Senate and House have Approved Third-Class Medical Reform

wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 1:31:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 9:24:56 AM UTC-4, Vaughn Simon wrote:
On 7/20/2016 8:44 PM, wrote:
There is no data showing having all GA pilots take a 3rd class medical
has accomplished anything.

That's the real take-away point. After doing this for (what? a half
century?) there is no data that shows that the third class physical does
anything to reduce accidents. At the same time, we have parallel
populations of pilots, glider pilots in particular, that have long
operated perfectly well without any requirement for physicals.

People who got turned down due to medical reasons, and then later
dropped dead at the grocery store, aren't statistically charted
by someone who follows their lives and makes an FAA report after
the fact. Same for mentally unstable. If they commit suicide, no
one calls the FAA about a non-pilot. In flight medical emergencies
being a small percentage anyway, would appear to be a non-issue
among a smaller population of flyers. Should that population
significantly increase, and should there be no oversight, then
logically it will become an issue.

I watched a guy in his 40's drop dead while sipping a cup of coffee
the day after an extensive physical; a physical in general is no
guarantee of much of anything, and particularly a 3rd class physical.

Then maybe under the new rules there should be a few *specific*
tests relevant to piloting. The first one being a "plaque test",
and then a focus on possible hypertension.

And the other 5 to 10 things that could cause one to keel over with
little to no previous symptoms?

Perhaps semi-annual MRI's and CT scans at about $4,000 a pop just to be
sure.

There never has been any test of mental stability for civilian pilots.

Well, not directly. But if their history of prior diagnosis by another
doctor gave indications or prognoses of such, then it may be an
insurmountable hurdle. And might should be.

If what history?

Very few people go to mental health professionals unless there is a
big problem.

A lot of peiple are missing the point that you do still need to take
a physical, just not one with the FAA paperwork burden in front of an AME.

To tell you the truth, I'd rather go before an AME than a non-pilot
GP who's lack of familiarity with the experience would cause them to
flag non-issues off the "top of their head".

1) The 3rd class physical is a joke and less extensive than the normal
physical my docotor gives.

2) There is a checklist of items for your doctor to check, it is just
not forwarded to the FAA.


--
Jim Pennino

On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 9:16:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 1:31:03 PM UTC-4, wrote:
wrote:
On Thursday, July 21, 2016 at 9:24:56 AM UTC-4, Vaughn Simon wrote:
On 7/20/2016 8:44 PM, wrote:
There is no data showing having all GA pilots take a 3rd class medical
has accomplished anything.

That's the real take-away point. After doing this for (what? a half
century?) there is no data that shows that the third class physical does
anything to reduce accidents. At the same time, we have parallel
populations of pilots, glider pilots in particular, that have long
operated perfectly well without any requirement for physicals.

People who got turned down due to medical reasons, and then later
dropped dead at the grocery store, aren't statistically charted
by someone who follows their lives and makes an FAA report after
the fact. Same for mentally unstable. If they commit suicide, no
one calls the FAA about a non-pilot. In flight medical emergencies
being a small percentage anyway, would appear to be a non-issue
among a smaller population of flyers. Should that population
significantly increase, and should there be no oversight, then
logically it will become an issue.

I watched a guy in his 40's drop dead while sipping a cup of coffee
the day after an extensive physical; a physical in general is no
guarantee of much of anything, and particularly a 3rd class physical.

Then maybe under the new rules there should be a few *specific*
tests relevant to piloting. The first one being a "plaque test",
and then a focus on possible hypertension.

And the other 5 to 10 things that could cause one to keel over with
little to no previous symptoms?

Perhaps semi-annual MRI's and CT scans at about $4,000 a pop just to be
sure.

Um, the plaque test should pretty much do it for a read on
arterial calcification. An MRI wouldn't be a bad idea if one
has a family history of Intracranial Aneurysm Rupture, but
otherwise it's a waste of money. The former is worth paying
the deductible as it answers a lot of questions.

There never has been any test of mental stability for civilian pilots.

Well, not directly. But if their history of prior diagnosis by another
doctor gave indications or prognoses of such, then it may be an
insurmountable hurdle. And might should be.

If what history?

Very few people go to mental health professionals unless there is a
big problem.

Then they've probably not been hospitalized or incarcerated,
and aren't a known risk. This doesn't mean unstable people don't
quietly walk among us. The problem in this category seems to be
a lack of identification. (most "terrorists" lately may actually
be psychotically disturbed folks wearing that label.) My GP knows
very little about mental health beyond a Wikipedia education.
Addressing this gap is something that could solve several problems.

A lot of peiple are missing the point that you do still need to take
a physical, just not one with the FAA paperwork burden in front of an AME.

To tell you the truth, I'd rather go before an AME than a non-pilot
GP who's lack of familiarity with the experience would cause them to
flag non-issues off the "top of their head".

1) The 3rd class physical is a joke and less extensive than the normal
physical my docotor gives.

Ok.

2) There is a checklist of items for your doctor to check, it is just
not forwarded to the FAA.

A good doctor is hard to find.

I'm in favor of expediting the screening process, and making it
easier for me to fly.

This fellow seems to think it won't:

"This reform bill is going to be more trouble than it is worth. Think about it - you still have to see a doctor every four years. I can assure you that their physical will be a lot more intense - blood work, EKG - the works. Second, you still have to do something to qualify - take an online training class every two years. I'll bet it will take a lot longer than the 30 to 45 minutes that a Third Class Medical takes. What happened to being medically fit if you have a driver's license? This entire thing is a joke and politically driven by the AOPA and the EAA. Additionally, they could not get the original bill passed on its own so they had to follow the Pork process and stuff into another bill. This entire thing was written in such a way to appease the FAA and ALPA. It does not benefit the GA Private Pilot. You can be assured that if the doctor, who most likely has never done an FAA medical, is not happy with his findings, he or she will not sign you off. You are in no better shape. Remember you do not need a physical to drive a car!!"

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--
Jim Pennino