After 1.5 years and OVER $125k, I finally got my SI
- Thread starter MalibuJim
- Start date
danhagan
En-Route
I love it when you guys talk dirty.
Which one of those is disqualifying?
The kidney stones, and they are generally over-called by a lot of facilities doing ultrasound and not actually stones.
All pilots are rich, so what's the problem?
Well, they were before they got involved with airplanes......
Is it appropriate to reach out to inhofe if you don’t live in Oklahoma? I’m thinking about emailing his office but don’t know if it’s the right call.
The First Amendment says yes.
GaryM
En-Route
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Gary M
It can't hurt--it's a cause in which he is interested, so even if you can't vote for him, it might still get his attention. Or not, but I don't see a downside to making the attempt.
You can't vote for him, but so what? You can certainly donate to his campaign fund. If he were given a choice of getting one vote from you, versus one thousand dollars, which do you think he'd prefer?
To me, Jim's experience just proves that the FAA's medical requirements are unnecessary. After spending all the money and effort, he obtained his 3rd Class anyway. I agree AOPA needs to get involved in this again and see if anything can be done to rein in the over reach.
Exactly. The FAA itself will tell you that almost all 3rd class applicants eventually get a medical, so what good are they doing? How many medical-related accidents are avoided by all the FAA hoops? I'd bet it's almost none.
PaulS
Touchdown! Greaser!
I think the thing is that most people who apply and go through the process are reasonably healthy enough to qualify for a 3rd class. The small percentage that don't are not. Unfortunately that small percentage is still probably a large number of people who will most likely have an issue flying. Furthermore, if the medical does become a rubber stamp, I think there are many who are not medically safe to fly, who don't bother now because they know they won't pass, will decide, why not? I want to fly. It would be nice if people could self police and play by the rules, but there are many fatals, where it's clearly evident, people don't care about the rules.
Those folks you’re concerned about can fly right now as a Sport Pilot or by using Basic Med. Those two groups aren’t having massive medical issues causing crashes.
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I don't think there is enough difference between the standards for a third class and a second class medical certificate. The physical and mental demands on flying a bugsmasher non-commercially are not that different from those for driving a car or truck non-commercially. Take the whole sleep-apnea thing, for example: If a non-commercial pilot or driver starts feeling drowsy, he can just land or park and take a nap. Commercial pilots and drivers may not have that option. Another example is that people can drive cars to over 14,000 feet (e.g., Mount Evans) with no medical certificate. And you have to be alert enough to avoid plunging down the mountainside!
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The FAA is ridiculous these days. Since my last flight review I've have four knee replacements, septic arthritis, a head and neck cancer with surgery, chemo, and radiation, a sigmoid colectomy, and bilateral carpal tunnel surgery. My AME recently issued a class III on the spot, but the FAA shortly thereafter revoked it and replaced it with a 6 year SI authorization for the hypothyroidism that came as a result of the radiation therapy. I'd have had to do 2 year class III's anyway but the net result is that with my next class III, I also have to have my regular doctor say that hypothyroidism isn't a problem for flying airplanes. Which the FAA should already know. I suppose I should be grateful that I don't drink, am not depressed, don't have sleep apnea, and have no diagnosis of ADD on my medical record. I'd do Basic Med in a heartbeat if it weren't for the fact that I might want to fly into Canada some day, if the border ever reopens.
I've had almost a dozen class III exams over the last 50 years. I'm amazed at the minefield that the process has become.
I've had almost a dozen class III exams over the last 50 years. I'm amazed at the minefield that the process has become.
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PeterNSteinmetz
Ejection Handle Pulled
Well we’ve been through this in detail a year or so ago. My summary would be there is no good evidence that the FAA requirement for a 3rd class medical improves the safety of flight. The FAA has made arguments that there is indirect evidence that it helps and there is weak evidence suggesting it makes no difference.
What I have done since then is look into the legislative history of the requirement to see if there was debate about this or justification. Basically no. The requirement for private pilots to have a medical was included in the first set of rules from the Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) at its founding and appears to have been based on the military pilot medicals started during WWI to select out the most fit combat pilots.
bbchien
Touchdown! Greaser!
since Feb 2020, yes.
Abuse, no!