Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. (1997, July 30). 14  CFR part 61, section 61.127. Retrieved on 19 January 2007  from http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies. NOTE: A commercial pilot with a balloon category and  class rating may instruct, and is authorized to do so under  the provisions of his or her certificate.  Upon completion of all training requirements, the student  pilot (which refers to both the student applying for a private  certificate, as well as the private pilot upgrading to the  commercial certificate) makes application through the IACRA  web site. The FAA Form 8710-1 is completed online in several  steps. When complete, the form is submitted to the central  server at the FAA Airman Certification Branch in Oklahoma  City. If the form is accepted at the server, the applicant is issued  an application ID number for future reference.  The instructor, who has previously enrolled in the IACRA  system as a recommending instructor, uses the applicant’s  FTN to retrieve the application for review. It is also the  responsibility of the instructor to attach the results of the  student’s written test to the IACRA file, using the Exam  ID, which is usually found in the upper right portion of  the printed results. Once the recommending instructor has  reviewed the application, and the results are attached, the  application is again sent to the central server at the Airman  Certification Branch.  If a pilot currently holds a pilot certificate for a powered  aircraft and wants to add a balloon category rating on that  certificate, he or she is exempt from the knowledge test,  but must satisfactorily complete the flight training and  practical test. Certificated balloon pilots are not required  to hold an airman medical certificate to operate a balloon  within the United States. Flights in foreign countries fall  under the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)  regulations, and a medical certificate is generally required.  For private pilots working toward the commercial pilot  certificate, the regulatory requirement is ten additional hours  of flight training, per the provisions of 14 CFR part 61.  Flight time logged as instructional time towards the initial  certification may not, under most circumstances, be counted  towards that time which must be accumulated toward the  commercial rating.  At the appropriate time, the examiner retrieves the applicant’s  application from the central server, verifies the individual’s  identification, and administers the practical test. IACRA has  provisions for the issuance of a temporary airman certificate,  notice of discontinuance, or notice of disapproval. When the  evaluation is completed, and the examiner has completed  the appropriate processing, the file is again returned to the  Airman Certification Branch. Upon successful completion, the  permanent certificate is prepared and forwarded to the pilot. This chapter provides an overview of the FAA, the flight  instructor, and DPE’s roles in the qualification and licensing  of lighter-than-air pilots. Additionally, the regulatory  requirements for both ground and aeronautical training have  been outlined. The Integrated Airman Certification and/or Rating  Application (IACRA) is an online application system that  allows for the issuance of student, private, and commercial  certificates without generating paperwork; all certificate  application and approval is done through the use of electronic  signatures. IACRA interfaces with multiple databases to  validate data and verify specific fields of information, and  upon completion of the approval process, forwards the data  automatically to the Airman Certification Branch.  In order to utilize the system, an applicant must first register  at http://acra.faa.gov/iacra/. This registration process results  in the issuance of an FAA Tracking Number (FTN). This  number becomes the applicant’s registration number for all  future utilization of the system, so it is important to keep it  for future reference and action. The reader has also been given some basic information and  techniques concerning flight safety practices and aeronautical  decision-making. This information is not exhaustive; the  student pilot would be well advised to avail himself or  herself of other materials published by the FAA and other  organizations.  Chapter Summary Introduction to Integrated Airman  Certification and/or Rating Application  (IACRA) 1-15