Basic Med

Ultrabuzzard

Ultrabuzzard

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Ultrabuzzard
I have been away from flying for several months, and haven't kept up with the new Basic Med thing. The more I read, the more confused I get. I let my 3rd Class Medical expire last year anticipating the new rules taking effect. I am now ready to do this Basic Med course and get the checklist done (which seems to me to be a re-arranged Form 8500). Is the on line course available, and if so, does anyone have the url for it?
 
Oh dear. So one has to have done the exam before submitting the docs. But the checklist isn't available until May 1 or after....
If I read the Advisory circular and AOPA's article correctly, this means one STILL cannot fly under the new rules on May 1 until the checklist and the online course are made available to the public (unless you have already done all this - oh wait, you cannot have done all this since it's not yet available to the public)...

oy vey

I think I am insane now...
 
Ultrabuzzard said:
Oh dear. So one has to have done the exam before submitting the docs. But the checklist isn't available until May 1 or after....
If I read the Advisory circular and AOPA's article correctly, this means one STILL cannot fly under the new rules on May 1 until the checklist and the online course are made available to the public (unless you have already done all this - oh wait, you cannot have done all this since it's not yet available to the public)...

oy vey

I think I am insane now...
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The exam checklist needs to be approved by the Office of Management and Budget before it's official and you can't get the exam done until then. Hopefully it will be approved before May 1st. AOPA has already created an online course and the FAA has approved it, but it's not online yet. You can't do the course anyway until you already have the exam checklist signed off.
 
Welp, AOPA did say in an article last year that FAA cannot enforce flying without a 3rd. Class medical beginning May 1, and if the Basic Med and checklist isn't available then, sounds to me like one could just get out and go fly anyways....
 
Ultrabuzzard said:
Welp, AOPA did say in an article last year that FAA cannot enforce flying without a 3rd. Class medical beginning May 1, and if the Basic Med and checklist isn't available then, sounds to me like one could just get out and go fly anyways....
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Not may 1st; it's mid-July.
 
Ultrabuzzard said:
Welp, AOPA did say in an article last year that FAA cannot enforce flying without a 3rd. Class medical beginning May 1, and if the Basic Med and checklist isn't available then, sounds to me like one could just get out and go fly anyways....
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Nope. The deadline you're thinking of doesn't go into effect until a year after the law was signed, so July 15, 2017. Even then you still have to get an exam sign-off that meets the requirements of the law, but I suppose it could be an unofficial form.
 
MassPilot said:
Nope. The deadline you're thinking of doesn't go into effect until a year after the law was signed, so July 15, 2017. Even then you still have to get an exam sign-off that meets the requirements of the law, but I suppose it could be an unofficial form.
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That's right. I remember now
 
OP, you wrote that you let your third class expire. If you still qualify for one, just go ahead and get another third class. Easy.
 
SkyDog58 said:
OP, you wrote that you let your third class expire. If you still qualify for one, just go ahead and get another third class. Easy.
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Easy for some, but not for others.
 
Ultrabuzzard said:
I have been away from flying for several months, and haven't kept up with the new Basic Med thing. The more I read, the more confused I get. I let my 3rd Class Medical expire last year anticipating the new rules taking effect. I am now ready to do this Basic Med course and get the checklist done (which seems to me to be a re-arranged Form 8500). Is the on line course available, and if so, does anyone have the url for it?
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You'll find the BasicMed website here, and will likely find the form and a link to the training course up in the next week or so.
 
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Palmpilot said:
Easy for some, but not for others.
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Understood. My point was that if he just let his third class expire without any issues that would prevent renewal, the easy thing for him is to reapply for his third class. I know that some folks are looking at basic med as an easy replacement for a third class even if they have no medical issues but this isn't necessarily true. If you can still pass a third class, it is the easier path.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Understood. My point was that if he just let his third class expire without any issues that would prevent renewal, the easy thing for him is to reapply for his third class. I know that some folks are looking at basic med as an easy replacement for a third class even if they have no medical issues but this isn't necessarily true. If you can still pass a third class, it is the easier path.
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I can pass a 3rd class and I consider BasicMed the easier path.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Understood. My point was that if he just let his third class expire without any issues that would prevent renewal, the easy thing for him is to reapply for his third class. I know that some folks are looking at basic med as an easy replacement for a third class even if they have no medical issues but this isn't necessarily true. If you can still pass a third class, it is the easier path.
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BasicMed requires you to do a questionnaire (same as the MedExpress application), get comprehensive medical exam (which is exactly the same as a 3rd class medical exam) from the doc of your choice and watch a 30 minute online training course, of which you get wings credit for. How much harder is that?
 
Brad Z said:
BasicMed requires you to do a questionnaire (same as the MedExpress application), get comprehensive medical exam (which is exactly the same as a 3rd class medical exam) from the doc of your choice and watch a 30 minute online training course, of which you get wings credit for. How much harder is that?
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Comprehensive is not how I'd describe any of the third class exams that I've had. The basic med checklist looks far more involved but I'm not a doctor so maybe I'm wrong.
 
SkyDog58 said:
Comprehensive is not how I'd describe any of the third class exams that I've had. The basic med checklist looks far more involved but I'm not a doctor so maybe I'm wrong.
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It's straight off of FAA Form 8500-8, items 25- 48. On the old paper form it was the list on the flip side that the doctor fills out. Exact same exam, but your AME probably didn't make a big deal about item #39.
 
MassPilot said:
Nope. The deadline you're thinking of doesn't go into effect until a year after the law was signed, so July 15, 2017. Even then you still have to get an exam sign-off that meets the requirements of the law, but I suppose it could be an unofficial form.
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IIRC that was only if the FAA failed to publish the new rules within 180 days of enactment (with no details on what was supposed to happen if they published them between 180 days and 365, but I digress). Since they already published them on January 10, well within the time limit, I don't think that deadline applies any more. We have to wait for the OMB to approve the checklist now, however long that takes.

Hopefully @Brad Z is correct and it will be available in a day or two. But... I'll believe it when I see it. :cool:
 
MassPilot said:
I can pass a 3rd class and I consider BasicMed the easier path.
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Ditto.

It's far more involved than I had hoped, but it is what it is.

The biggest thing is there is no "Sword of Damocles" hanging over the applicant if for some reason a doctor chooses not to sign the BasicMed form.

As a pilot who let his medical expire, but is within the "window" of having held a medical, this is a plus. Flying with Sport Pilot limitations has been satisfactory, but getting rid of those limitations and opening up a much wider variety of aircraft is huge. I plan on keeping my Sky Arrow, but it will be nice having some of the artificial limitations lifted and access to more aircraft.
 
MassPilot said:
Official checklist and online course are now available.
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Thanks! My doctor had asked for a copy of the checklist once it was finalized, so I dropped it off at his office this morning.
 
AggieMike88 said:
The Physician's Guide got a revamp. This one is better than what we were shown before....
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Yes it is much better. The old AOPA Physician's guide stated that the physician must affirm that the airman does not have any conditions that may interfere with their ability to safely operate an aircraft. What physician could possibly know that for sure? The law and final rule never asked for such a declaration, just whether or not the physician was aware of any such condition. I'm glad they corrected it before they stupidly scared off any doctors.
 
MassPilot said:
Yes it is much better. The old AOPA Physician's guide stated that the physician must affirm that the airman does not have any conditions that may interfere with their ability to safely operate an aircraft. What physician could possibly know that for sure? The law and final rule never asked for such a declaration, just whether or not the physician was aware of any such condition. I'm glad they corrected it before they stupidly scared off any doctors.
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Ummmm yeah, that too! I was more referring to the explanation part of it being more friendly and less "governmental-ese"
 
MassPilot said:
Yes it is much better. The old AOPA Physician's guide stated that the physician must affirm that the airman does not have any conditions that may interfere with their ability to safely operate an aircraft. What physician could possibly know that for sure? The law and final rule never asked for such a declaration, just whether or not the physician was aware of any such condition. I'm glad they corrected it before they stupidly scared off any doctors.
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Although, it's worth keeping in mind that what standard the physician will be held to as regards that "awareness" when the inevitable lawsuit is filed isn't yet totally clear. Will he be okay as long as the exam and pilot's stated history doesn't indicate anything serious or that could basically render the pilot unsafe to even drive a car? What about a pilot who has a reported visit for something that MIGHT be an indication of a condition that would have aeromedical significance, but has been reportedly ruled out by a specialist? Will the doctor signing the form be toast unless he has in hand all the tests the FAA would have ordered for a 3rd class anyway, or will the opinion of the one specialist be enough to exculpate him?

Lots of unknowns here. I'm still hopeful that the courts will ultimately only hold the doctor to a standard of basic medical competence and good faith, but then again, I could be very wrong.
 
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