The forum post in question centers on a narrow but practical operational question: whether Designated Pilot Examiners (DPEs) or local FSDOs still process 14 CFR 61.55 second-in-command (SIC) qualification checks remotely via video conferencing platforms like Zoom. FAR 61.55 governs the requirements for a pilot to act as SIC on a type-rated aircraft requiring more than one pilot, without necessarily holding a type rating or having completed a full checkride. The process typically involves a records review, an oral knowledge assessment, and sign-off by an examiner or FAA inspector, rather than an in-aircraft practical test — which historically made it a candidate for remote administration during the COVID-19 pandemic when the FAA and many DPEs adapted procedures to allow oral-only components to be conducted over video call.
This question matters to working pilots, particularly those in Part 135 charter, fractional, and corporate flight departments, because the 61.55 SIC qualification is a common pathway for new-hire first officers or low-time pilots being paired with type-rated captains in turbine aircraft before they've completed a full type rating course. Being able to schedule this process online rather than requiring an in-person sit-down with a DPE or FSDO inspector significantly reduces friction, cost, and scheduling delays — especially for pilots based outside major metro areas with limited local examiner availability. Flight departments often need to get new SIC-qualified pilots into the schedule quickly to meet crewing requirements, and any bottleneck in administrative processing translates directly into lost revenue flying or overtime burden on existing crews.
The broader context here reflects a persistent tension within the FAA's certification ecosystem: pandemic-era flexibilities around remote testing, e-signatures, and virtual oral exams proved workable and popular, but standardization and continuity of those practices have been inconsistent across FSDOs and individual DPEs since restrictions lifted. Pilots have reported wide variability — some regions retained virtual options for administrative-only certifications like 61.55, while others reverted entirely to in-person requirements. This uneven landscape is emblematic of a larger industry frustration with the FAA's examiner and certification infrastructure, including DPE shortages, scheduling backlogs for checkrides more broadly, and lack of centralized guidance on which processes can legally or practically be done remotely.
For flight training and staffing at charter and fractional operators, this kind of grassroots crowdsourcing — pilots turning to community forums like r/flying to find DPEs willing to do things a certain way — underscores how much operational knowledge in aviation certification still travels through word-of-mouth and personal networks rather than clear, published FAA policy. Operators and training departments that keep updated lists of DPEs and FSDO points of contact who support remote 61.55 processing gain a real competitive advantage in crew onboarding speed, and this thread is a small but telling data point in the ongoing conversation about modernizing FAA certification processes to match the operational tempo modern flight departments require.