Third Class Medical Reform

Originally back in 2012 there was a petition by the AOPA and the EAA for a medical reform. This has been an on-going process, but they are finally getting somewhere with it. Towards the end of 2015, the third class medical reform was sent to the Senate. The Senate ended up passing the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 on December 15, 2015. Now all that they are waiting for is the House of Representatives to pass the bill so it can be sent to the President for the final approval. According to Elizabeth A. Tennyson, the FAA will have one year to “implement any regulatory changes that comply with the new law” if it is passed. With that being said, there are quite a few changes that are coming with this reform. As explained earlier, the medical reform is a part of the Pilots Bill of Rights 2. Once it is passed by the House of Representatives, the President will sign the bill and it will then become a law. Compared to the original petition, the new updated Pilots Bill of Rights 2 (PBR2) gives GA pilots less restrictions. For example, the original petition said pilots could take only one passenger up at a time, while the new PBR2 allows a pilot to take up to five passengers. Additionally, pilots will be allowed to fly day and night VFR and IFR instead of just day VFR only. 

There will be some changes made if this bill is passed. Some of these changes are quickly noted by Pia Bergqvist in his article about the Pilots Bill of Rights being passed by the Senate. He simply states that “the new bill does require at least one medical exam for new student pilots, special issuance medical holders and pilots who haven't had a medical in 10 years, but would remove the current requirement for recurrent checks for pilots flying with a third-class medical certificate” (Bergqvist, 2015).  He also sums up the bill by listing a few of the new limitations,  “The rule would apply to pilots flying VFR or IFR in aircraft weighing up to 6,000 pounds and carrying up to five passengers at altitudes below 18,000 feet and speeds up to 250 knots” (Bergqvist, 2015). One prospective policy that I personally do not agree with is making GA pilots take an online training course in aeromedical factors every two years. If they are going to allow pilots to fly with medical issues, a yearly training course should be implemented. One part of the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 that I do agree with is the fact that GA pilots will be allowed to fly both day and night IFR and VFR. Compared to the old petition where it was proposed that GA pilots would only be able to fly day VFR only.

I would have to say that I am completely in the middle when it comes to the third class medical reform. I see it mostly as a push from general aviation pilots who have lost their third class medical and want to continue flying. It does give the benefit of not having to pay a large fee to get a medical done by an AME, so I can see a lot of GA pilots being happy with that result. Also, the fact that pilots will be able to get their medical done through their own physicians will be more convenient to all the pilots. They won’t have to go out of their way anymore just to get a third class medical taken care of. Overall, I would be happy if it went either way, but that is only because I have a good medical standing. I could see myself being completely for this medical reform if I had a medical issue. 

References

Bergqvist, P. (2015, December 17). Flying. Senate Passes Third-Class Medical Reform. Retrieved from http://www.flyingmag.com/senate-passes-third-class-medical-reform 

Tennyson, E. (2015, December 9). Third class medical reform FAQs. Retrieved from, http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2015/December/09/Third-class-medical-FAQs