The FAA published a number in July 2026 that most deferred pilots
never see: 53% of deferred cases were waiting on the airman, not on
the FAA.
That same week, files that arrived complete averaged 33 days to a
decision. Files where the FAA had to write back asking for something
missing averaged 85.
So most of the wait isn't the FAA being slow. It's paperwork which
is the part you actually control.
That finding is why I wrote Deferred.