Why do pilots need a medical

I think the "loigical" reason for non-commercial medicals is to protect
third parties (i. e. those on the ground) from our actions. What's
missed though is how rarely ground injuries or deaths are occuring from
single engine aircraft crashes. How many were there last year?

I think the need for medicals should be related to the amount of fuel
on board.

An alternative is I think the pilot community should demand biennial
medicals for all drivers licenses. Particularily given the number of
third party casualties involved. After all who can be against safety?

Dream on. In many areas if you know the right person and have a couple of
hundred dollars cash you can buy a CDL.

"Skylune" wrote in message
lkaboutaviation.com...
And another thing: CDL holders are subject to random drug and alcohol
tests. States may impose tougher standards than the federally required
minimums, and many companies impose even tighter restrictions.

PPLs get off comparitively easily. Drug testing should be mandatory for
PPLs, and random drug testing s/b part of FAA ramp checks.

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message

What about including passengers? Even if you are on the verge of
collapsing from some debilitating desease you could drive a minibus
loaded with passengers at 75mph.

Any vehicle over 15 pax requires a CDL, and I believe there are some medical
standards attached to same, but I don't know the details.

"gatt" wrote

Passing a kidney stone in an aircraft would be a show-stopper, or having a
heart attack or an asthma attack or a stroke or...

Ohh?

I've driven myself home from work, at least twice (maybe more) while
starting to pass a kidney stone. It was not easy, and surely painful, but I
did manage it quite safely.

Jim (passer of 11 stones) in NC

"Ron Natalie" wrote

I don't know about other states, but I can tell you in my state,
random drug tests never occur.

Drug tests for CDL's are the responsibility of the employer, in NC. I have
been pee tested 2 or 3 times, and breathalyzer tested (at 07:45, believe it
or not) in the last 10 or so years.
--
Jim in NC

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote

You can drive a heavy truck with a regular drivers license. You don't
need a medical or a CDL.

Define heavy truck. If it carries 16 passengers or more, or if it has a GVW
of more than 10,000 pounds, you better have a CDL. Certain other exemptions
do apply.
--
Jim in NC

Morgans wrote:
I've driven myself home from work, at least twice (maybe more) while
starting to pass a kidney stone. It was not easy, and surely painful, but I
did manage it quite safely.

Jim (passer of 11 stones) in NC


Jim, where in NC are you? I live in Charlotte; work in Rock Hill.




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE

What about Uhaul trucks?

"nrp" wrote:
What's missed though is how rarely ground injuries or deaths
are occuring from single engine aircraft crashes. How many
were there last year?

Zero. Same as 2001-2003, and I believe I did the query correctly
on the downloaded NTSB database.

Fred F.

"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
oups.com...
What about Uhaul trucks?

Good question. I seem to remember 12,500 pounds as the weight limit from my
CDL training long ago, but when I looked it up (a little bit ago), I came up
with the 10,000 pound limit.

I don't recall any exception for U-hauls, so it would not surprise me if
U-haul does not give a sh*t about who is driving their trucks.
--
Jim in NC