IACRA

[ASpilot2be]

What a royal PITA. Just trying to get a re-issue of my PPL turned into a freaking mess. Now I have to make a trip to Juneau to visit the FSDO to turn in an 8710-1. Ugh.

I am sure if it works properly it is a wonderful thing, but that is yet to happen to me.

Anybody else have any experiences with it? Good? Bad?

[Dan208B]

IACRA is terrible. I absolutely hate it. Worked ok once for me last time, but still a huge hassle. Only the FAA could make it more difficult to do online.

[meyers9163]

IACRA is 110% better then ACRA and filling out the old 8710s! Anyone who was a CFI with the paper forms knows exactly what I'm talking about. You couldnt use white out, if you made a mistake you had to re do it.... I love IACRA!

[Dan208B]

Good points. At least if you filled out an 8710 though, it wouldn't dump it if you took too long to fill it out...

[Sidious]

I love it too. So far I've only had good experiences. My FSDO was really great in helping me with it and showing me everything there is about it.

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

IACRA is 110% better then ACRA and filling out the old 8710s! Anyone who was a CFI with the paper forms knows exactly what I'm talking about.

Not so. Using a Word template made this process very easy. I still do it this way.

You couldnt use white out, if you made a mistake you had to re do it.

Again, not so. Used whiteout many times.

[meyers9163]

Interesting... WHITE out is a big no no with Indiana FSDO (indianapolis). They would literally reject them. No DPE would accept it.

However I also think by you using the ACRA form is forcing your students certificates to wait a little longer before they get it. You really should try to change over to IACRA. If you are able to use the word processor for the old 8710 you should be able to change over to IACRA easily.

Lastly there are also many DPE's who will reject 8710's now. They LOVE it. The ones I've had experiences with. Nothing but great things to say about it.

[tgrayson]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

Interesting... WHITE out is a big no no with Indiana FSDO (indianapolis). They would literally reject them. No DPE would accept it.

Our DPE brought his own white out.

IACRA doesn't solve any problems for me, and it causes other ones. 1) This extra login number is a PITA, in addition to a user id and password. 2) You have to get the student to register, which is something the instructor needs to follow up on. And 3) last time I checked, it required Internet Explorer to work. (The manager tried to BS on the last and said it was necessary for the database access. Wrong.)

As a web site developer, I'm sure I have the skills to use the program, but it also makes me a bit intolerant towards the poor design. I'm sure it will eventually be mandatory, but it isn't yet. I doubt the examiner, in the end, has the authority to reject a paper 8710.

[mojo6911]

Originally Posted by tgrayson

Our DPE brought his own white out.

IACRA doesn't solve any problems for me, and it causes other ones. 1) This extra login number is a PITA, in addition to a user id and password. 2) You have to get the student to register, which is something the instructor needs to follow up on. And 3) last time I checked, it required Internet Explorer to work. (The manager tried to BS on the last and said it was necessary for the database access. Wrong.)

As a web site developer, I'm sure I have the skills to use the program, but it also makes me a bit intolerant towards the poor design. I'm sure it will eventually be mandatory, but it isn't yet. I doubt the examiner, in the end, has the authority to reject a paper 8710.

The newest version got rid of #1. You don't need to know your FTN anymore. It has its flaws, but for now, it is ok...

[Flyin_bryan]

theres nothing wrong with the regular paper version 8710.... I have enough usernames and passwords to remember anyways.

examiners cannot reject paper 8710's. if one did I would just wrtie a little letter to the faa.

[meyers9163]

Originally Posted by Flyin_bryan

theres nothing wrong with the regular paper version 8710.... I have enough usernames and passwords to remember anyways.

examiners cannot reject paper 8710's. if one did I would just wrtie a little letter to the faa.

Wanna bet? Simply, I cant do your checkride, find another DPE.... Pretty simple.

[taseal]

what is wrong with IACRA?

all you gotta do is send yourself an email with the username password. fill in everything, and you're set. it took me 10 mins to fill mine out for IFR.

I also have a logshare account, and keep it updated, so when i'm set it prints out the hours thingy, so I just fill in the blanks.

[meyers9163]

Originally Posted by taseal

what is wrong with IACRA?

all you gotta do is send yourself an email with the username password. fill in everything, and you're set. it took me 10 mins to fill mine out for IFR.

I also have a logshare account, and keep it updated, so when i'm set it prints out the hours thingy, so I just fill in the blanks.

Thus you and IACRA work great together! THIS is exactly what I recommend to my students. Logshare and IACRA make a great combination!

[Maurus]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

Lastly there are also many DPE's who will reject 8710's now. They LOVE it. The ones I've had experiences with. Nothing but great things to say about it.

Funny, almost every DPE I worked with hated IACRA.

[meyers9163]

Originally Posted by Maurus

Funny, almost every DPE I worked with hated IACRA.

The three main DPEs I worked with were all airline guys. One UAL 777 CAP, one Airways A330 CAP.... Perhaps they were into the technology as well and therefore liked it better.... i dunno

[Maurus]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

The three main DPEs I worked with were all airline guys. One UAL 777 CAP, one Airways A330 CAP.... Perhaps they were into the technology as well and therefore liked it better.... i dunno

That would make sense.

[Flyin_bryan]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

Wanna bet? Simply, I cant do your checkride, find another DPE.... Pretty simple.

Understood, but that doesn't sound like a DPE anyone would want anyways. My student is paying him, not the other way around. Those DPEs can get their $200-$500 elsewhere. How about making it convienient for the student? All of this just so the DPE doesnt have to mail in an envelope.... makes me mad.

[meyers9163]

Originally Posted by Flyin_bryan

Understood, but that doesn't sound like a DPE anyone would want anyways. My student is paying him, not the other way around. Those DPEs can get their $200-$500 elsewhere. How about making it convienient for the student? All of this just so the DPE doesnt have to mail in an envelope.... makes me mad.

Not at all. The computer program was designed to assit the DPE. It helps assure the student is indeed qualified for the rating. In addition it assures that the address and paperwork are indeed in order and alright the the FAA. There were many occurances before this system in which some people would get a liscense at times they were not legal for (due to many reasons), not get their liscense due to an error in the paper work etc. Also a DPE was only allowed to make 3 mistakes a year or something crazy like that before they could lose the opportunity to be a DPE. The paper work via IACRA eliminates that pressure from being on the DPE.

As well the students in Florida (where I instructed) for the most part knew most DPEs only would take IACRA. Therefore they got adjusted to it and just did it. No big deal. Its a matter of time until I guess its official you do it on Iacra or you just dont get to take your ride. As well this IACRA allows the student to get their liscense a lot quicker. Therefore the temporary isnt in their pocket as long and they have the real thing. Regardless there were many reasons for it and probably the least of the reasons for the change would be due to the stamp and mailing it.

Regardless its a good program. If you are a studnet you should indeed adjust to the ways of the FAA and use it. If you are an instructor you should really adjust to the current ways and get your students into it as well.

[Flyin_bryan]

Originally Posted by meyers9163

Not at all. The computer program was designed to assit the DPE. It helps assure the student is indeed qualified for the rating. In addition it assures that the address and paperwork are indeed in order and alright the the FAA. There were many occurances before this system in which some people would get a liscense at times they were not legal for (due to many reasons), not get their liscense due to an error in the paper work etc. Also a DPE was only allowed to make 3 mistakes a year or something crazy like that before they could lose the opportunity to be a DPE. The paper work via IACRA eliminates that pressure from being on the DPE.

As well the students in Florida (where I instructed) for the most part knew most DPEs only would take IACRA. Therefore they got adjusted to it and just did it. No big deal. Its a matter of time until I guess its official you do it on Iacra or you just dont get to take your ride. As well this IACRA allows the student to get their liscense a lot quicker. Therefore the temporary isnt in their pocket as long and they have the real thing. Regardless there were many reasons for it and probably the least of the reasons for the change would be due to the stamp and mailing it.

Regardless its a good program. If you are a studnet you should indeed adjust to the ways of the FAA and use it. If you are an instructor you should really adjust to the current ways and get your students into it as well.

I still dont believe in IACRA. Its the instructors job to make sure the student is qualified and has met the requirements. Its the examiners job to do the same. Lets not turn this into a:

"is he ready for the checkride?"
"I dont know..... lets check the computer!!"

The current ways of the FAA around here are that paper 8710's are fine and dandy. DPE is not FAA..... the FAA is fine with paper. As for making IACRA the only way to submit applications, thats some kool aid cooked up by one of your non FAA DPEs.

It is just as easy to make a mistake on that computer as it is on a paper version.

Seems to me that filling out a piece of paper and following the instructions is alot easier than learning how to use a computer, registering for iacra, and typing all of the information in, then submitting it.

Doesnt IACRA shut down intermittently? Isnt the FAA continually making changes to the whole process? I say stay away from it. I just laugh when people try and re invent the wheel.

[Speed Pilot]

I've used IACRA for all my checkrides and have no problem with it. It's required by all the DPE's around Boise and the Boise FSDO last month made it mandatory for their checkrides as well. So in this area if you don't use IACRA you don't get to take a checkride with anybody.

[SoCalAprch]

IACRA is great. When I instructed I just handed my students a blank 8710 and said take it home and fill out sa much as you can and I will do the rest. They bring it back and I type in their name, address and stuff and just copy their hours from their 8710 to the IACRA site. Took all of 5 minutes and cut down on the paper work at the end of the check ride. If the student passed the DPE logs in clicks satisfactory and out prints the temporary. No more typewriters and misspelled names caught too late. I was actually irritated when I got my 145 SIC rating and I had to go home and try to fill out an 8710 the old school way. But I think its habit, I never had to fill out an 8710 except for when I was in CFI school so IACRA became what I was used to. Same for people that have always filled out the 8710.

[bLizZuE]

I'm not a big fan of it.

[ASpilot2be]

I see it is a hit or miss thing. I think once the bugs get worked out it could be great. But for now I have a negative opinion of it.