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Maybe a few facts would have helped. Here is the significant portion of the bill below. It removes the 3rd class medical and replaces it with no medical. Oh, that’s right, a mere “driver’s license” is the “medical”, as though we don’t have enough Glaucoma patients driving around or elderly with heart conditions or reflex issues. Now, these elderly and medically dysfunctional people want pilot’s licenses. The only people pushing to remove the 3rd class medical are those that have failed 3rd class medicals.

To get a 3rd class medical is dead simple and takes 15 minutes every 2 years for those over 40; every 5 years for those under 40. A visit to the doctor, he checks that eyesight is 20/20, correctable if need be, distance and color vision is good, the person can hear a conversation in a quiet room, and has no history of heart or other significant medical issues. Not a problem.

The true and real problem exists in that people who have had cancer treatments or heart surgeries usually have a hard time with the FAA in keeping their medical. Many of these people are just fine to fly but the FAA acts badly and delays or harasses them by forcing them to get a medical every 6 months with their doctor’s supporting medical information, and they do this every 6 months, again and again. The FAA could resolve this issue by changing their ridiculous medical processes, such as saying once is enough.

Senate Bill 571:

SEC. 2. Medical certification of certain small aircraft pilots.

(a) In general.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall issue or revise medical certification regulations to ensure that an individual may operate as pilot in command of a covered aircraft without regard to any medical certification or proof of health requirement otherwise applicable under Federal law if—

(1) the individual possesses a valid State driver’s license and complies with any medical requirement associated with that license;

(2) the individual is transporting not more than 5 passengers;

(3) the individual is operating under visual flight rules or instrument flight rules; and

(4) the relevant flight, including each portion thereof, is not carried out—

(A) for compensation, including that no passenger or property on the flight is being carried for compensation;

(B) at an altitude that is more than 14,000 feet above mean sea level;

(D) at an indicated air speed exceeding 250 knots.

(b) Covered aircraft defined.—In this section, the term “covered aircraft” means an aircraft that—

(1) is not authorized under Federal law to carry more than 6 occupants; and

(2) has a maximum certificated takeoff weight of not more than 6,000 pounds.

>>Maybe a few facts would have helped. Here is the significant portion of the bill below. It removes the 3rd class medical and replaces it with no medical. Oh, that’s right, a mere “driver’s license” is the “medical”, as though we don’t have enough Glaucoma patients driving around or elderly with heart conditions or reflex issues. Now, these elderly and medically dysfunctional people want pilot’s licenses. The only people pushing to remove the 3rd class medical are those that have failed 3rd class medicals.

Nope. In part, to use a driver's license as a medical one has had to have held a 3rd class or better within the past ten years. If a medical has been failed or revoked, you would not be able to fly on a driver's license. Sport pilots have no medical requirement. In the last ten years there have been zero fatal accidents from sport pilot sudden incapacitation. Get the facts.

"The true and real problem exists in that people who have had cancer treatments or heart surgeries usually have a hard time with the FAA in keeping their medical. Many of these people are just fine to fly but the FAA acts badly and delays or harasses them by forcing them to get a medical every 6 months with their doctor’s supporting medical information, and they do this every 6 months, again and again. The FAA could resolve this issue by changing their ridiculous medical processes, such as saying once is enough."

Their are flight examiners that specialize in getting the waiver after denial. However like you mentioned cancer, heart surgery etc all this to get your ticket back is very expensive. If I understand what Inhofe said this week is he wants to tie it into a transportation bill. IMHO had he not said anything and did it without fan fare who knows if ALPA would have not said anything.

ALPA is short-sighted IMHO. That person who gets their ticket w/out the 3rd class and then decides to go pro because they like it that much, how many of these folks are they throwing out with the bath water.

To be honest, FAA would really like to do away with GA. It is a nuisance to them. They are trying to kill it with paper if possible. They also throw up just about any excuse they can to revoke or deny a medical including high blood pressure and type II diabetes. Foolishness.

Especially foolish when you see an alcoholic doctor landing a 206 and hardly able to stand up when he gets out of the airplane. Fat, florid faced and drunk... is no way to fly any airplane.

The reality is that it is not as simple as you suggest: