Covid-19: FAA Extends Only Some Deadlines

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 09:15 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

The FAA issued SFAR 118-2, extending certain aviation regulatory deadlines through April 30, 2021, to provide relief and allow continued use of essential crewmembers, addressing training and testing backlogs caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The updated SFAR offers reduced relief compared to previous versions, eliminating some provisions like expanded instrument currency lookback, but continues to extend the validity of medical certificates and knowledge tests.
The NTSB issued safety alerts warning pilots of increased carbon monoxide risks in winter, advising on prevention and detection, and cautioning about the dangers of flying in wet snow due to potential icing.

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As the Covid-19 pandemic’s effects on aviation stretched into the final calendar quarter of 2020, the FAA on October 1 released a final rule extending deadlines for “persons who have been unable to meet certain requirements during the national emergency” surrounding the disease. The updated special federal aviation regulation (SFAR 118-2) was scheduled to be published October 6, 2020, after this issue’s deadline, and “allows operators to continue to use pilots and other crewmembers in support of essential operations” while providing “regulatory relief to additional persons unable to meet duration and renewal requirements due to the public health emergency,” the FAA said. The provisions of SFAR 118-2 are effective through April 30, 2021.