Sport Pilot Talk

Does anyone know how long the FAA usually takes to process applications for a Student Certificate on IACRA? I applied on 4-10-22 and am still waiting. Thanks!

You should be able to log into your account and print a temporary certificate after just a few days. It will take quite a while before you will gwet the plastic hard copy.

I can login and see my application, but nothing on there says it was approved or that I have a valid Student Pilot Certificate. hmmmm.

Did you have someone from the FSDO, a DPE, or a CFI complete their part of the application?

After I (in my role as DPE) approve a Student Pilot Certificate application, it takes about a week for the background check (much longer for non-citizens) before the temporary certificate shows up on IACRA. The temp is good for 120 days, and the plastic card usually arrives in 90.

On a related note, FAA aircraft registration branch is significantly backed up. A bill of sale is good as a temp registration for (I believe) 90 days, but OKC is now taking four months or more to process a registration. Even renewals are taking three or four months, so apply early - don't let your acft registration run out because of bureaucratic inefficiency.

A signed copy of the Aircraft Registration Application (8050-1) can be used, in most cases, for 90 days as a temporary registration when carried in the aircraft. When submitted to the FAA, the 8050-1 must be accompanied by an Aircraft Bill of Sale (8050-2).

Jim

Thanks, Jim. AOPA has recently reported numerous cases in which purchasers of aircraft followed that procedure, but FAA did not issue a registration card before that 90 day period had run out.

Hi Paul,
You're exactly right. As of today, the FAA is processing requests received on January 6.

If someone is within a week or so of the end of the 90 day period, they can go to: https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificat ... _registry/

There is a link to request an extension. The extension will be emailed or snail mailed and is good for 120 days

Jim

Yep, and they will process the extension almost immediately, but there is still a backlog for original issue registrations.

3Dreaming wrote: ↑Mon Jun 06, 2022 9:43 pm Did you have someone from the FSDO, a DPE, or a CFI complete their part of the application?

My CFI completed her part. She is going to ask the DPE she works with to take a look.

I checked IACRA this morning my temporary student certificate is there. Thank-you to everyone for your answers.

rob wrote: ↑Wed Jun 15, 2022 8:10 am I checked IACRA this morning my temporary student certificate is there. Thank-you to everyone for your answers.

Thank you for posting a follow-up! So many times people don't check back in so others don't actually get an answer. So, based on the time line, it's roughly 6 weeks, not exactly speedy, but as far as government turnaround goes, that's light speed.

We had a student recently who it to less than a week to get theirs.

3Dreaming wrote: ↑Sat Jun 25, 2022 5:50 pm We had a student recently who it to less than a week to get theirs.

I had two recent students receive theirs in just over a week.

I think there was something my CFI forgot to do - once it was done, it took 6 days to get approved.