Two GA advocates have filed an amendment to the Senate highway bill now under consideration that includes third-class medical reform. The amendment, which was filed by Senators Joe Manchin (D-West Virginia) and John Boozman (R-Arkansas), mirrors language in the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBR2). Both senators are longtime general aviation advocates and Manchin is also […]
Medical
FAA to study pilot fitness
The FAA is working with the commercial aviation and medical communities to study the emotional and mental health of U.S. commercial pilots. The joint FAA and industry group known as the Commercial Aviation Safety Team (CAST) recommended the study based on the recent Malaysia Flight 370 and Germanwings Flight 9525 accidents. The Pilot Fitness Aviation […]
Keep pushing for medical reform
As of the start of this year’s SUN ’n FUN, more than 21,000 letters to Congress in support of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 have been sent from EAA’s Rally Congress network by Experimental Aircraft Association members and other aviators. That legislation includes the aeromedical reform language that is easily the No. 1 regulatory […]
Revised sleep apnea policy responds to GA’s concerns
More than a year of lobbying work by general aviation’s advocacy groups on the FAA’s sleep apnea policy has brought considerable revisions to the agency’s original proposal, which would have forced costly sleep studies on pilots even if they had shown no symptoms of the disorder. The new policy, which takes effect March 2, will […]
The best fuel for the pilot
You strive to ensure your airplane is airworthy, but what about the most important thing in the cockpit — you? Are you eating properly to ensure peak performance inflight? That’s especially difficult these days, with fast food restaurants on every corner and junk food so easily accessible. Many people still believe the standard food pyramid […]
Expect third class medical reform in 2015
At the last Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) regional fly-in of the year, pilots clamored to sign a giant petition calling for reform of the third class medical. It’s a scene that’s been played out at all the AOPA events throughout the year, association officials say, reporting that more than 10,000 signatures have been […]
AOPA Medical Advisory Board urges quick action on medical reform
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 […]
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 […]