NAAA has been notified that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has chosen not to further extend SFAR 118. The FAA first issued this special regulation in April of 2020 to provide relief to airmen and other certificate holders who were having trouble completing recurrency training and recertification requirements due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic made it difficult to meet required biennial flight reviews, medical exams, instrument currency and other regulation-required deadlines.
The original SFAR 118 and the two extensions added additional months to an airman’s expiring certifications. The final extension expired in January. Starting in February, any certifications or recurrency requirements coming due will need to be completed in the normal pre-pandemic timeframe.
NAAA was one of the organizations instrumental in getting the first relief for airman approved and the two extensions after that. Last month NAAA signed on to a letter with six other associations urging the FAA to grant the third extension. The FAA has left open the possibility of regulatory relief in the future but did not determine it was needed at this time.
