Briefing: March 2018

The Mayo Clinic is now offering a free online BasicMed course for pilots. The course takes about 90 minutes to complete and is followed by an online test. Pilots must submit evidence of having passed a physical exam prior to beginning the course. Once the course is completed, pilots can print a certificate to keep in their logbooks. Certification information is then transmitted to the FAA. The clinic is the second organization, after AOPA, to offer an online BasicMed course. Pilots who choose to fly under the BasicMed rules must take an online course every two years.

Editorial Staff

Sunday, February 04, 2018 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Mayo Clinic launched a free online BasicMed course for pilots, while AOPA's Air Safety Institute is conducting nationwide seminars on mid-air collision prevention.
Aviation technology advances with Volocopter's first U.S. flight of its electric VTOL and Piper's adoption of Garmin's G1000 NXi flight deck as standard in new aircraft.
Michael Huerta concluded his five-year term as FAA Administrator, praised by GA advocates for his leadership in NextGen, Part 23 certification, and unmanned aircraft integration.

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Mayo Clinic Offers BasicMed Course

First U.S. Flight For Volocopter

Electric-powered VTOLs took center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, in January. Volocopter, a German company working to develop a semi-autonomous VTOL as an urban air taxi, flew its aircraft for the first time in the U.S., unmanned and tethered, on stage during the keynote address. Volocopter also announced it had flown with a passenger for the first time last month, taking Intel CEO Brian Krzanich for a short flight inside a hangar. “That was the best flight I’ve ever had,” Krzanich said after landing. “Everybody will fly like this someday.” SureFly also exhibited its “passenger drone” at the show, but a planned demo flight was scrubbed due to weather.