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Final RuleProcedural — Correction

Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement; Correction

In Plain English

What is this Federal Register notice?

This is a final rule published in the Federal Register by Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration. Final rules have completed the public comment process and establish legally binding requirements.

Is this rule final?

Yes. This rule has been finalized. It has completed the notice-and-comment process required under the Administrative Procedure Act.

Who does this apply to?

Consult the full text of this document for specific applicability provisions. The affected parties depend on the regulatory scope defined within.

When does it take effect?

This document has been effective since July 18, 2024.

Why it matters: This rule corrects errors in a previously published 14 CFR Part 121 regulation.

📋 Related Rulemaking

This final rule likely has a preceding Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), but we haven't linked it yet.

Our system will automatically fetch and link related NPRMs as they're discovered.

Regulatory History — 3 documents in this rulemaking

  1. Jun 18, 2024 2024-12621 Final Rule
    Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement
  2. Jul 16, 2024 2024-15256 Final Rule
    Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement; Correction
  3. Dec 27, 2024 2024-30939 Final Rule
    Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement; Correction

Document Details

Document Number2024-15256
TypeFinal Rule
PublishedJul 16, 2024
Effective DateJul 18, 2024
RIN2120-AL12
Docket IDDocket No. FAA-2019-0360
Text FetchedYes

Agencies & CFR References

CFR References:

Linked CFR Parts

PartNameAgency
14 CFR 121 Operating Requirements: Domestic, Flag, ... Federal Aviation Administration

Paired Documents

TypeProposedFinalMethodConf
No paired documents

Related Documents (by RIN/Docket)

Doc #TypeTitlePublished
2024-30939 Final Rule Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certifica... Dec 27, 2024
2024-12621 Final Rule Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certifica... Jun 18, 2024

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Full Document Text (623 words · ~4 min read)

Text Preserved
<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION <SUBAGY>Federal Aviation Administration</SUBAGY> <CFR>14 CFR Part 121</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. FAA-2019-0360; Amdt. No. 121-392A]</DEPDOC> <RIN>RIN 2120-AL12</RIN> <SUBJECT>Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement; Correction</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule; correction. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> On June 24, 2024, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published the final rule entitled <E T="03">Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement.</E> In that final rule, the FAA made two errors in the amendatory instructions. This correction corrects those errors. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This correction is effective July 18, 2024. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> Joshua Jackson, Aviation Safety Inspector, Air Transportation Division, Flight Standards Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 800 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20591; telephone: 202-267-8166; email: <E T="03">joshua.jackson@faa.gov.</E> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> As discussed in the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM), <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> the regulations establishing the requirements for flight instructors and check airmen in 14 CFR parts 121 and 135 are unclear regarding the medical certificate requirements when flight instructors or check airmen perform their duties in aircraft. The regulations indicate that flight instructors conducting flight training and check airmen administering checks in aircraft must hold a third-class medical certificate when not serving as a required flightcrew member. Elsewhere, however, the regulations also state that no medical certificate is required unless the flight instructor or check airman is serving as a required crewmember. Additionally, part 135 check pilots (aircraft) were held to different medical certification standards than part 121 check pilots and flight instructors and part 135 flight instructors. <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>   <E T="03">Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement</E> notice of proposed rulemaking, 84 FR 25499 (Jun. 3, 2019). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  Specifically, § 135.337(b)(5) states that a check airman (aircraft) must hold at least a third-class medical certificate unless serving as a required crewmember and the exception in § 135.337(e) that a check airman who does not hold the appropriate medical certificate may serve as a check airman, but not a required flightcrew member, applies only to check airmen (simulators). This differs from how the regulations treat part 121 check airmen and flight instructors and part 135 flight instructors. </FTNT> On June 18, 2024, the FAA published a final rule in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> to resolve the discrepancy in the pertinent regulations by clarifying that flight instructors, check pilots, and check flight engineers must hold the appropriate medical certificate only when serving as required flightcrew members in an aircraft. <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> The final rule also includes nonsubstantive nomenclature changes and reorganizes certain sections of parts 121 and 135. <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>   <E T="03">Removal of Check Pilot Medical Certificate Requirement</E> final rule, 89 FR 51415 (Jun. 18, 2024). </FTNT> In publishing the final rule, the FAA made two inadvertent errors in the amendatory instructions of the regulatory text. This rule corrects those errors. <HD SOURCE="HD1">Correction</HD> In FR Doc. 2024-12621 appearing on page 51415 in the <E T="04">Federal Register</E> of Tuesday, June 18, 2024, the following corrections are made: <SECTION> <SECTNO>§ 121.419</SECTNO> <SUBJECT>[Corrected]</SUBJECT> </SECTION> <REGTEXT TITLE="14" PART="121"> 1. On page 51427, in the third column, in part 121, in amendment 16, the instruction “a. Revising paragraphs (c) and (f); and” is corrected to read “a. Revising paragraphs (c) introductory text and (f); and”. </REGTEXT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Appendix F to Part 121 [Corrected]</HD> <REGTEXT TITLE="14" PART="121"> 2. On page 51429, in the first column, in part 121, in amendment 33, the instruction “b. Revising paragraph II.(c)(2) in the table;” is corrected to read “b. Revising paragraph II.(c) in the table;”. </REGTEXT> <SIG> <DATED>Issued under the authority of 49 U.S.C. 106(f) in Washington, DC.</DATED> <NAME>Brandon Roberts,</NAME> Executive Director, Office of Rulemaking. </SIG> </SUPLINF> <FRDOC>[FR Doc. 2024-15256 Filed 7-15-24; 8:45 am]</FRDOC> </RULE>
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