New Licenses - again

[CT4ME]

I'm not surprised the FAA has proposed that all pilots get new Pilot Certificates, with pictures - duh... I'm just amazed at how inept and slow these guys are. No wonder we can't get a proper designator for our CTs (or light sports).

Almost 7 years ago, after 9/11, congress mandated that the FAA create better, more tamper-resistant pilots certificates with pictures. So, it takes the FAA 4 years to come up with the "improved" certificate - plastic instead of paper! Nice move, I wonder how much that cost the taxpayers.

Ooops, no pictures!

So now, if approved, we'll all have to get new certificates, again, this time with pictures. We'll have 5 years to do it and, for the first time ever, pilot certificates will "expire" every eight years. They really won't "expire", it's just that you won't be able to fly unless your picture is updated every 8 years.

I have nothing against these new pilot certificates... in fact I've always been amazed that pilot licenses didn't have pictures. I'm just flabbergasted at how slow and inefficient the FAA is... Maybe I expect too much from 50,000 employees and a $15 Billion budget.

Tim

[Bob Hall]

Here's some news: I looked up Flight Design on the FAA website and found FDCT as the designator. I had used this last Monday on a trip to and from San Diego using VFR flight following and a miracle occurred...my return flight appeared on FlightAware's flight tracker. (On the first leg to San Diego, the controller copied is wrong and I could not see that leg.

 

Also, the Flight Design website has a notice regarding the new designator for the MC very recently assigned by ICAO. It also lists the other CT's as FDCT.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Bob CTLS N602MR