(US) New Process for Student Pilot Certificate Issue

On Monday, March 28, 2016 at 8:48:25 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
Yeah, I'm the "recommending instructor", but there's no action I can take to move it along. Unlike other times I've used IACRA (for instance recommending a student for a practical test). Wondering whether it will change on Friday; I'll wait and see.

I am a DPE and CFI-G. I have one such situation unfolding TODAY. I have a student who is ready to do his first solo on his 14th birthday, TODAY. If his birthday happened to fall on 31 March instead of April 2nd, we would have all been celebrating the first solo of a pilot, whom I believe has the passion and skill to soar to great heights and distances.

Unfortunately, as of April 1st, the forces of security theater ( https://en..wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_theater ) have created a system that no longer allows solo flight on a student's 14th birthday. At least for the meantime.. I became aware of the potential situation in March 2015, and by October 2015, we were planning all sorts of potential workarounds.

I received the advice, "Just fill in the application early!" No-Can-Do:
IACRA: The IACRA system doesn't even allow somebody to begin an application until their 14th birthday.
Old-school-Paper: FAA Order 8900.1 states that the application can't happen until the 14th birthday. http://fsims.faa.gov/PICDetail.aspx?...Vol.5,Ch2,Sec6

This morning, I received an e-mail from my star student; he's filled in the application in IACRA. I've accepted it as a recommending instructor. I've viewed his ID, entered that into the system. I've delivered the Privacy Act and Pilots Bill of Rights. Now the paperwork goes off into the bureaucracy.. We'll see how long it takes for this star 14 year old to get his plastic certificate in the mail.

I'll keep you updated.

Signed, Frustrated