Finally: Revised REGs

Back in May 2016, the FAA issued a notice proposing changes to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, commonly referred to by pilots as the FAR. They were generally favorable to pilots. Many had been discussed in the aviation press and by pilot groups earlier. In late June 2018, the FAA published the Final Rule incorporating the changes, some with modifications based upon comments received. Lets look at some of the changes, paying special attention to those relevant to instrument training and instrument currency.

Mark Kolber

Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Spike Aerospace

Key Takeaways:

The FAA's "Final Rule" simplifies instrument currency requirements, significantly expanding the use of approved flight simulation devices (FFS, FTD, ATD) and eliminating the need for a CFII endorsement to log instrument recency experience in these devices.
Instructor qualifications are revised, allowing Instrument Flight Instructors (CFII) without an Airplane category instructor rating (CFI-A) to provide instrument training in an aircraft, provided they hold a commercial pilot certificate for that aircraft category and class.
Commercial pilot training requirements for complex aircraft are updated, allowing turbine-powered or technically advanced airplanes (TAA) to satisfy the 10-hour training requirement, and Second-in-Command (SIC) logging is expanded for pilots in approved Part 135 professional development programs.

See a mistake? Contact us.

Back in May 2016, the FAA issued a notice proposing changes to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, commonly referred to by pilots as the FAR. They were generally favorable to pilots. Many had been discussed in the aviation press and by pilot groups earlier. In late June 2018, the FAA published the “Final Rule” incorporating the changes, some with modifications based upon comments received. Let’s look at some of the changes, paying special attention to those relevant to instrument training and instrument currency.

Background and Dates

Modifying federal agency regulations is procedurally the same as making new ones. With a few exceptions, the agency must publish notice of the proposed changes and permit public comment before making them final. The comment period for this rule change ended in August 2016. The two-year delay in Final Rule publication was at least partly due to the current Administration’s federal regulation reduction policies. For those interested, the Final Rule includes a discussion of these policies.