Voluntary Surrender Medical

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Anonymous

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I am no longer flying and am looking at voluntarily surrendering my medical so I don't have to update the FAA every-time I move and was curious at what the process is. I am particularly curious about FAA order 2150.3c

Chapter 7, section 7.b. Voluntary Surrender of Medical Certificates.
(1) If the FAA determines that an airman medical certificate holder does not meet the qualification requirements of 14 C.F.R. part 67 after the vesting of the certificate, i.e., beyond the period within which the FAA can deny issuance of the certificate, and the certificate holder attempts to surrender his or her airman medical certificate, FAA personnel refuse the voluntary surrender of the certificate.

Does this mean that they will look through my medical history to find anything, or is it just if they know anything at the time of my surrender? I don't want to have to go through extra work to surrender it if they happen to find something when I could just let it expire and not have any issues.
 
How often do you move? Seems like it would be FAR easier to let your medical expire, even if you have to notify the FAA of your new address(es). I would not want to do anything that makes me stand out from the crowd from the FAA's point of view.

Tim
 
The address change notification is required as long as you hold a pilot or instructor certificate. The medical isn't the issue. See 14 CFR 61.60:

"The holder of a pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate who has made a change in permanent mailing address may not, after 30 days from that date, exercise the privileges of the certificate unless the holder has notified in writing the FAA, Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, of the new permanent mailing address, or if the permanent mailing address includes a post office box number, then the holder's current residential address."

Not sure of your circumstances. If it's just run of the mill I'm done flying, I'd let the medical expire on it's own. Surrendering your pilot/instructor certificate(s) gets you completely off the hook, but that's obviously a big move.
 
But, notice from the wording of 61.60, you don't have to inform the FAA of your address if you're no longer flying. Your license doesn't expire, you just can't fly ("exercise the privileges") after 30 days, until you give the FAA your address.

Why make things more complicated? If you're done flying, let everything expire on its own without drawing attention to yourself, and then notify the FAA of your new address if and when you want to fly again.
 
But, notice from the wording of 61.60, you don't have to inform the FAA of your address if you're no longer flying. Your license doesn't expire, you just can't fly ("exercise the privileges") after 30 days, until you give the FAA your address.

Why make things more complicated? If you're done flying, let everything expire on its own without drawing attention to yourself, and then notify the FAA of your new address if and when you want to fly again.

It is curious that if you are a pilot that you have an out for not updating your address, you simply don’t fly. As a mechanic or any part 65 certificate holder, there does not appear to be such an out. It would appear that as long as you hold the certificate, you must update your address regardless of your activity. Read the two regs below to see what I mean. Just one of those regulatory oddities.

§61.60 Change of address.
The holder of a pilot, flight instructor, or ground instructor certificate who has made a change in permanent mailing address may not, after 30 days from that date, exercise the privileges of the certificate unless the holder has notified in writing the FAA, Airman Certification Branch, P.O. Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, of the new permanent mailing address, or if the permanent mailing address includes a post office box number, then the holder’s current residential address.

§65.21 Change of address.
Within 30 days after any change in his permanent mailing address, the holder of a certificate issued under this part shall notify the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Airman Certification Branch, Post Office Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, in writing, of his new address.
 
It is curious that if you are a pilot that you have an out for not updating your address, you simply don’t fly. As a mechanic or any part 65 certificate holder, there does not appear to be such an out. It would appear that as long as you hold the certificate, you must update your address regardless of your activity. Read the two regs below to see what I mean. Just one of those regulatory oddities.

Yes; also odd that 61 requires residential address in the case of PO Box in a weirdly worded provision (they care about residential address, but you only have to report if mailing address changes?) but 65 makes no similar mention. I suspect it came about to address some odd situation that came up once…
 
It is curious that if you are a pilot that you have an out for not updating your address, you simply don’t fly. As a mechanic or any part 65 certificate holder, there does not appear to be such an out. It would appear that as long as you hold the certificate, you must update your address regardless of your activity. Read the two regs below to see what I mean. Just one of those regulatory oddities.

§65.21 Change of address.
Within 30 days after any change in his permanent mailing address, the holder of a certificate issued under this part shall notify the Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Airman Certification Branch, Post Office Box 25082, Oklahoma City, OK 73125, in writing, of his new address.

Just speculating, but there are a lot of places where a mistake by an A&P might not get caught for years. They probably want to know how to find you If they need help with an investigation regarding an aircraft worked on by the A&P.
 
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