Jun
16
The FAA has in the works an extended-duration medical certificate. This means first class medicals and third class could be extended to one year if you are under 40, and quite possibly over 40 also. AOPA says the extension of these medical certificates is a good move! I guess I have never really thought about the effects of the extension. Right now, a valid first class medical is only good for 6 months. A pilot who needs to keep a first class medical status has to go back to their aviation medical doctor every 6 months to keep their medical in good standing. An example of a person who would need a first class medical all the time is a captain of an airline. The first officers mostly only need a second class medical. It is good only for 1 year and have to go back to the doctor ever year. What are the effects of possibly extending the medical? I’m sure the pilots would be extremely happy! As for myself, I am not a big fan of going to doctors so it could be a good thing!
Article: Support of AOPA of the Extension of Medical Certificates
First class medical: Good for a year. Third class medical: Good for five years.
Sound too good to be true? It’s in the works.
AOPA is supporting an FAA proposal to extend the first class and third class medical certificates to pilots under age 40. But the association is going a step further. In formal comments to the FAA, AOPA requested additional research to possibly grant that extension to pilots over 40 as well.
“Research might indicate that the age for an extension can be increased beyond 40 without negatively impacting general aviation pilots’ safety,” said Rob Hackman, AOPA senior director of regulatory affairs.
According to the AOPA Air Safety Foundation’s accident and incident database, medical factors contribute to only 1.9 percent of accidents.
In 2005, there were only three pilot medical incapacitation accidents (two heart attacks and one carbon monoxide poisoning), according to the foundation’s 2006 Joseph T. Nall Report.
“A strong argument may be made that these accidents were not attributable to conditions that could have been identified or predicted by a periodic FAA physical examination,” Hackman wrote.
In its comments, AOPA also requested that the FAA grant “driver’s license” medicals to recreational pilots. The association has advocated for this for decades, and it would allow pilots to self-certify that they were fit to fly. This is the same method the FAA currently allows for sport pilots.
Full article is at AOPA and can be found by clicking here.