• Welcome to the new Commander Owners Group Forums. Please bear with us as the kinks are worked out and things are tweaked. If you have any questions or issues with the new platform, please post them here.

FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Overall I am happy to see it. I am not a fan of the shift in records keeping but, it may help the process. When I got back into aviation, I went to get my medical - expected no big deal - but got a deferment due a prescription that is extremely minor and very time-tested. Turns out I had an icky AME. However, if this had been in place and my GP isn't scarred of the FAA - it should have been a quick annual physical, plus FAA checklist = 3rd Class medical.

When I renewed my medical this year - found a different examiner and walked in and walked out - renewed and ready. I found a great examiner in Denver who does all the CDL stuff too - but - he's working to keep pilots flying. An amazing difference just between the two examiners.

So yeah, overall I am happy. I can now combine an annual physical every other year with the FAA check-list or whatever and be good to go. One stop - saves me time and makes it more routine and less stressful.

Dean
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

I agree that this should be an improvement. We will have more options. Hopefully, you can find an AME or MD with enough common sense to make to the whole process simple and easy. If you are under 40, it may be easier to stick the with AME and a 5 year duration of the medical. If you get your MD to include it with your routine physical, it may be covered by insurance. The proof will probably be in the fine print of the checklist.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

There are also a lot of pilots out there who are MDs or ODs that will be ready and willing.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

N4843W said:
Sheeeeesh, guys. This is in reality a huge step from where we are now--------Anyway, I am very glad to see this.
Click to expand...

I'm with you Scott. Remember that OSH14 presentation!

Like you, I am blessed that my health issues are not anywhere near the critical zones and pray being proactive #s stay that way. However, FAA trying to 'protect the public from unhealthy pilots'-right. So err on over caution.

Biggest factor NOW is your 'Legally Grounded (( AND HAVE TO REAPPLY FOR A 3rd Class Medical)) if your Doc changes medications or simply adjusts 'a Dosage'. I went thru the biggest hassle when changing blood Pressure meds a few years ago. The one I was on (low doseage) went from 67c daily pill($60 -3 months) to $3 pill. PHAMACEUTICAL RIP OFF. So we changed to a similar acting pill but less dosage. The 90 day supply (Target) was just $23.00. Has been Just as effective.

BUT that's when the OKC office superceded the local AME who signed my 3rd class. We Had to resubmit all the data & letters from my primary care physician. Just a 'P I Tush'. In April of the next year it got resolved.

I Like my AME, in fact last December turned out I didn't need 'an exam' just he had to 'review my Docs letter, sign off on the FAA forms. He gave me back my $100. So understand what Glenn is saying too.
 
Last edited:
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

N4843W said:
This just in:
whether forced or voluntary. I think we all owe a huge round of applause to AOPA, EAA, at al, for not giving up on these reforms.
Click to expand...

I'll give you three guesses which one it is ;). Now watch them try every legal trick in the book to try and get around what has been forced upon them.

Over time the much bigger issue in this is the provision that gives the local federal courts jurisdiction over the FAA in disputes.

Trial attorneys are like water flowing downhill, they seek the pockets of greatest depth and least resistance.

The FAA's propensity to obscure and deny access to evidence and documentation is not an accident, that is a regulator trying to hide liability for institutional failures of their own, while keeping the tax money they are paid to do the regulating.

Here for example, is a thread where a Piper owner caught the NTSB blatantly lying in an incident report to try and go to bat for Piper and blame the pilot/owner for a failure in Piper's manual.

In his case, it took a string of FOIA requests and culminated in a criminal complaint to the FBI about the NTSB committing a fraud to get them to admit that they were in fact lying to try and make their so-called factual report match the preconceived notion that the pilot was at fault.

Their motivations for this are obvious...

If they admit that it wasn't the pilot's fault, the flight manual bearing an FAA signature is proved deficient, and the insurer that has to pay for the airplane could collect from the FAA just as well as they could collect from Piper, potentially.

Giving a court explicit jurisdiction over the FAA is long overdue, and should remove some legal liability from us and force these yokels to actually do their jobs, rather than be bag men for their manufacturing and airline flying bros.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Third Class Medical Reform Signed into Law​


Today, President Obama signed the 2016 FAA funding extension into law with third class medical reform attached. After years of effort by EAA advocacy,
pilots will finally see relief from the constant hassle and expense associated with third class medical renewals.

The legislation allows most pilots who have held a valid medical certificate since July 2006 to fly without needing another FAA medical exam.
Instead, pilots can be examined by their personal physician every four years and take an online aeromedical factors course every two years to remain medically qualified to fly.


 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Great news!! Now, how long will the FAA keep us waiting?
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

TSHEMMEN said:
Great news!! Now, how long will the FAA keep us waiting?
Click to expand...
Less than a year or it automatically kicks in .
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

So theoretically, just for clarification or discussion, based on the new 'law', if a current PP is due for a medical within the next 12 months, and doesn't do it, but has The new requirements satisfied instead, on 16 July 2017, the private pilot is legal again???
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Yes but your insurance would not be in force during the gap since one of the requirements is "current medical" on all policies.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Sounds more difficult to me than just getting my 3rd class FAA med exam every two years?
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Agree.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Unless you are one the many that have to do it yearly with test justifications.

I spend an average of $800 for my 3rd class each year. I have to document a kidney stone that hasn't moved or change in size since 1998. I have fought this many times with the FAA.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Right Jr. Understand your issue.

So basically, nothing changes for a year!

Now we have to see what FAA,does to confolute the new law that included us,'Yearly Issuances'. "Special Issuance' 3rd class holders. The Doc at Oshkosh 14 said,I shouldn't be ( Special Issuance).

Like I shared, last Dec when AME called, gave me my 'ticket' 1st time since 13, April 14, no follow up letter from OKC. Not expecting any significant # lab changes since last year, next October annual physical, but Ya never really know. Like some others have said- Bureaucracy never likes to give up control. However will be+ and hope we all benefit from this new PBOR2.
 
Last edited:
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Just renewed my medical. My AME (a retired anesthesiologist) says he will not fill out any form certifying anything about an individual's fitness to operate an airplane. Therefore, pending the final rules, he doesn't plan on doing the new exam due to liability reasons. He says that right now he is merely a conduit for information between the pilot and the FAA, and he's not making medical decisions as such.

Looks like my next aviation physical may be at Dr. Jay's Suboxone Clinic and Aviation Emporium.
 
Re: FAA Medical Reform - and they said it would never happen

Americana_D said:
Just renewed my medical. My AME (a retired anesthesiologist) says he will not fill out any form certifying anything about an individual's fitness to operate an airplane. Therefore, pending the final rules, he doesn't plan on doing the new exam due to liability reasons. He says that right now he is merely a conduit for information between the pilot and the FAA, and he's not making medical decisions as such.

Looks like my next aviation physical may be at Dr. Jay's Suboxone Clinic and Aviation Emporium.
Click to expand...

See previous point about the expressed right to sue the FAA being the best change in this bill, not the medical reform.

The culture at the FAA has to change, as it stands now they want to make rules, but blame everyone else.

They promote that culture by impressing it on DERs and DPEs to pass along to engineers and CFIs to pass along to aircraft owners/operators and pilots.

Break the FAA of that culture and you are a big step toward fixing alot of what's wrong with aviation regulation.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top