AOPA, EAA Resubmit Driver’s License Medical Proposal

Regarding the easing of medical certification for flying, this is a good but insufficient step. A private pilots license is for an airplane as a typical drivers license is for a car. It is not for commercial use. Commercial use clearly elevates the standards for the operations.

Now, would someone please explain to me why self-medical certifcation is fine for a 180 HP aircraft for a fixed gear such as the old Mooney Master. However, take the same aircraft and upgrade the landing gear to a retract and now medical certification is required. I believe the speed increase in the conversion is 20 mph. What in the good Lord's name does this have to do with a medical. Likewise for the night and IFR. My capabilities in an IMC or night environment are related to knowledge, skill and experience, none of which is assessed by the FAA medical staff. This is simply a typical government agency that prefers to act with empirical justification. In the meantime, they are probably causing an unnecessary loss of 25,000 GA pilots a year. The risk we are exposed to is not a health risk per se, it is the risk from the FAA of making certification cumbersome enough that the pilot is not going to subject themselves to teh risk of being grounded without basis.

Lets make the jump and allow self-certification, if you are good enough to drive a 5,000 pound vehicle at 80 MPH with maybe 9 people in the proximity of another vehicle 5 feet away, certaing flying an old Mooney weighing 2300 pounds with four people in it is no worse. The reality, health is not a material issue in the self regulated market.

All the FAA is doing is killing an industry. Keep at it and they will not have anything to regulate.

If the move is underfoot because there is final understanding by AOPA and others that this ia an expensive and wasteful process, lets get rid of the private pilot medical certification requirement all together and then, if necessary, perhaps as an option, take a couple of hours of dual instruction each year in emergency procedures, which contrary to our current system, will save some lives. There are some people in Virginia who would be around today if they had some OTJ training in fuel management and emergeny landing procedures. And, perish the thought, this might help in restabalizing an industry clobbered by governemental restrictions.

Don't like what's going on? Speak up now, we may have our best chance at reform. Going on the AOPA's timeline of the last decade, many of us will not be flying before they figure this one out. I believe they are trending in a decision for the proper answer in two decades.

If you detect that I am unhappy, you are correct, I have an old Mooney that is a wonderful aircraft and it deserves about $30,000 in mods. It is not going to happen with the FAA threatening every year to not renew a medical certificate.