After our initial introduction, “No More Medicals?” in March 2017, we’ve published two subsequent articles on BasicMed—”BasicMed Status Report” in February 2018, and “BasicMed Follow Up” in July 2018, where we discussed conclusions from a survey of members of the Flying Physicians Association. In the August 2019 edition of the Federal Air Surgeon’s Bulletin, the FAA Aerospace Medical Education Division of the Civil Aeromedical Medical Institute published data on results to date.
Background
BasicMed is the result of a legislative initiative that produced Public Law 114-190, the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, signed into law on July 15, 2016. BasicMed (a term that came later) is found in Section 2307 of the law: Medical Certification of Certain Small Aircraft Pilots. This law directed the Executive Branch, through the FAA, to issue regulations within 180 days to allow pilots to act as PIC under the law. The regulations (new Part 68 and changes to Part 61 & 91) and the term, BasicMed, came into existence when the rules were published in Federal Register on January 11, 2017 and became effective on May 1, 2017. Because the law only addressed pilots acting as PIC, we have the unintended consequence that a safety pilot, not simultaneously also acting as PIC, needs an FAA Medical as a required crewmember, as we’ve discussed previously.
