I was just reading the latest AOPA ePilot newsletter and they had a blurb about having an “English Proficient” endorsement on your certificate if you are going to fly international starting March 5. I hadn’t heard about this until yesterday. I mentioned it to some of my friends at work and at other companies and most of them hadn’t heard of it so I thought I would pass it along. Here’s the article:
CERTAIN U.S. PILOTS NEED NEW ‘ENGLISH PROFICIENT’ CERTIFICATE
Do you fly internationally? If so, you’ll need a new pilot certificate with the words “English Proficient” on it. The new certificate will be required for international flights starting March 5, when the International Civil Aviation Organization’s language proficiency standards for operating internationally go into effect. The requirement applies to airplane and helicopter private, commercial, and airline transport pilots; flight engineers; and flight navigators. Pilots with a U.S.-issued certificate will not need to pass a language test, just request a replacement certificate from the FAA. The plastic replacement certificate will cost $2 and take seven to 10 days to be processed. All newly issued pilot certificates will have the endorsement.
Great, another thing to research. I haven’t heard this over here in Saudi yet.
I don’t suppose the article quoted a source did it?
Seems like I’ve been spending more time trying to see if things that might affect us are true or not. Facts are hard to come by out here in the boonies!!
The last one I worked on was the rumor that all Commercial or ATP licensed pilots were required to have a first class medical when flying into Europe regardless of the type of operation. Turns out that is only true if you are licensed by a country that uses the ICAO recomendations for the basis of its laws. Countries that use the FAA rules have some jobs where a second class is all that is required.
Oh, BTW, if you have a type rating you can’t use the online system to get a new certificate. You have to do it by mail. I just tried. Not sure what difference a type rating makes, but I don’t write the rules.
Oh, BTW, if you have a type rating you can’t use the online system to get a new certificate. You have to do it by mail. I just tried. Not sure what difference a type rating makes, but I don’t write the rules.
Oh, BTW, if you have a type rating you can’t use the online system to get a new certificate. You have to do it by mail. I just tried. Not sure what difference a type rating makes, but I don’t write the rules.
I have type ratings and was able to order one online with the $2 fee a couple of days ago. You might want to try it again, their system is probably not used to this much activity…
They sure didn’t give much time for pilots to get this done.
I got another type rating and recieved a new certificate in the mail a couple days before I heard of this. It did not have the English endorsement. How many pilots are going to be legal to fly international by March 5th??? I don’t expect to see the new one any time soon.
LOL, looks like something a third grade gradjeat wrote up. Good one.
I’ll try again, thanks. I’m using a Saudi license over here in paradise and their office is only 200 meters from the FBO so that shouldn’t be a problem. If they have even heard of the requirement that is.
I did a little more research on this. Yes, if you fly internationally you need to have this endorsement on your license by March 5. If you don’t recieve your replacement cert by then you can request a verification of certificate privileges from the FAA website on the same page that you request your new cert. The letter will say English Proficient and will be emailed or faxed in a few minutes. Carry the letter until your replacement cert arrives.
Thanks for the research. I stopped by the Saudi office today, they are researching how to handle this!! I still can’t get around the type rating restriction for some reason, I guess the letter will have to do for now.
Now where’s my BS flag… One would think that it would be a requirement to be English Proficient in order to even be issued an airman certificate, regardless of ICAO or the country of issuance.
Sorry to hear you’re having trouble there porterjet. Mine too processed with no problems, and having multiple type ratings. Maybe you can try having a trusted individual in the US, using a US IP address, process it for you and either email or fax the temporary letter to you…
It is a requirement, but I’m guessing after years of marginal radio work by some the bureaucrats at ICAO in Montreal felt the need to do testing! I just found out my neighbor here in Jeddah works for a company that is going to be involved in testing here. He’s an English teacher.
Good idea on using a different IP, I do have trouble logging onto a few websites from here.
Just requested my new certificate, paid two dollars and then requested the emailed PDF letter that shows endoresments. The letter is a supplement to my ATP untill my new ATP shows up with the English endoresment. It is stupid because last International Ops class (1month ago) I had English was just 1 of 5 ICAO adopted languages & the FAA already requires you to know english to receive an FAA Certificate Next we will need Night & XC endorsements as well!
The best part is - whoever asks you if you are proficient in English will probably ASK you that question in - what else? - English - the official aviation language. And you will reply “Why, yes I am!” Then he or she will ask to see some proof of this strange phomenon.
Then you can proudly produce your newly minted (for only $2) plastic certificate that pronounces (in English) that You are proficient in said language. I have elevated my Crapola Awareness rating to BROWN - Horse Sh*t Alert!!
Yeah, that’s the part I don’t understand.
If memory serves, it states right in the regs for every rating that in order to hold said rating you must read and speak English. So, if you hold the rating then you must have proven to an examiner that you could in fact speak and read English. So why now do we have to go through this stupid stupid procedure to get yet another new certificate.
Could be a reaction to the International Community…The ICAO Regs may say that you have to be English Profcient to recieve Certification…but one need only go to Youtube and find the AirChina Flight 987? Videos to see that quite a few manage to get around that Reg somehow…
This is an international requirement that has been delayed.
At least the FAA is not making us take the test that most of the rest of the world will have to.
"The compliance date for U.S. airman certificate holders to satisfy International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) language proficiency requirements has been extended until 5 March 2009. ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) standards require all airplane and helicopter private, commercial or airline transport pilots, as well as flight engineers and flight navigators operating internationally as required crewmembers, to hold an airman certificate with a language proficiency endorsement. In order to document proficiency, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will issue replacement certificates with the required “English proficient” endorsement. Affected certificate holders are encouraged to visit the FAA’s Airman Certification Web site as soon as possible to apply for replacement certificates.
I figured out why I couldn’t get anything done online. I actually got some help from the FAA!! They sent a note saying that error 215 means that I had a dual type rating that hadn’t been updated. They said my G1159 (G2,3) gets me a free G100 type rating. I think they mean my Astra type rating (IA1125) but who’s arguing.
At any rate they changed it for me.
And who said you never get anything free from the gumint.
So If anyone has a friend who is having the same problem, that may be it.
I think this is stupid, Here’s why. I ordered my new license off the net for 2 dollars. I never spoke to anyone, took a test, to prove that I can speak Inglish properly.
