CASA has stopped changing Approved Testing Officers (ATO) over to the new Flight Examiner ratings.
Under the new CASR Part 61 regulations, ATOs would be abolished and qualified candidates would instead be issued with a Flight Examiner rating, with 30 June 2016 set as the deadline for the transition
According to CASA, they have had to stop issuing the new ratings because the number of requests has been too high.
"Since 1 September, CASA has received an increasing number of requests from industry to transition these permissions to the equivalent CASR Part 61 permissions," said Mark Taylor, manager of the Permissions Application Centre.
"The transition of flight examiner ratings is a complex matter and must be done with due care and diligence. Consequently, the addition of these permissions to the effected CASR Part 61 licences, has had an impact on our ability to manage assessment timeframes across all flight crew permissions.
"To assist with the timely processing of the licences, CASA will not be in a position to transition the ATO delegations or other [flight crew licence] instrument approvals to the new flight examiner ratings at this time. We are prioritising applications to ensure that pilots continue to hold a valid licence.
"As the transition date for flight examiners is not due until June 2016, the ability of CASA delegates and other instrument holders to undertake tests, checks or training will not be affected.
"CASA will look at the progress of licence processing in second quarter of 2015, and review the timeframes for flight examiner conversions."
The Flight Examiner rating has caused significant controversy in the training industry because it meant rated instructors were no longer covered the government insurance indemnities, something the the Forsyth Report recommended be continued.