When the cancellation of air shows began to mount, ICAS and the ACE Committee recognized another possible casualty of the 2020 season: the ability to be evaluated for a Statement of Aerobatic Competency (SAC) card renewal at an air show.
The escalating number of air show cancellations means that, in addition to the obvious losses involved from not flying at the show, many performers have also lost the ability to renew their qualifications for the 2021 air show season. With that in mind, ICAS approached the FAA and Transport Canada to ask for relief.
ICAS and our regulators understand that many performers — in the absence of the revenue generated by air shows — have had to make decisions that make it difficult for them to hop in an airplane, fly to an ACE, get a renewal, and fly home. ICAS has suggested several possible options to regulators, but we are focused on working with the FAA and Transport Canada to provide an alternative method for pilots to renew their SAC card with no changes in these difficult circumstances while providing an equivalent level of safety to the standard process used in non-COVID years. In all of the situations under consideration, the standard ground evaluation required for SAC card renewals will be expanded, with questions and discussion on recent changes to the ACE Manual, recent changes to FAA air show policy and how it relates to performers, specific discussion on how each performer expects to regain/maintain currency under current circumstances, and details of each applicant’s plan to practice during quarantine.
ICAS expects to finalize this new, temporary process for renewals with no change and will share the details through Fast Facts and directly with current SAC card holders via email.
