AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020 - 12

AOPA ACTION 

'Undue burden,' AOPA says
Pilot records database proposal goes too far
AOPA HAS RAISED CONCERNS over the FAA's proposal of an electronic database intended to replace the longstanding Pilot Records Improvement Act
(PRIA) for air carriers and to verify certification, training, and currency of
professional pilots. AOPA and other aviation organizations believe that the
Pilot Records Database (PRD) described in a notice of proposed rulemaking
will place an undue burden on many individual pilots. Although pilot record
databases like PRIA have been around since the 1990s, it was the Colgan Air
crash in 2009 that prompted the FAA to make changes in its training requirements and pilot recordkeeping.
The PRD is intended to facilitate sharing records surrounding a pilot's
qualifications before an air carrier decides to hire that pilot. The database
includes information about medical certificates, employment history, flying
records, and types of aircraft pilots are qualified to fly. However, it contains
many burdensome requirements for Part 91 operators-something with
which AOPA takes issue.
Chief among AOPA's complaints is that the PRD proposal expands beyond
what is statutorily required, does not accept industry recommendations, and
does not provide a clear process for pilots to correct errors on their record.
Additionally, thousands of small, sole-practitioner operations under Part
91 (e.g., small corporate and air tour operators) would be subjected to costly
and burdensome regulations, setting a bad precedent for interpreting the
PRD to apply to a broader group of small operations. According to AOPA's
comments, "The result would [be] unnecessary self-reporting to the PRD.

BAKER ON THE NEWS

"While AOPA supports the need for a transparent process to ensure accurate pilot
records, this proposal unfortunately attempts
to mandate a costly process to smaller Part
91 operations that we strongly believe were
not intended to comply. The FAA proposal
places unnecessary requirements on Part 91
operators that would do nothing to enhance
safety."
-AOPA President Mark Baker

Similarly, having PRD reporting for other Part 91 operations, such as aerial advertising and photographers,
pipeline patrol, glider operations, banner towers, agriculture operations, and acrobatic teams, should not be
included due to their size and type of operation and
not being mandated by the PRD Act."
aopa.org/pilot/prd

Insurance rates concern GA leaders
Let's avoid 'insurance shock,' Baker says
"NOT A DAY GOES BY that I don't get a

call" about insurance rates, said AOPA
President Mark Baker. Baker and general
aviation industry leaders voiced concerns
about rising insurance premiums during a
recent industrywide webinar.
Baker said he is concerned about the
rising cost of aviation insurance because
the GA industry is experiencing "the start
of an aviation boom right now, and our
12 | AOPA PILOT September 2020

financing reps have never been busier."
He said he wants to keep the communication lines open with insurance companies
to learn more about their challenges and
to help avoid "insurance shock" for pilots
considering more capable aircraft-or
simply getting older.
Baker also advocated for clarity within
the insurance industry to avoid putting
a damper on the enthusiasm that GA

currently is experiencing. "Business out
there is terrific. It's exciting. Dealers are
busy, shops are busy, and things are really
going well right now," he said.
Technical advances in accurate weather
depiction, terrain avoidance, and devices
that provide additional situational awareness for pilots have led to increased safety
and lower GA fatal accident rates. "We
need to keep GA on track, we need to create
http://www.aopa.org/pilot/prd
AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2020
