No More Medicals?

The FAA has released the medical requirements for the Pilots Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR2) and quite frankly, I think it is a home run for general aviation, pilots, and the AOPA who fostered it through Congress. The new program is called BasicMed that is technically the FAAs implementation of medical requirements in the PBOR2 portion of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 known (of course) as FESSA. The final rule from the FAA, released January 10, 2017, and effective May 1, 2017, can be found on the FAA web site, FAA.gov.

bblue

Wednesday, February 08, 2017 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

BasicMed is a new FAA medical certification process, introduced in May 2017 via the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2, allowing general aviation pilots to fly without a traditional third-class medical certificate under specific conditions.
To qualify, pilots must have held a valid FAA medical certificate after July 15, 2006, possess a valid driver's license, and operate aircraft under specific weight (under 6000 lbs), passenger (max six), and altitude (below FL180) limitations.
Maintaining BasicMed requires pilots to complete an online medical education course every two years and undergo a physical evaluation by a state-licensed physician every four years, with minimal medical data reported to the FAA.
A significant benefit is the simplification for pilots with many medical conditions previously requiring Special Issuances, as most no longer necessitate extensive FAA review or costly, recurrent testing under BasicMed.

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The FAA has released the medical requirements for the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 (PBOR2) and quite frankly, I think it is a home run for general aviation, pilots, and the AOPA who fostered it through Congress. The new program is called BasicMed that is technically the FAA’s implementation of medical requirements in the PBOR2 portion of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016 known (of course) as FESSA.

The final rule from the FAA, released January 10, 2017, and effective May 1, 2017, can be found on the FAA web site, FAA.gov. It truly reflects the spirit and intent of the PBOR2. The rule is 77 pages long to implement a 10-page law, reminding us that this is one government body responding to mandates from another.