US FAA Credit Card....Don't leave home without it!

[SASless]

The US FAA today announced their new Credit Card styled Airman's Certificate which will replace current issue paper certificates as pilots obtain new ratings and certificates. The change is designed to enhance security and to protect pilots identities. The high tech card gladly exhibits a holographic image of the FAA seal.

....and just when we thought it could not get much worse....

All right guys.....all those with those large white books for licenses....line up and take yer shots at us!

I saw this on the HAI website....rotor.com .

[NickLappos]

Does this mean we can borrow the hours needed for new ratinmgs, you know, an hour down and an hour a week....

[SASless]

Nick....betcha the UK CAA gives it the same welcome American Express gets in some establishments now.

If you hold the UK and US ATPL....anychance of getting a MasterCard version?

[George Semel]

Its about time, I thought the FAA should have done it back in the 1980's when the States were going from a lamanated paper to a plastic card for driver license. On the other side its got the Wright Brothers for a back ground. I like it, its a great improvment to what we been use too. They can do all kinds of things with these type of cards. You could put a chip in them, and on it all the current information needed to comply with the pilot impovement act of 1996. You could run a check right then and there and reduce both time,paper work and costs. The only thing is that they are going to issue them to new applicants, and to anybody that wants a replacement. I would require that a new pilot certificate be applied for at the time of a new flight physical. This way the Feds can get all the old certificates void, and the new ones issued over the next 6 month to 36 months. I don't think they really want to do that. Then again, if it was really about security conserns, there would be a notice in the mail, to get this done and with in a time frame.

[Lu Zuckerman]

Did they think it through.

I requested a replacement for my A&P ticket because I had changed my address. The new card with my new address showed a date of issue as of the date the new card was issued. There was a 14-year difference between the new issue date and the date I received the original ticket.

[GLSNightPilot]

Lu, it's been that way for pilots' certificates for years. I got a replacement for my original one, which had become illegible over the years, & the issue date was the replacement date, almost 30 years later. But so what?

The only downside I see to the new card is that it takes more space in my wallet. Right now, my license & medical certificate take almost no space, while the new one will be another credit card in my pocket, which already has enough junk there. Well, I guess everything is a compromise of some sort.

[Bronx]

[John Eacott]

CASA, the Australian font of all aviation knowledge, introduced similar licences some 7-8 years ago. Last year, in compliance with ICAO (or so "they" say) we changed over to page type licences, to be inserted into a white (or coloured according to licence grade) book.

I've still got my green book licence, I know it'll come back into fashion sooner or later