Most Support SIC Pilot Type Rating

Most of more than 35 respondents supported the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking–as is or with a few changes–to permit pilots serving as second-in-command (SIC) to apply for the new “SIC pilot type rating.” The purpose of the rule is to make it relatively simple and economical for U.S. flight deck crews to meet international requirements that both pilots hold type ratings. But there were a few comments against the proposal. One respondent asked rhetorically, “If you [the FAA] are that eager to conform to ICAO, then why haven’t you adopted the age 65 rule it [ICAO] has been operating under for years?”