The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Medical Advisory Board is the latest group to urge quick action on the proposed FAA rule that would allow thousands more pilots to fly without the need for a third class medical certificate. In a Sept. 24 letter, the group asked the Department of Transportation and Office of […]
Medical
Third-class medical reform caught in government maze
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 […]
NTSB study on drug use criticized by GA groups
A new study on pilot drug use released by the National Transportation Safety Board is “incomplete and its conclusions should be regarded with caution,” according to officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The study of more than 6,600 cases reviewed toxicology tests performed on pilots killed in aviation accidents from 1990 through 2012. The […]
Senators again urge quick action on third-class medical reform
Eleven U.S. senators, all co-sponsors of a bill to reform the third-class medical process, are asking the Department of Transportation and the Office of Management and Budget to take quick action on their review of the FAA’s proposed medical reform rule. In a Sept. 2 letter to Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and OMB Director Shaun Donovan, the […]
House GA Caucus seeks speedy medical reform
Thirty-two members of the U.S. House of Representatives General Aviation Caucus are asking the Department of Transportation to speed up the review of an FAA proposal to reform the third-class medical process. In an Aug. 22 letter, the caucus members urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to have his agency complete its review of the FAA […]
Lawmakers lobby to expedite medical reform
Lawmakers are asking the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the administration to expedite a review of the FAA’s proposed rulemaking on third-class medical reform. In two separate letters, Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Reps. Todd Rokita (R-Indiana) and Sam Graves (R-Missouri) wrote to DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, urging his department to complete its review of […]
GA groups lobby for expedited review of medical reform
Seven influential general aviation organizations are asking the Department of Transportation to expedite a review of the FAA’s proposed rulemaking on third-class medical reform. In an August 15 letter, the associations urged Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx to complete its review of the FAA notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) within the next 30 days and open the […]
Medical reform moves ahead, FAA administrator reports at Oshkosh
OSHKOSH — The FAA has sent a proposal to reform the third-class medical certification process to the Department of Transportation for review, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said Thursday at AirVenture. Huerta (pictured) would not discuss details of the proposed rule, but said the FAA has heard the GA community “loud and clear” on the need for reform. The […]
Doctors vote to fight driver’s license medical
From a pilot’s perspective, the enemy of positive change is self-interest and bureaucracy, and both were well represented during the recent meeting of the American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago. According to a blog post from Flying Magazine’s Robert Goyer, an AMA committee voted to oppose the FAA’s proposed driver’s license medical by directing lobbying efforts […]