Mental Health & Medical Clearances ARC Report

[FlyingBiscuit]

Mental Health and Aviation Medical Clearances Aviation Rulemaking Committee Recommendations Report​

I'm kind of surprised this hasn't been posted here yet, but yesterday the FAA's Mental Health and Medical Clearances ARC released their report. If even half of these recommendations are implemented, things are looking up for a lot of people.

The ARC charter gives September 30 as the deadline for policy changes. We'll have to wait and see what happens.

 

[Half Fast]

If you'll move near to an open window and listen closely, you can hear screaming from the direction of OKC.

Some good and reasonable recommendations here, and many of them move decision making out of OKC and back to AMEs. I suspect that's going to give OKC fits, and implementation will be a struggle. Eliminating neurocog testing seems reasonable (note that no other country investigated does it), but I suspect there will be lots of resistance.

I do wish they had said something about the FAA publishing its policies and adhering to them, as there seems to be quite a bit of tribal knowledge and "this is the way we do it" taking the place of documented protocols.

Oh well. I'm just a Basic Med spectator and this should be fun to watch.

 

[FlyingBiscuit]

I should add that, in February, House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure wrote a bipartisan letter to the FAA on this topic. I think there’s a good chance Congress steps in directly if the FAA doesn’t implement satisfactory change soon - regardless of the screaming from OKC. The FAA knows this, which is why I think the ARC was commissioned in the first place.

 

[Half Fast]

Hmmm... Y'know, if Congress intercedes, it might be an opener to get rid of that #$%@! requirement to have a class 3 prior to Basic Med.

 

[George S]

The useless morons at the faa aren’t going to change anything. They will fight it and it will take an act of congress.

 

[bbchien]

Periodically the legislature of the United States, Needs to provide direction.

 

[TCABM]

Hmmm... Y'know, if Congress intercedes, it might be an opener to get rid of that #$%@! requirement to have a class 3 prior to Basic Med.

If that happens, there’s no need for a Class 3 or BasicMed, just extend the sport pilot DL rule to cover the current BM operations. Everybody else ( >6 seats, >6K MTOW, >18K, >250KTS) can just do a second class instead.

 

[Half Fast]

If that happens, there’s no need for a Class 3 or BasicMed, just extend the sport pilot DL rule to cover the current BM operations. Everybody else ( >6 seats, >6K MTOW, >18K, >250KTS) can just do a second class instead.

Maybe. I think that's a steeper hill to climb, though, especially right now. International acceptance would also be challenging, while I think there's a decent shot at getting Basic Med accepted.

One bite at a time....

 

[Kenny Phillips]

Periodically the legislature of the United States, Needs to provide direction.

Yep. The Elected Ones know who votes, OKC doesn't care.

 

[cowman]

Maybe. I think that's a steeper hill to climb, though, especially right now. International acceptance would also be challenging, while I think there's a decent shot at getting Basic Med accepted.

One bite at a time....

My guess would be the world would pretty quickly follow where we lead on this. Either way, any movement in the right direction will be good.

 

[Half Fast]

My guess would be the world would pretty quickly follow where we lead on this. Either way, any movement in the right direction will be good.

I dunno; they're not following our lead to Basic Med acceptance at the moment. Not even Canada.

 

[Pinecone]

I dunno; they're not following our lead to Basic Med acceptance at the moment. Not even Canada.

ICAO is working on accepting it, which will allow the rest of the world to follow smoothly.

 

[Half Fast]

ICAO is working on accepting it, which will allow the rest of the world to follow smoothly.

Yeah, I’ve heard that for a while. Progress seems glacial.