CAA: GA News, "AOPA Petitions FAA for Simple Pilot Photo ID"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thursday, February 21, 2002

AOPA Petitions FAA for Simple Pilot Photo ID


FREDERICK, Md., /PRNewswire/ -- The Aircraft Owners and Pilots
Association (AOPA) today petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration
to require that pilots carry government-issued photo identification
(driver's license, passport, etc.) with them whenever they pilot an
aircraft. That ID, matched with the information on a FAA pilot
certificate, would positively identify legitimate pilots. 

"Since September 11, the need for a picture identification for pilots
has been an important element in many security discussions," said AOPA
President Phil Boyer. "With a simple stroke of the pen, and with minimal
cost to taxpayers, FAA could satisfy that security concern." 

AOPA asked FAA to implement the change by "direct final rule," which
bypasses the normal rulemaking process and would permit the photo ID
requirement to go into effect within 30 days. 

"Our driver's license proposal could be put in place almost immediately,
it addresses the security need to positively identify pilots, and it
will cost next to nothing," Boyer said. "This may be too simple for the
government, but it sure makes good sense." 

Pilot certificates or "licenses" currently are simple pieces of paper
listing the pilot's name, identifying characteristics, address and pilot
ratings. But this FAA-printed document does not include a photo. Pilots
must carry the pilot certificate and a current medical certificate
(demonstrating that the pilot is fit to fly) when in command of an
aircraft. 

"In December, AOPA and other industry groups recommended pilot photo IDs
to FAA and the Transportation Security Administration. We haven't seen
any progress," said Boyer. "In fact, FAA has been under a mandate to
develop photo pilot IDs since 1988. 

"The government infrastructure to issue photo IDs already exists in all
fifty states, in the District of Columbia, and in other branches of the
federal government," Boyer said. "We can do this now, not five years
from now." 

AOPA noted that the states have agreed to upgrade driver's license
security features and have asked Congress for additional funds to create
high- tech licenses. 

In fact, FAA already requires a driver's license for security
identification. Airline passengers must present a driver's license or
similar photo ID to pass through airport security. The FAA requires
prospective pilots to show a driver's license before taking an FAA
written exam or flight test. 

General aviation pilots support the driver's license proposal, according
to informal surveys of AOPA members across the nation. "After all, you
need a license to drive to the airport," Boyer said. 

Other appropriate photo ID could include state photo identification
cards (which all states will issue in lieu of a driver's license), U.S.
government- issued passports, U.S. military IDs, and federal and state
government identification cards. 

"FAA is still considering it's own photo ID system," said Boyer. "But it
could take up to five years for FAA to implement such a system, and it
would cost millions of dollars to get it started. FAA would spend an
additional $2 million a year just to run the system." 

There are currently some 630,000 active pilots in the U.S. (meaning they
have current medical certificates and are legal to fly at this moment),
plus an additional 530,000 people holding non-pilot airman certificates
(mechanics, flight engineers, ground instructors, etc.) Since 1950, FAA
has issued more than three million pilot certificates alone. That means
FAA could be facing a demand to issue millions of photo IDs if it were
to try to do it itself. 

AOPA's petition for rulemaking asks that FAA amend Sections 61.3 (a) and
61.3 (1) of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (commonly called
the Federal Aviation Regulations) to read that a person may not act as a
pilot of a civil aircraft of U.S. registry unless that person has a
"form of photographic identification acceptable to the (FAA)
Administrator," and that each person required to have this ID "must
present it for inspection upon request from the Administrator or any
federal, state, or local law enforcement officer." 

A copy of AOPA's petition is available at
http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2002/020221petition.html . A
graphic of a pilot certificate is available at
http://www.aopa.org/special/newsroom in the press release section. 

The 380,000-member Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is the world's
largest civil aviation organization. Nearly two-thirds of the nation's
pilots and three-quarters of the aircraft owners are AOPA members. 

AOPA represents the interests of general aviation -- all flying except
scheduled airlines and the U.S. military. The 221,000 general aviation
aircraft in the U.S. constitute 92% of the nation's civilian fleet.
General aviation accounts for 60% of all hours flown, and 80% of all
takeoffs and landings.


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