At the last Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) regional fly-in of the year, pilots clamored to sign a giant petition calling for reform of the third class medical.
It’s a scene that’s been played out at all the AOPA events throughout the year, association officials say, reporting that more than 10,000 signatures have been garnered since the petition first appeared at SUN ’n FUN. The panel that was at McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport (KSSI) in Georgia was the 10th panel.
“It’s been really popular,” said Steve Hedges, AOPA’s spokesman.
He added the association will keep bringing the panels to fly-ins and airshows “until the third class medical reform goes through.”
The quest for third class medical reform was on the top of the agenda for AOPA President Mark Baker’s Pilot Town Hall meeting, which closed out the Nov. 8 fly-in.
When Baker took over as president of the association in August 2013, a petition for the third class medical reform, submitted by AOPA and the Experimental Aircraft Association in March 2012, had been sitting on a desk somewhere in the FAA offices with virtually no movement. The petition asks the FAA to reduce the requirements for a third-class medical certificate, allowing certain types of flying with a valid driver’s license, much like the Sport Pilot license.
“As a business guy, I get impatient,” Baker said. “I don’t mind yes, I don’t mind no — I don’t even mind heck no — but I really can’t stand when people ignore us. That was just unacceptable.”
Unable to get any traction at the FAA, GA’s advocacy groups went to Congress and found support there. The Pilot Protection Act was first introduced in the House of Representatives, with a companion bill in the Senate introduced earlier this year. The House bill now has 170 co-sponsors and Baker reported that there’s a push on to get that number up to 218 — or more — so the legislation can be pushed through to a final vote.
“Meanwhile, the FAA doesn’t want Congress to tell them what to do, so they started moving on the petition,” he reported.
It also didn’t hurt that the pilot community made 21,700 calls, emails and letters to elected officials in support of the change, he noted.
The FAA has worked up its own revision to the third class medical, which is now at the Department of Transportation for review.
“It’s supposed to move out of there any day now,” Baker said. “Then it will be on to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for its review.”
OMB has 30 days to issue its report, so AOPA officials are hopeful the FAA plan will become public in January.
“We don’t know what exactly is in the rule,” Baker reported to the crowd at KSSI. “But here is what I think: We will get something done in 2015. Some things will change for the better as far as third class medical reform.
While there are many who oppose the reform — including the American Medical Association — Baker noted that there is no evidence that the third-class medical enhances safety.
“The third-class medical is just a one-hour guarantee of a pilot’s health,” he said. “There are no incapacitation issues and there is no math from anywhere to show that it improves safety.”
Meanwhile, AOPA officials urge pilots to continue signing the giant petitions at fly-ins and airshows until medical reform is reality.
“I’ve pointed out to Michael Whitaker, who is the FAA Deputy Administrator, that it will soon be his wallpaper in Washington, D.C.”
medical s for pilots were great during the second war for fighter pilots–But get real if I can hold down a twelve hour a day job, ride a motorcycle ., drive any motorized equipment I surely can fly an airplane and relax when I am doing it . we are not combat pilots or astronauts so get real give my back my second class medical and stop all the political power bull every pilot knows when to fly and not to fly.airline pilots have a greater responsibility but instructors and other commercial flying is simple and safe — somove on and get tis done.
AGREED.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for the Washington government to do something. I am selling my planes. Buying a Mazda Miata.
Fred
Hope the 3rd class medical disappears. But if it doesn’t at least improve the LSA program and put the weight limit up to something sensible that includes the vast number of 2 place trainers we learned on.
1320 lbs limits us to rag wind yester year 60-70 yr old clunkers, get that limit up to about 1650lbs so at least Cessna 150’s, 152’s, Tomahawks, Skippers etc are included in the LSA aircraft choices.
Capt. M. Hainen ret.
The medical is one problem. There is many other reasons GA is dwindling. I bet there are lawyers who fall all over them selves to get to an airplane accident. To sue manufactures, mechanist, FBO & any one involve with the plane for the last 20 years. To stop the lawsuits you have to fight every one & when the
lawyers find there golden goose is gone maybe that will stop some of this nonsense. Also we need to encourage children to see aviation is good hobby.
A few years ago, on two occasions, my third class medical was deferred. I had to wait for months for a third class with provisions. During that time I traveled 380 miles round trip in my car on freeways and two lane roads to medical appointments. I helped my son trim fruit trees, prepared family meals, and went to my job. Was I a threat to the safety of those I love and the general population? When I was able to fly again I passed, with flying colors, my bi-annual check rides. During a normal bi-annual physical exam my AME would not have performed the tests that diagnosed my medical conditions. As an honest pilot I provided the AME with the information.
If both congress AND the FAA somehow pass medical reform bills, who wins? I like the bill in congress better as it allows for IFR flights.
Contact your Congressmen and make polite, rational, comments supporting the Pilots Bill of Rights 2. It is incumbent on all of us to send them the message… the lobbyists for AMA, the airlines, and greedy manufacturers are mobilized against us… but the numbers of support comments really count!
I’m an Ercoupe (LSA) flyer, and plan to stay that way, but want my fellow GA pilots to have a choice to reduce FAA over regulation
I have a Forney F1A. Same as an Ercoupe, but just a little heavier. It doesn’t qualify. I guess I don’t need to fly anymore.
Fred
Follow the money. AMA opposition and I would imagine current Sport Category companies are also opposed. The Sport aircraft are a little more expensive than people thought. For the price of a new sport a beautiful 4 place would be a consideration.
Maybe it will put some pressure on Sport category mfgrs to become more efficient and beat down prices. Right now, if 3rd class medical revision legislation passes, a re-man 172 looks very appealing.
And to Dave’s drone comment below – if you only knew! It WASN’T two-weeks!!!
I was an industry rep resentative, across two avionics mfgrs, on RTCA Special Committee (SC)-203 “UAS Flight in the National Airspace System (NAS)” that dealt with this very subject.
The DOD/FAA/Industry committee’s goal was SAFE integration of UAVs (“drones”) with manned A/C. Of utmost concern to FAA was UAV/airline collision-avoidance rules & technology.
This relates to Dave’s “two-weeks” comment below. Special Committee 203, referenced above, was in existence before I entered the picture; I was active as an industry rep for three years; and, it’s been seven years since I last participated, and it’s still active! So that’s over TEN-YEARS of getting to Dave’s “two weeks”!
Typically, a combined total of 80 – 100 DOD, USG (primarily FAA) & industry reps attended the periodic status update / reviews of the draft FARs regarding UAV access to the NAS.
When it comes to airspace safety and the FAA NOTHING happens in two-weeks!!! As you can see related to the third class medical, nothing happens AT ALL unless pressure is applied from other quarters.
We only wish Dave’s comment represented reality!
How come FAA could make new drone rules in two weeks? And it’s been three years trying to get third class medical changed.
I don’t know about your AME but I have found the cost increase from $89 four years ago to $279 last year. Can’t wait to see how much it will increase when I go in next year.
I hear ya! The AME in this area charged $120 for a 3rd class medical (about 15 minutes) 3 yrs. ago. Don’t know for sure what his fee is now but heard it’s up to $140.
Obviously they have a vested interest in being against doing away with it.
Why are we waiting for the FAA. Another big waste of time. Go with Congress immediately to abolish third class medical.instead we are all standing around waiting for a present from the FAA which will never happen.
I agree with you on this. Here we are in January of 2015, and this all started back in 2013 and it sure seems no one is listening to it. Even when they are asked about it.
Waiting for the federal government to do anything right is a hopeless waste of time. My big decision is, should I sell my 172 and buy a FlightDesign LS which I can fly without a 3rd. class med. Each year, I submit large amounts of data, and buy a lot of tests. It is expensive and time consuming. But, safety is important, so perhaps I should sell the plane, and buy a 46 foot motorhome, and drive it in Houston at 8:00 AM each day. That is something very safe I can do with a drivers license.
Frederick,
I have a FD CTLS and its a great little plane. I would love to get a four seat aircraft but am waiting on medical reform and bought the CTLS so I can fly NOW. In about another year I probably will be so attached to it I won’t consider selling it and might just thank the FAA for prompting me to buy a great plane that is fun and ECONOMICAL to fly.
Todd
15 years of the faa treadmill tests, atta boy letters from 2 md’s, even letters to the FAA stating that “this man” has had a complete recovery and that these tests are not medically necessary. Costs are huge. Once I did not fly because I had the flu. See, I know when not to fly. We are all big boys, right? I look forward to this being abolished and use the money to top off my 182 a few times.
Fredrick
I have around 20 hours on a Flight Design CT and love it ! Last week I finalized my sale of my 182T which was difficult to do however, I feel the Light Sport will satisfy my mission needs and it is a bunch of fun too !
Having to consider the costs, time and stress to maintain my class 3 for what might be 12 -18 months I decided to make what I hope is a long term change and just spend some time flying !
If the class 3 was changed tomorrow I do not think I would regret my decision to change and would stay with the CT.
From everything I have heard and read on this matter the issue of insurance is missing from the discussions.
Why would any insurance company extend coverages to someone who is not willing to complete a medical screening process and expose themselves to such an unknown risk?
All that said if Class 3 is changed as proposed it will simply be the beginning of a set of long term changes
Congress is the right place! 1,000s of GA-mkt dependent jobs across multiple states carries far more clout than the relatively small number of FAA ME’s.
And hey, with recent air transport events, I’m certain FAA ME’s will be (are?) lobbying for mandatory first class psychological screenings. See, something for everyone!
I noticed the flak bursts around the new administrators qualifications…..supposed lack of actual flying experience. That is not necessarily a bad thing. Look at the entrenched folks being moved out and we should welcome somebody who is not part of the whatever we call the
Over the many years, I’ve noticed that a movie actor turned the military around after a Naval Officer peanut farmer gutted the services.
With borrowed money, of course. A borrow-and-spend spree that has continued ever since.
I want to thank the EAA and AOPA for their efforts, but time is running out for most of us. The cost of flying is making it prohibitive for all but the wealthy. Even with Medical relief I am not sure I can justify the cost. Fuel in Louisville (Bowman Field) continues to be $6 a gallon while mo-gas is $2.30. Whats up with that?? Hanger fees are $350 month. Insurance $1,500 year, Annuals this year up to $4,000 for a tail AD on the Comanche. That $100 hamburger trip is now $500!! Whats next …. I gotta spend $6,000 to help out with Next Gen and lets not forget about the leaded gas issue. maybe $8 gallon and a fried Lycoming engine. Oh yes and lets see if homeland security shoots one of us down for flying out of Colorado or Florida. Lets look back at the history of the FAA…. the recreational pilot certificate and LSA. Both did little to nothing to help GA. Most of our fleet is locked up in a hanger and out of annual. The FAA wants those birds removed.. Where will they go? To the ramp to rot! FBOs beware your hanger rentals will drop off to nothing and then how will you pay the bills!
Yup… fed up and tied of waiting. Lets face it the FAA just wants us all to go away.
You make some good points, even without the 3rd class medical requirement the cost of flying has gotten prohibitive for many of us. Not just fuel, hangars, and parts…. both also just the cost of good headsets & other accessories. If something is aviation related the cost is double what it would be otherwise.
And that’s an excellent point also re. the FBO’s and empty hangars. Why aren’t more FBO’s, aviation businesses, and mfgrs. being more vocal and helping in this battle? They all stand to lose big-time as the GA population dwindles. My guess is they don’t want an FAA target on their back.
In another example of government overreach, wherein the FAA is now considering the imposition of a sleep apnea test … PBA that I had a sleep apnea test done last year at my local hospital and the cost came to a staggering $8,000 … and I came away fine!! Add this cost to the myriad of other FAA requirements and it is no wonder that aviation has crossed the line in making our passion for aviation too expensive for so many otherwise qualified pilots!!
The very fact that the FAA administrator is allowing the Sleep Apnea testing requirement to continue towards implementation is a clear demonstration that that he is not sincere in providing relief from the requirements of the 3rd class medical to GA. The Federal Air Surgon’s motto: “I will give up the 3rd class medical when they pry it from my cold dead fingers”.
Good comments Sarah as always throughout this blog. I might add that “I will give up flying not when they take away my right to fly because I don’t have a 3rd class medical, not when they take away my certificate to fly, and not when they make ADSB a requirement, but I will give up flying only when I decide that I am no longer able to fly.”
Sara said it as well as anyone could. My only concern is that the FAA will water it down to the point of making any change worthless. If the FAA version is not good enough, we need to go back to congress.
The FAA is full of Bureaucrats with nothing to do but figure out new rules and regulations to impose on the aviation industry. That is true in almost every area of governemnt and explains why our country is slowly being strangled by rules and regulations. Getting rid of the 3rd class medical is a step in the right direction and it is way overdue. This is the single biggest issue facing GA these days in my opinion as it gets to the heart of the matter, we need more active GA pilots and currently the pool is shrinking way too fast. Quantity has always driven costs so this will affect everything from fuel prices to the costs of aircraft and avionics. We need all those grounded pilots back in the air and it is only the extreme restrictive standards of the OKC FAA crowd that is keeping them on the ground. With the 3rd class medical abolished the FAA can even cut back expenses but I am sure they will find some other way to spend that budget, government agencies never willingly give up money.
Why did the alphabet groups sit on their hands for so many years before they did anything?. They were too busy with an airplane give away sweepstakes.
What we need is a competitive agency for sport and private aircraft. Perhaps allow EAA, AOPA, or a special-purpose organization to establish and manage alternative airworthiness, pilot licensing and other regulatory structures as an alternative to the FAA. Simply require that passengers be informed and provided with some basic information about the differences.
All EAB aircraft already have a passenger warning placard to inform them of the aircrafts lack of normal proff of air worthyiness. I think the same applies to LSA and ELSA so we are not that far off from what you are suggesting already. A good idea, probably too good to ever stand a chance of coming to be.
The American Medical Association opposes the reform. How convenient for them and how showing is this of their real position on this specific matter and where they must stand on other “necessary” procedures, medicines, and surgeries —————> $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Numerous doctor-pilots posting on many blogs point out that the AMA represents about 10% of American docs at the most. They are just a professional lobby, not a medical organization as the common man would understand it to be.
Bu that is exactly the problem. The AMA has a lot of name recognition and until the debate on the 3rd class medical got started I was not aware that the they were not representative of the nations doctors. That lack of understanding gives them a lot of clout with the public in general and that can be used against us in any negative publicity the hits the media.
Statistics tell us that a Family Doctor now makes about $120,000. This is about half of what they were making 10 years ago adjusted for inflation. I can see why they don’t want to give up the $100. for 15 minutes a 3rd. class medical provides.
Don’t get me started on the oft-delayed 3rd Class medical thing. It raises my blood pressure. Ditto on ADS-B for recreational pilots who are based outside Class A, B or C airspace but under the layer cake. Can’t we just have an “equip or stay the heck out” rule?
The proposed hangar use restrictions are truly a solution in search of a problem, and the person in charge of them must be desperate to keep his little group in the FAA budget for another year (“Folks, we have to DO SOMETHING or we are toast”.) Your tax dollars wisely spent promoting safe aviation.
The recent 3rd Class Medical bureaucratic headwind is just symptomatic of a much more serious cancer at FAA. FAA has lost touch with real aviation, with what constitutes real public safety, and with its fundamental responsibility under the original FAA Act, as amended. Examples abound, from Jurassic airspace management, to failed UAV policies, to counterproductive pilot qualification and “flight and duty” criteria, to an absurd hangar use policy, to a nearly complete bungling of implementation of key future airspace components such as separation standards, ADS, RNP, GLS, Data Links, and NextGen. It is past time for a major reset at FAA, starting with its very structural organization, as well as staffing at the top tiers. It should be required that any applicant for any FAA or successor organization senior position first have at least credible serious aviation as well as technically relevant experience..
Absolutely right. The current FAA administrator is a career government bureaucrat, appointed by Obama. He has no background relevant to aviation. His degree? Political science. His prior posts are nearly all politically appointed government or quasi government positions. Nor is he a pilot. Any FAA administrator should have a degree relevant to aviation. A hard science like physics or engineering for example. And real experience in aviation itself.
Going further, the FAA should be completely reorganized. Those most affected by their actions should be at the table with both advisory powers and actual voting and decision making power. Manufacturers, GA, and airlines come to mind. As it is, the FAA is a virtual dictatorship. Some balance is sorely needed to reduce the dictatorial power of the FAA. The same could be said of other regulatory bodies.
@ John. John, I fully concur. However the replacement of FAA officials need to specifically extend from the top down to at least the “Division level” in most parts of FAA Hqs,, and also down to both Division and Office Levels or below, in many FAA Regions. Currently, horrible decisions are being made, especially at those Division and Staff levels, which are then in turn not “short stopped” or sent back for serious revision when they reach the (technically marginally qualified or unqualified) Office, Associate, or Administrator levels. This is why a presidential level sponsored NON-FAA high level review of NextGen is critical at this point. It is also why Congress needs to insist on a full review of the FAA Act, as amended, followed by a significant reorganization of FAA, which is now necessary. FAA is now so broken, that it can’t be fixed from the inside, even from the top, regardless of FAA funding.