Pilot Records Database Full Implementation
On September 9, 2024, the FAA and industry completed the transition to the Pilot Records Database (PRD) system for collecting and requesting records on pilots. The PRD is an electronic data system for air carriers to request specific records maintained by the FAA and those supplied by previous pilot employers. Carriers hiring pilots query the PRD to obtain a pilot’s records for the previous five years to assist in making hiring determinations. By the September deadline, air carriers (including part 135 operators) and other aircraft operators employing pilots must have completed entering historical pilot data dating back to August 2005. After September 9, FAA form 8060-11 may no longer be used to obtain previous employer records and form 8060-12, for obtaining drug and alcohol testing records, will no longer be applicable. The Pilot Records Database (PRD) must be accessed to both review records for new-hire pilot candidates and to enter required records for currently employed pilots. Under the part 111 rules governing the use of the PRD, employers are required to enter records into the PRD within 30 days of creation.
Compliance is critical, and NATA encourages members to ensure they are prepared for the full implementation of the PRD. The FAA has extensive resources for air carriers, other pilot employers, and for pilots whose records are in the PRD on their website.