Reforming the Third Class Medical

General Aviation (GA) medical reform has been gaining ground as the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 (PBR2) traverses the aisles of the United States Congress. The current agenda for third class medical reform, from a GA standpoint, is to medically aqpprove more people to fly for recreational purposes (Tennyson, 2015). Today, all pilots, including those who fly on sunny weekends to get a $100 hamburger, are required to pass a third class medical exam in order to fly. Tennyson (2015) notes that the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), as well as many other organizations, have been lobbying congress to change the medical requirements for these recreational pilots. They assert that many pilots are medically disqualified from flying under the current regulations when they are fit to fly. The reform also aims to relieve the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from the burden of medically certifying recreational pilots while placing more responsibility on pilots and their personal doctors. Mark Baker, President of AOPA, remarks, "The legislation moves the responsibility for managing many health issues out of the FAA's bureaucracy, and puts it in the hands of pilots, where it belongs," and, "The Pilots Bill of Rights 2 frees pilots to work with their personal physicians to manage their own health, wellness and fitness to fly" (McMillin, 2015).

Third class medical reform is a significant component of PBR2, which was approved by the Senate in December 2015 (Bergqvist, 2015). In order to be fully implemented, it will need to be approved by the House, and finally signed into law by President Obama. As it is written, PBR2 will essentially eliminate the third class medical. Pilots flying recreational, non commercial flights with aircraft weighing less than 6,000 pounds and containing a maximum of six seats would no longer be required to visit an FAA medical examiner regularly. Other limitations imposed on these recreational pilots include flying at altitudes less than 18,000 feet, a maximum airspeed of 250 knots, and carrying no more than five passengers (Tennyson, 2015). Although the bill no longer requires a frequent visit to an FAA doctor, it still requires pilots to visit a general care physician at least once every four years and take an online aeromedical course every two years (Bergqvist, 2015).

One of the most attractive components of third class medical reform is that recreational pilots would only be required to visit a personal physician once every four years and make a record of it in their logbook. This reduces the costs for pilots who would otherwise be required to spend over $200 to visit an FAA medical examiner regularly. It also allows pilots to make a decision with their personal care doctors as to weather they are fit to fly. Personal physicians are probably more familiar with a given patient's medical issues and history, which better qualifies them to decide whether an airmen is fit to fly. This will also prevent many airmen from being disqualified from a minor medical condition that, when monitored and treated, is harmless. The only adverse aspect of this is that older pilots may not be evaluated as often as they should. The bill does not require a 90 year old airmen to visit their health care professional more than a 20 year old airmen. This could prove disastrous, as older pilots may develop a string of hazardous health conditions during the four year exam interval and legally continue flying. Thus, the new reform puts the decision to fly in the hands of airmen who may not be willing to forfeit their flying abilities just yet. It only takes one poor choice for the unthinkable to unravel.

I do not think medical reform is an absolute necessity. Since the FAA's core responsibility is to preserve and protect public interests, airmen will always have to be medically certified in some fashion. Airline pilots and other commercial pilots will always need to be medically cleared by the FAA to fly for hire. Thus, aeromedical infrastructure and testing standards will always exist. The third class medical reform, if implemented, will really only reduce the paperwork that the FAA medical divisions have to keep track of while saving recreational airmen a little money on medical exams. I think it will benefit the GA industry if more pilots are allowed to fly and even encourage those with previously disqualifying conditions to fly for recreation. With this, however, I think that older pilots with unsafe conditions may be allowed to fly, which could pose a safety hazard. In closing, pilots must be medically fit individuals to exercise the privilege of flying. We accept this immense responsibility each time we nestle into the flight deck. As long as the FAA is sufficiently monitoring the health of all airmen, recreational and commercial, using FAA examiners or personal physicians, the air transportation system will continue to operate safely.

References

Bergqvist, P. (2015, December 17). Senate passes third class medical reform. Retrieved from http://www.flyingmag.com/senate-passes-third-class-medical-reform

McMillin, M. (2015, December 11). Third class medical reform moves to Senate. Retrieved from http://aviationweek.com/awinbizav/third-class-medical-reform-moves-senate

Tennyson, E. (2015, February 26). Medical reform legislation introduced in House, Senate. Retrieved from http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/February/26/Medical-reform-legislation-introduced-in-House-and-Senate