Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act

The Airmen Certificate Accessibility Act proposes to modernize how pilots provide identification and medical documentation to federal and local authorities. Under current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations, pilots are generally required to carry and present physical, original copies of their airman and medical certificates when requested by inspectors, law enforcement, or transportation safety officials. This bill aims to update those rules by allowing pilots to present these required documents in a digital format stored on an electronic device or a cloud storage platform.

If enacted, the bill would require the FAA to update its existing regulations to recognize digital certificates as valid forms of proof during inspections. This change would provide greater convenience for pilots by allowing them to use smartphones or tablets to verify their credentials, potentially reducing the risk of lost or damaged paper documents. The bill has been introduced in the Senate and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation for further consideration.