A new report from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association finds that more than 66,000 aviators are flying under BasicMed five years after the program was launched on May 1, 2017.
“With hundreds of thousands of general aviation pilots in the United States, I am encouraged that we are experiencing the best safety numbers in years, even while the skies are busier than ever. The data clearly show that BasicMed has been an undeniable success,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “Medical reform was a top priority for me as soon as I joined AOPA, and what we expected with these reforms has now come to fruition. I am so pleased that BasicMed is being embraced by pilots for its effectiveness.”
The AOPA Air Safety Institute reported that the GA accident rate, based on National Transportation Safety Board data, is at its lowest level in decades, continuing to drop every year since the 1990s. The GA community has never had a stronger focus on safety, and the FAA continues to make U.S. airspace the safest in the world, AOPA officials noted.
The fundamentals of BasicMed remain simple and straightforward: A pilot must have held a valid FAA medical certificate at least once since July 14, 2006 (that was not suspended or revoked), have not had the most recent medical application denied, and have not had the most recent authorization for special issuance withdrawn. In addition, the pilot must not have had any change in a mental health disorder, neurological disorder, or cardiovascular condition.
Pilots who meet those conditions can elect to see their own state-licensed physician or an FAA aviation medical examiner for exams every 48 months, and then take an online medical education course every 24 months.
The operational limitations associated with BasicMed privileges include a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds, 250 knots indicated airspace, altitudes up to 18,000 feet msl, and no more than five passengers and a pilot in command.
Mexico and the Bahamas have embraced BasicMed and allow U.S. pilots flying under this medical alternative to enter their airspace and land at their airports. General aviation’s advocacy groups are actively working to expand the acceptance of these reforms to other countries.
I’m getting into the same situation, liabiltiy! I do have Afib, but no problems since age 32. I guess this is the reason no doctor will even think about doing it.
I had no problem at all getting my PCP to do the Basic Med for me. I gave her the AOPA paperwork on what it was and how it works, she read it, and said OK. No talk of liability, just fill in the forms and done.
She’s been my PCP for almost 15 years and she complains that she can’t make any money off me, I am too healthy. I’m 75, and so far so good. My next problem will be to get insurance when I get to be over 80.
Nobody said this would be easy . . .
It was very discouraging to me to have my primary physician not able to provide Basic Med. He stated the liability prevented him from doing it.
I had no problem getting my PCP, under a large regional health care system, to complete the BasicMed examination and sign off. The form does not ask the doc to guarantee that you will never have a medical issue affecting flight. It simple says the doc has examined you and finds no reason, at the time of examination, why you should not fly. All doctors are subject to medical malpractice liability, which is huge, and carry insurance. If you doctor doesn’t have enough interest in you to understand how important flying is to your well-being, find another doctor.
I read a lot about the success of Basic Med, but in my own experience it hasn’t proved very useful. I hold a current Class 3 medical, but would like to switch to Basic Med. The entire premise of Basic Med was that your own doctor knows you better than some random FAA exam Dr. who you see very infrequently. It all makes sense until you try to get your Dr. to do the basic med physical. Doctors are not independent anymore with most of them working for some larger “healthcare system” and the story always is, “no, we can’t afford the liability.” I seriously doubt that any more liability, than they currently face in their day-to-day practice, comes into play, but the mothership healthcare system calls the shots and the doctors won’t do the physicals. So for me, it’s just easier to keep doing it the old fashioned way.
The liability problem was exactly the issue I raised when BasicMed was first being debated but everyone was so sure it would not be a problem. As for myself, my Primary Care doctor just happens to be an AME but lacking a 3rd class within the past 10 years and having a condition that almost guarantees a rejection (and then no more LSA) I do not dare ask.
Why is it I can get a DOT physical and drive double trailers, with a gross weight in excess of 80,000 lbs, but that physical doesn’t apply to my flying? A PA or a Nurse practitioner can do my DOT physical which is pretty much a 3rd Class, but they can’t do a Basic Med.
I’ve been looking all over for a DR to do an FAA Basic Med, and the only one, which happens to be “close” to me is my AME. And I have to take off half a day to do this because his office is only open M-F 8-4:30, and he is over 30 miles away….
But I can get a DOT physical after hours and they are 20 minutes away in traffic.
Why can’t my own family doctor do the basic med? Because the practice he is in says that they do not want the liability.
Too many of us are running into this — And you can’t get ahold of the right people to discuss it. Gate keepers keep you away from them.
I’m running into the same probelm here. Liability issue and tried many doctor’s. All are with a large health care system and will not touch you becasue of this. Still getting 3rd class. The problem I have is Aib, and no one want do it. I’ve had this condition since age 32 with no problems.
I wonder how many cfi’s operate under basic med ? That is how many the industry might lose with the FAA’s recent ruling on instructing considered for hire.
None, if they are instructing for hire. If the FAA finds a pilot operating for compensation without a Commercial license, he or she will definitely wish they hadn’t. Basic Med does not cover anything except Private licenses, so the lack of proper medical certification is just one of that CFI’s problems.
On the other hand, you may instruct for free with a Private license – until recently anyway. Unless new legislation is passed, even free instruction is deemed to be of value because the instructor builds time and experience useful in future opportunities.
Not true. See 61.23 (c) Operations requiring either a medical certificate or U.S. driver’s license.
(vi) Exercising the privileges of a flight instructor certificate and acting as the pilot in command or as a required flight crewmember if the flight is conducted under the conditions and limitations set forth in §61.113(i).
No one may charge for their service as a pilot unless many conditions are met. There is no regulation prohibiting a flight instructor charging for their services.
Not exactly. a CFI may continue to instruct in “standard, certified aircraft” (Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft Cirrus, etc.) using BasicMed as long as the CFI is PIC and the aircraft meets the weight, speed, altitude, and number of seats restrictions.
So the FAA recent ruling doesn’t affect most of us, but does have the greatest effect on those who fly and instruct in experimental aircraft.
A bill introduced in both houses of congress two days ago would put into law the concept … previously held by the FAA in ALL instructing scenarios … that flight instruction is not considered flying for compensation or hire. Let’s hope it passes quickly.
In any case, the FAA had clearly considered the compensation received for instructing to be compensation for the teaching, not for the flying. When I worked for a flight school, I had a special issuance 3rd class medical. My pay was for teaching, not flying. As such I could not fly one of our customers who was a commercial photographer on a photo flight in a C172, even though I hold an ATP, multiple type ratings, and CFII and CFI-ME. That required me to exercise the privileges of my commercial certificate, therefore required a 2nd class medical.