing for clarification.” In any event, the law does not require pilots to replace existing certificates with new photo certificates immediately. Pilots would likely get a photo certificate when they add a new rating or certificate, change their address or replace a damaged certificate. The law would enable an FAA designee such as an aviation medical examiner to take a digital photo of the pilot as part of an FAA flight physical and transmit it to the FAA along with medical data.

[Metro man]

I applied for a plastic licence to replace my old paper certificate ,and had to supply details of an official document with my photograph on it (passport ,drivers licence etc). So I suppose if the FAA wanted to find out what I look like they could go and look it up.

All done online, very quick and cheap ,$2 if I remember right.

[WestWind1950]

Up until Germany introduced the JAA license in May 2003 every pilot had to send in 2 photos..... one for his files at the CAA office and one for on the basic licence. Every 2 years the ratings were renewed on separate papers, the basic licence with the picture stayed the same. It was always fun to see what people looked like 20+ years ago :p No update of the pictures were needed, but at least some kind of photo-ID was there. Our medicals were intigrated into the licence which meant you didn't get that "extra" paper with the rating revalidation without a medical. The licences for normal PPL's were, and still are, issued by the local CAA branch. The CPL's, ATPL's and any licence with IFR ratings are issued by the main CAA office.

I always wondered why the US never had photos on them. And now the new JAA also have none (why do we always have to "copy" the things the USA do... ). BUT, we are required to always carry a legal photo-ID (passport or such) with us at all times! No photo-ID, then your licence is not legal. The medical is also now separate.

I'm all for a photo on the licence.... I have no problem with that.

Westy

[AeroBoero]

Here in Brazil our CAA has introduced recently new licenses. Plastic, credit card size, with a photo.
The photo you bring to them to be scanned and our license also has a bar code so by ramp inspections they just read it with a handheld and get all the info they need.
Our medical is still in another paper but once you have it in days it also on the net to be consulted by the ramp inspector or by ourselves on the Internet. How long will the same photo be valid is something I still don’t know.
In Brazil we carry an ID that by law must be renewed every 7 years so we don’t look too much different :8 from the photo, although not many people here are aware of this.
So I would guess that maybe our license goes the same way.

[GlueBall]

Even my Bank Of America issued VISA card has my photo embedded. :ooh:

[Boss Raptor]

The UK CPL/ATPL had the photo removed post the Immigration Act (reform) of 1991 I believe which withdrew the license as a document of entry to the UK prior to that time crew could use it in lieu of a passport at UK immigration control

[Max Angle]

All done online, very quick and cheap ,$2 if I remember right. I think it's safe to assume the UK CAA will be charging somewhat more than that. Adding two zeros would put you in the right ballpark I suspect.

[Lackof747]

One question, out of the blue.

How many terrorists or terrorist suspects have been arrested in the USA after this massive TSA operation, fingerprinting and PAX/crew screening started?


Answer: Not a single one! (apart from Ted Kennedy)

[Tinstaafl]

Trouble is that the security twits (at all levels) will argue that it demonstrates the effectiveness of their 'enhanced' 'security' process ie "Terrorists aren't travelling because of the enhanced security process". :rolleyes: