The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association appealed to FAA administrator Steve Dickson to provide maximum flexibility, extensions, and or other relief for pilots and aircraft owners who are unable to meet certain requirements during the Covid-19 crisis. In a March 17 letter to Dickson, Mark Baker, the president and CEO of the association that represents some 300,000 owners and pilots, expressed support for measures taken to mitigate the spread, but said, “Like the public at large, active general aviation pilots have also been impacted by these actions.”

Future and current pilots are already facing challenges in meeting their requirements, he added. “For example, federal requirements require pilots to renew their medical certificate in person, to complete their pilot certification examinations within a certain amount of time, and to complete knowledge tests at off-site testing facilities,” Baker said. "The current restrictions to the U.S. population create an impossible barrier for these individuals to meet the necessary airman and aircraft requirements.”

AOPA, which has received numerous inquiries from members on how to keep up with their requirements, fears that pilots are bumping into deadlines for when practical test and knowledge-test eligibility ends, currency or instrument proficiency runs out, and flight instructor certificates expire. While many CFIs can renew via online flight instructor refresher courses, others must attend an in-person flight instructor refresher course. “Without an extension or relief, some individuals’ instructor certificates will expire in the next month or two,” said Christopher Cooper, AOPA director of regulatory affairs.

The availability of designated pilot examiners (DPE) has already been limited and some are now canceling appointments as a result of the outbreak. If airman knowledge tests expire and the testing facilities remain closed, applicants do not have a way to retake them and can lose eligibility. Further pilots face reduced access to aircraft, AOPA said.

The association noted that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has already moved to address some of these concerns, permitting extensions of validity periods.