The FAA is proposing to remove two sections of 14 CFR Part 61 that address obsolete free-balloon pilot certificates issued prior to Nov. 1, 1973, along with other outdated pilot certificates and ratings. The notice of proposed rulemaking, published Friday in the Federal Register, would remove and reserve sections 61.7 and 61.11, which cover obsolete certificates and ratings as well as expired pilot certificates and reissuance.
“FAA does not anticipate these changes would affect the privileges of any airman currently holding a valid pilot certificate,” the agency said in the NPRM.
In practice, the change would not impact any current certificate holder privileges, because the rules as-written already prohibit the certificates’ use.
The agency said section 61.11 includes references to certificates and ratings issued before 1949 or certificates issued after 1949 that included expiration dates. The FAA Airman Certification Branch reported that there are no remaining pilot certificate holders using expired certificates issued under those provisions. The agency also said only four airmen still hold obsolete free-balloon pilot certificates under section 61.7, and those airmen have since received certificates and ratings that provide the same privileges.
The proposal follows comments submitted by the Experimental Aircraft Association in response to the Department of Transportation’s regulatory reform request for information. In its May 5 filing, EAA recommended removing section 61.11, saying the rule applies to certificates that would no longer be valid because of pilot age or would have been reissued years ago.
EAA’s filing also included recommendations covering a broader range of general aviation regulations, including MOSAIC, the recreational pilot certificate, third-class medical requirements, flight engineer rules, flight navigator rules and ATC transponder inspections.
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