June 1, 2018
The FAA has invited Part 135 operators to participate voluntarily in the Phase I Beta release of the Pilot Records Database (PRD), which began with Part 121 operators in 2017. The announcement was made in InFO 18005, dated May 21.
Mandated by the FAA Extension Act of 2010, the PRD will eventually be the online portal for pilot records.
“It will expedite the hiring process by giving operators access to FAA records quicker than today’s manual PRIA requests,” said Alison L. Squiccimarro, a member of NBAA’s Regulatory Issues Advisory Group and an attorney at the Law Offices of Paul A. Lange. “And it will provide them with tailored consent pages to seek the appropriate PRIA records from a pilot’s current and previous employers.”
Before volunteering for PRD participation, operators should review NBAA’s Pilot Records Improvement Act Guide, which includes step-by-step instructions for requesting and providing employee records and a table with specific requirements unique to Part 91,121,125 and 135 operators. For example, all operators must provide information on disciplinary actions that resulted in termination, but only Part 121 and 135 operators must also provide drug-testing records.
Participation in the PRD beta does not change an operator’s PRIA responsibilities, said Squiccimarro. But the operator must designate a single point of contact who will coordinate with the PRD office. That contact must be the chief pilot, director of operations, director of safety, director of maintenance or the Part 135 operation’s chief executive officer, and those persons must be able to verify their identity electronically before accessing the PRD.
Before volunteering for PRD participation, Squiccimarro said Part 135 operators should “consider the impact of having to designate a single [eligible] individual to serve as the PRD point of contact.”
But participating “is a step in the right direction,” said NBAA Operations Manager Brian Koester, because it will familiarize them with the PRD before its use becomes mandatory once the beta phase is complete. InFO 17019 provides the details of how to participate in the beta phase.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.