Dereg The Medical

Sport pilots don’t have to have an FAA medical certificate to serve as pilot in command (PIC) of a machine meeting the light sport aircraft (LSA) definition. Instead, they must only carry a valid driver’s license. Since the sport pilot and LSA rules went into effect in 2004—10 years ago—the affected aircraft have not been falling out of the sky because their operators aren’t physically fit. We call that a success.

Key Takeaways:

• The sport pilot rule, allowing pilots to use a driver's license instead of an FAA medical certificate, has been successfully implemented for 10 years without medical-related incidents.
• Following the FAA's inaction on an earlier petition, industry groups (EAA and AOPA) backed H.R. 3708, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013.
• This proposed bill seeks to expand medical certificate exemptions, allowing pilots to use a driver's license for VFR flights in aircraft up to six seats and 6000 lbs, under specific operational limits, based on the principle of "equivalent safety."

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