On Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:19:27 -0800 (PST), "Robert M. Gary"
wrote in
:

Has anyone been able to get the FAA web site to issue you a temporary
certificate with the new required ICOA wording of "English Proficient"
on it? I asked for a verification of priv as well as a temporary
certificate and selected my reason as the "English Proficiency". I
quickly got both in email but the official temporary that came from
the FAA doesn't say anything about English Proficiency. I've since
requested a new card be mailed to me, hopefully that will work better
than the email version. I called AOPA and the info they have is very
limited.

So, could it be that the emailed version doesn't contain the required
wording but the snail-mail version will? Will I get into an argument
with a Mexican official that I don't have English Proficiency?
It's irritating that this is happening so fast. We just found out
about it, it goes into affect in a week and it takes 2 weeks to get a
new certificate (at best). The FAA at its finest?

-Robert


I can't answer your question about the FAA, but from the information
below, it seems that English proficiency may be a non-issue.
Apparently the FAA is recommending a check with the destination
country to see if the new certificate will be required:


http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news..._197195-1.html
February 20, 2008

ICAO Rule Requiring Proof Of English Proficiency Not Likely To Be
Enforced

By Meredith Saini, Managing Editor

U.S. pilots who fly internationally are being asked to hurry up
and apply for replacement airman certificates that state they are
“English proficient,” according to an International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO) rule that takes effect on March 5. But a
source at the FAA’s General Aviation and Commercial Division
(AFS-800) told AVweb yesterday that the requirement is not likely
to be widely enforced, as most countries are not prepared to
comply.

A Feb. 13 letter posted on the FAA’s Information for Operators
(InFO) Web site reminds operators of the new ICAO licensing
standards, which are part of a broader ICAO effort to ensure that
all pilots and air traffic controllers are English proficient.

The FAA is not requiring pilots who fly domestically to update
their certificates, since 14 CFR Part 61 already requires pilots
to “be able to read, speak, write and understand the English
language.” Lance Nuckolls, who has been handling the ICAO issue
within AFS-800, said that pilots who are taking trips
internationally should check with the destination country to see
if the new certificate will be required. While the FAA has done
its part to comply with the ICAO standard by the March 5 deadline,
other countries can apply for an extension that would effectively
waive the requirement until 2011. But for pilots who are worried
about the possibility of a foreign ramp check in the next few
weeks, Nuckolls said that the FAA Airman Certification Branch is
processing the new certificate requests in as little as five days.


You might be able to contact Lance Nuckolls he
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/...ck/afs/afs800/