WASHINGTON, D.C. — It started two-and-a-half years ago and there is still no clear end in sight. It’s another example of apparent government slow — or no — action.
In March 2012, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) petitioned the FAA to reduce the requirements for a third-class medical certificate and permit certain types of flying with a valid automobile drivers’ license, much like the Sport Pilot license.
Estimates by AOPA and EAA officials indicate the proposed change would affect about 39,000 pilots. Some doctors have opposed the change, but the majority of comments favored it.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said at this year’s AirVenture in Oshkosh that the agency had received more than 16,000 comments about the petition.
AOPA officials note the association’s members are impatient and consider the elimination of the medical to be a priority issue. Association officials note that a large number of messages received at its headquarters are from members wondering where the issue stands. They also note that their members are getting impatient.
Congress is getting impatient as well. In late August, 32 members of the House General Aviation Caucus sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx urging him to expedite the review process and permit the FAA to proceed with its next step of issuing the proposal for public comment. Early in September 11 Senators, who were all co-sponsors of a bill to reform the medical process, also asked the Department of Transportation to speed up the process.
So where does the proposed rule change now? It is someplace in the maze of government. Officially it is at the Department of Transportation. Questions to DOT officials are met with no response, telling us to contact the FAA. FAA officials comment that “it is now under executive review at the DOT.”
The rule change must also be examined by the Office of Management and Budget.
When the DOT and OMB both approve the proposal — if they do — it will be returned to the FAA, which will then put it out for public comment. The length of time for comments will probably be several months.
After these comments are considered, the FAA may or may not issue a rule change.
This long process leaves many with concern about what the outcome will be. Does delay signal a favorable or unfavorable decision, or is it just government’s way of handling some subjects?
EAA’s Dick Knapinski says that association remains optimistic. Until there is a final decision, he says, “we always look for the bright side to make it easier for pilots to continue to fly safely.”
AOPA officials also are optimistic. The association’s Rob Hackman says they are encouraged by the support the proposal is getting from Congress, the aviation industry and individual pilots.
This has been a long process, he acknowledges. “Our objective now is to get across the finish line,” he said.
FAA Administrator Huerta has indicated he is in favor of the change. So, if all goes well, there could be a change coming.
But don’t cancel your next appointment for a physical exam.
As someone with a background in health care and healthcare administration there are so many flaws in the third class medical system I don’t even know where to begin. The notion that a physician will catch something on Third Class exam that is likely to be “incapacitating” is pure bunk. Without the 8500, which the pilot fills out, a third class physical wouldn’t catch most of the disqualifying conditions. The physician doesn’t even check your blood sugar, what more do an A1C. You could be a brittle diabetic and if you were properly medicated that day, your urine is going to test out fine. A pilot could have essential hyperstension, if he/she is taking their medication that day the AME will never know. Everyone except the FAA and the physicians who generate revenue from this know the concept that the third class physical keeps us all safe is rediculous. My guess is it is one of the few places where doctors can still play God – but that is another whole issue. Look at Austraila. Australian made some changes. Is it raining aluminum there? Unfortunately, everyone involved refuses to use common sense.
I remember when I had some minor eye surgery. My doctor said that I could return to work the next day. He never even scheduled a return visit to monitor my progress.
I hurt so bad I stayed in bed for 4 days. When I stopped hurting, I personally didn’t feel
that I was well enough to drive my automobile, And I did not drive my automobile for
2 weeks. Could I have driven my automobile,? of course. But I made the decision not to
because I was the best judge of my physical condition.
The government needs to stop babysitting every one.
I believe that the third class medical should be done away with. This action alone
would boom the aviation economy.
CONTROL GENTLEMEN IT IS ABOUT CONTROL It is like trying to get term limits. How can you expect to get our Congressmen to vote themselves out of office?
Ed, it’s Control and Money ….. FAA/DOT control — AMA/AME’s money
The 3rd class medical is asinine, pure and simple.
Yes, always follow the money. The love of it is the root of the evil.
DOT is dragging their feet,
While the pilots look on in dismay,
The government’s ranks are replete,
With these FEDs that would rather delay.
It’s no skin off Uncle Sam’s nose,
Just another day at their desk,
While the pilots lament and propose,
To fly with no third class medical is their quest.
It’s a freedom issue you see,
It’s really always been our creeping fate,
Those that want to control you and me,
In a growing much left leaning state.
The feds can do what they want.. I am not waiting any longer. I am choosing to fly without a medical
It’s wonderful that members of the a House and Senate have sent letters to the DOT urging it to speed up the process. But Congress has the power to do more more than urge speed. There are bills pending in both the House and Senate that would short-circuit the FAA/DOT process entirely — in the good sense of “short-circuit” — and bring drivers-license medicals into existence immediately upon enactment. So, if in addition to writing letters, those House and Senate members would simply push their colleagues to pass that legislation, they would be doing themselves what they’re asking DOT to do. What a wonderful do-it-yourself accomplishment that would be.
I think it’s ridiculous to do away with the 3rd class medical. I feel that the light sport license and options ought to be done away with altogether.
If we are going to go through with the elimination of the 3rd class medical then do away with the requirements of the 2nd and 1st as well.
I hope you are being sarcastic about the Jurrasic Medical (3rd class) needing to be retained. Aviation is the only form of private transportation that burdens its users with onerous requirements. The 2nd and 1st class should and will remain just like there are such requirements for the CDL and associated medical in commercial ground transportation. The bottom line is the 3rd class should have never existed and was probably a knee jerk response to perceived complexities of aviation in the early half of the 1900’s. A medical has never been required to operate an automobile and never should have been applied to light aircraft.
Bottom line is if this was a serious post I strongly question your knowledge and level of participation in aviation. I have never met an active licensed pilot who thought their 3rd class medical was anything more than a worthless piece of paper that gave no assurance they were fit to fly for the several years in between renewals. It has ALWAYS been up to the Pilot to decide their medical fitness prior to every flight, be it in a J-3 Cub of a 747.
Never underestimate the FAA’s ability to screw up something that is common sense. We allow minors with a six-pack to drive 200+ hp motorboats with no license whatsoever, but go into hysterics over the possibility of a responsible pilot doing what is right. When government policies defy common sense, policies and laws are ignored. Just ask airline and military pilots with a panel full of FAA-approved but antiquated instruments why they use a personal handheld GPS or iPad for most navigation these days.
“… or spending their money on other hobbies while their aircraft gather dust in the hangar.”
This would be me, but I sold my airplane because I didn’t think I would ever fly again. I am not going to run the gauntlet of un-insured tests that the FAA wants me to jump through with the possibility that I would get the “fail” and be forever locked out of even LSA.
I wonder, how many AME’s have been sued for *not* predicting the heart attack or stroke?
Good points Steve. The AME has never been in a position to “predict” that first massive heart attack. Why should he/she? Bus drivers could run off the road and kill everybody without prediction or guys shooting shot guns at the skeet range or roller skating in a big crowd for that matter. It’s just a big charade that has been pulled on pilots for all these years because a medical examination just “sounds” reasonable but in reality doesn’t produce any substantive results and ofcourse the entire public doesn’t like those “dangerous” little airplanes falling down on school yards and everywhere else so the pilots in this minority have been fighting this misinformation since the beginning. At least the ridiculousness has finally been exposed as some Congressman have gotten on board……………………………………………
When it comes to commercial, passenger carrying aviation, then I do expect the FAA to hold pilots and aircraft to a higher standard. The flying public puts their trust in complete strangers. OTOH, when I flew my Cessna, my passengers knew me and could evaluate my competence during the preflight. By the time the fan is turning, my passengers will have interacted with me a lot more than they do the airline captain.
I do believe that the AMA’s interest is purely selfish. Of all the AME’s I met over the quarter-century of flying, I don’t recall a single one of them who were not retired MD’s working part-time to pick up some retirement cash.
Doctors have always hated that they can make recomendations but then it was up to us to decide if we would follow it. This is a control thing from a small group of doctors in the aviation medical field, notably our Federal Air Surgeon. So you have been told to diet and lose some weight, well if your BMI is above an arbitrary level then you have to go through the diagnostic proces for Sleep Apnea with the deck stacked in favor of a positive diagnosis (the doc makes more money if you need treatment). The list of disqualifying conditions just keeps getting longer and while you supposedly stand a good chance of a special issuance in most cases it will still require a rediculus array of test and impost lots of conditions on keeping it. You essentially become a slave to the Doctors and have no choice but to do whatever they command (not recommend).
Some would call me cynical with those views, I think of myself as a realist.
Sarah, thank you for your well stated comments here and those you have made on previous posts. You are in no way “cynical”. Our government, the medical profession, the pharmacutical companies, the medical insurance companies, have all contributed to a “system” of yes literal persecution on the public as they all have a personal interest in taking a percentage of our monthly pay checks for many unnecessary programs and procedures. We have been lied to on many fronts because of “feel good” programs and complicated processes that hide the truth and pills that were likely not needed. Over kill on prostate exams and treatments and colonoscopies based on fear mongering that have hurt people………… Enough of my ranting; nevertheless, thank you for your willingness to step up and voice your correct opinions and please be encouraged to keep up the fight to expose the truth concerning unnecessary practices.
The projected and actual accomplishment of the various government milestones during the rulemaking process for this issue can be found via the following DOT website:
http://www.dot.gov/regulations/report-on-significant-rulemakings
After loading this page, click on the (September) Significant Rulesmakings Report, and scroll to Item 21 on page 26. As one can see, the FAA did send a draft proposal to DOT, its parent agency, as promised by Huerta at Air Venture 2014. However, all the remaining milestones have been extended, and there is no requirement that anything happen at all.
Charles, as failing to get a clean pass from one’s AME during one’s last 3rd Class medical exam is very likely to disqualify a pilot from using any modified medical certificate rules, I must assume that a lot of pilots who fly solely for recreation are in fact NOT scheduling a visit to their AME these days, and are either flying rogue or spending their money on other hobbies while their aircraft gather dust in the hangar. The MD’s opposing new regulations might want to be careful what they wish for.