Jay Obernolte: “The FAA is responsible for administrating and certifying pilots in the United States. The certification of these pilots…”

“The FAA is responsible for administrating and certifying pilots in the United States. The certification of these pilots takes place in the form of written tests administered at a test center, but also in the form of practical tests that are usually administered in an aircraft or in a simulator. These practical tests are conducted by either FAA examiners or, more usually, designated pilot examiners. This is a system that has worked well for decades, but a recent problem has arisen where pilots who are applying for certification, who need practical tests are encountering large and unacceptable delays in the scheduling of those tests. In fact, some of the pilots that I have spoken to in the preparation of this amendment had to wait over 12 months for the scheduling of a practical test. I think we can all agree that that is unacceptable. It is not fair to the airmen, it is not fair to the FAA, it is not fair to the pilot community, and it is detrimental to the advancement of the aviation industry. This amendment is a very simple fix to that problem: It would direct the FAA to implement an accountability program to ensure that no applicant has to wait more than 2 weeks for the administration of a practical test. I think this is a commonsense solution. It works for the FAA and for the applicants, and I would urge its adoption. Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.”