Here is an article with some details from AOPA in March:
The entire article is nothing but rhetoric. It gave no facts as to what is in the bill they claim people should support. They only claim people should support it.
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;
(C) outside the United States, unless authorized by the country in which the flight is conducted; or
(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.
There was a LOT of talk about this, this week at Osh...
The admission that the FAA just flat-out LIED about having any kind of a medical reform plan, after saying they did, is stunning.
But I shouldn’t be, given the last seven years of FedGov, should it.
Hi,
I’m from the F.A.A. and I’m here to help?