October 7, 2013
As a result of the FAA shutdown, dozens of training center evaluators’ (TCE) qualifications for instructors at Part 142 training centers have expired and, this month, several hundred additional TCE’s qualifications will expire, making it impossible for training centers to schedule or conduct critical training and checking activities.
Additionally, certifications necessary to keep full motion flight simulators operating will also expire, further reducing the capability for simulator-based flight training. As we have seen previously, operators facing difficulty securing needed flight training in simulators will return to the actual aircraft to conduct checks mandated by the FAA, a scenario that both the FAA and NTSB suggests is less than ideal for these types of aircraft.
NBAA, along with other aviation industry Associations, has requested that the FAA allow qualified examiners, instructors and simulators that were current and qualified on September 30, 2013 to retain their qualification status beyond the existing FAA approval expiration for at least a 60-day period following the end of the shutdown period.
View the coalition letter to the FAA (82 KB, PDF)
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.