Officials with the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association (COPA) are urging Canadian Minister of Transport Chrystia Freeland to allow U.S. pilots with BasicMed privileges to fly in Canadian airspace.
More than 90,000 pilots have qualified to fly under BasicMed privileges since the program’s inception in 2017, according to AOPA officials. The FAA studied and reported that BasicMed is as statistically safe as a third class medical. The program was developed to streamline the medical process and reduce red tape, which benefits both pilots and the FAA.
Canada has been working on a new Category 4 medical standard that aligns more closely with BasicMed principles. When it is complete, that will create an opportunity to establish a bilateral agreement that would permit Canadian pilots operating under its future Category 4 medical to fly into the U.S., AOPA officials noted.
While the COVID-19 pandemic prevented Transport Canada from moving forward on earlier requests to accept BasicMed pilots, the data reveals the program is clearly meeting the intended benefits without compromising safety, officials said.
“The FAA BasicMed medical category has clearly demonstrated that aviation medical standards can be safely reformed and simplified. COPA supports similar reform to the Canadian Category 4 medical standard and encourages recognition of the U.S. BasicMed standard in Canada,” COPA CEO Marcia Kim said.
“BasicMed has been such a huge success here in the U.S. It’s proven to be safe and we hope Transport Canada will accommodate our request. It just makes too much sense,” AOPA President and CEO Darren Pleasance said. “Last year, at AOPA’s request, Congress expanded the BasicMed program to include more aircraft. It would be helpful for both countries to get this done for economic and recreational benefits.”
For more information: AOPA.org, FAA.gov, COPANational.org