If I fail a medical does that affect flying LSA

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If I fail to pass a medical (rather than just letting it lapse), does that mean I can't fly LSA aircraft either? What about gliders?
 
Yes, it means you're screwed. Including gliders, from what I understand (unless someone has information to the contrary).
 
The rules for gliders are different. For an LSA you need a driver's license and not have been denied a medical.

For gliders, you just need to self-certify you meet the medical requirements (though it says nothing about having failed it in the past). You'll have to ask yourself when you make that self-cert whether the reason you were failed still exists and hence precludes that declaration.
 
I stand corrected... found and read 14 CFR 61.23. If your last medical was denied, suspended or revoked you're not able to fly Light Sport, but it does look like you're still OK for gliders and balloons.
 
DaleB said:
I stand corrected... found and read 14 CFR 61.23. If your last medical was denied, suspended or revoked you're not able to fly Light Sport, but it does look like you're still OK for gliders and balloons.
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I think it would be more accurate to say "you may still be OK for gliders and balloons." There are some conditions which would result in denial of a Third Class which might still allow you to "operate the aircraft in a safe manner" (see 61.53(b)), but there are others which would preclude that, and having had that medical certificate denied, you can hardly say truthfully you didn't know you had the condition or that it might impact safe flying. That puts the ball in your court to evaluate the condition and determine rationally that even though it is disqualifying, you can still "operate [that glider/balloon] in a safe manner".
 
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Denied you can fly gliders, balloons also ultralights, paragliders, hanggliders, skydiving, and being towed around by boat under a paramathingy in Jamaica. Lots of options. The sky is still free man.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Denied you can fly gliders, balloons also ultralights, paragliders, hanggliders, skydiving, and being towed around by boat under a paramathingy in Jamaica. Lots of options.
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You certainly can, but at least as far as the balloons and gliders, it's not certain without further consideration whether you can do so legally.
The sky is still free man.
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And the FAA is still free to hang you if you exercise your free choice to do something that is outside the rules.
 
Ron Levy said:
You certainly can, but at least as far as the balloons and gliders, it's not certain without further consideration whether you can do so legally.
And the FAA is still free to hang you if you exercise your free choice to do something that is outside the rules.
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Dude medical denied and SP is not legally possible. Gliders and balloons are still legally possible with a denial. Ron you follow this stuff any cases of denied or infirm glider or balloon pilots getting faa legal action?
 
I hope this is okay to ask without creating a new thread, but what's the thought process behind not being to do Sport Pilot after being denied a medical when you don't need a medical to fly Sport Pilot?
 
Challenged said:
I hope this is okay to ask without creating a new thread, but what's the thought process behind not being to do Sport Pilot after being denied a medical when you don't need a medical to fly Sport Pilot?
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Because they give you the benefit of the doubt given that you being OK to drive and your self-asseement. Once you've been known to the FAA as not being medically qualified, they remove that benefit.
 
Ron Levy said:
And the FAA is still free to hang you if you exercise your free choice to do something that is outside the rules.
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In aviation, I think the death penalty is administered by the laws of physics, not the FAA.
 
ClimbnSink said:
Dude medical denied and SP is not legally possible. Gliders and balloons are still legally possible with a denial.
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I think I said that, although while glider/balloon is legally possible, it is not certain.
Ron you follow this stuff any cases of denied or infirm glider or balloon pilots getting faa legal action?
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I've not seen anything go as far as the NTSB yet, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen and end at a lower level -- only a small percentage of enforcement actions reach the NTSB.
 
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Challenged said:
I hope this is okay to ask without creating a new thread, but what's the thought process behind not being to do Sport Pilot after being denied a medical when you don't need a medical to fly Sport Pilot?
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That was discussed in the NPRM and Final Rule in the Federal Register when Sport Pilot was introduced.

ARAC's Airman Medical Certification Recommendations

The ARAC recommended a self-evaluation medical requirement that would allow sport pilot applicants to certify at the time of application that they have no known medical defect. They considered but did not recommend requiring that an applicant hold a current and valid U.S. driver's license; requiring a letter from an aviation medical examiner (AME) or a personal physician addressing that physician's knowledge of the applicant's health; and allowing a Flight Standards Review Board (FSRB) to define medical requirements unique to each specific type of aircraft. They rejected these options because, in their opinion, a driver's license requirement would involve unnecessary paperwork and recordkeeping, a letter from an AME or other physician would create yet another class of airman medical certificate, and involving a medical examiner through the FSRB would be unnecessary because the activities allowed under the proposed sport pilot certificate would be of a limited nature and the medical requirements for each rating would always be the same.

...

While the FAA agrees a sport pilot certificate would not warrant a separate class of airman medical certification, we do not agree that a U.S. driver's license requirement is unreasonable or a paperwork burden. The FAA would amend Form 8710-1, "Application for an Airman Certificate and/or Rating," to add an item for applicants to verify at the time of application that they hold a current and valid U.S. driver's license or a current and valid airman medical certificate. The FAA's proposal does not include ARAC's recommendation for an FSRB because of the potential administrative burden a board could create. We discuss specific ARAC recommendations more fully in the section-by-section analysis of this notice.

...

Proposed section 15 of SFAR 89 would require you, while exercising the privileges of a student pilot operating light-sport aircraft or a sport pilot (other than a glider or balloon), to hold and possess either a current and valid U.S. driver's license or a current and valid airman medical certificate issued under part 67. The FAA would consider a U.S. driver's license to be any license to operate a motor vehicle issued by a state, the District of Colombia, Puerto Rico, a territory, a possession, or the Federal government. Consistent with all other pilot certificates, if you are a student pilot or a sport pilot operating a light-sport balloon or glider, you would not be required to hold a current and valid U.S. driver's license or a current and valid airman medical certificate.

If you do not possess a current and valid airman medical certificate and your driver's license is revoked or rescinded for any offense, you couldn't exercise the privileges of your sport pilot certificate until your license is reinstated. If you choose to use your driver's license to satisfy the medical requirements for your sport pilot certificate (or a student pilot operating light-sport aircraft), your driver's license must be in your personal possession at all times when you conduct operations under your sport pilot certificate. Similarly, if you choose to use a current and valid airman medical certificate to meet the medical requirements for your sport pilot certificate, you would be required to carry that medical certificate at all times when you conduct operations under your certificate.

It should be noted that any restrictions on a U.S. driver's license (e.g., vision restrictions) also would apply when exercising the privileges of a student pilot certificate operating light-sport aircraft or a sport pilot certificate.

The FAA proposes to require a pilot to hold and possess a U.S. driver's license because it provides generally accepted evidence of basic health. Further, the FAA believes the medical standards that permit an individual to drive an automobile in close proximity to other automobiles at high speeds provides an adequate level of safety to operate a light-sport aircraft.

Although the process for applying for a driver's license varies throughout the United States, U.S. issuing authorities typically require applicants to verify some basic level of health on their various driver's license applications. Each State requires an applicant to meet minimum vision standards. Additionally, many authorities require applicants to provide a summary of any medical condition(s) that might preclude them from obtaining a U.S. driver's license in that jurisdiction. In the District of Columbia, for example, applicants for a driver's license are asked to indicate whether they have ever been treated for any of the following: stroke or paralysis; loss of function in an extremity; alcoholism or drug abuse; a mental disorder; a brain disorder; diabetes; glaucoma; cataracts or other eye diseases; any heart disorder; seizure disorder or fainting spells; poor muscle control, or dizzy spells. If a driver's license applicant affirms having received treatment for any of these conditions, a licensed physician must further evaluate whether that person should be allowed to drive a motor vehicle. The FAA believes that the level of health evidenced by a U.S. driver's license is a necessary prerequisite to safely operate a light-sport aircraft.

If the U.S. driver's license of a pilot who does not possess a current and valid airman medical certificate is revoked or rescinded for any offense--including, among others, substance abuse, excessive speeding, careless and reckless operation of a vehicle, numerous traffic violations--the individual's pilot certificate would not be valid until the license is reinstated. Unless and until the U.S. driver's license is reinstated, a pilot would not be authorized to operate a light sport aircraft. If an individual is precluded from driving an automobile, then the FAA believes that the individual should not operate a light-sport aircraft " a more complex and demanding activity.

It is possible that a student pilot or a sport pilot whose U.S. driver's license has been revoked or rescinded could seek airman medical certification as a means to obtaining certification to operate light-sport aircraft. However, on FAA Form 8500-8, Application for Airman Medical Certificate or Airman Medical and Student Pilot Certificate, under Items 18 and 20, applicants must state whether their U.S. driver's license has been denied, suspended, cancelled, or revoked. An applicant must authorize the FAA, as set forth under existing Sec. 67.7, access to search the National Driver Register to obtain information on and condition(s) that might preclude the issuance of an airman medical certificate.

Under the proposal if a pilot knows or has reason to know of any medical condition that would affect his or her ability to operate a light-sport aircraft, then the pilot would have to refrain from acting as a pilot in command. Data available in the National Aviation Safety Data Analysis Center (NASDAC) accident database indicates that a pilots medical condition is rarely a causal factor in general aviation accidents. A review of balloon and glider accidents contained in that database from 1990 to 2000 revealed that only two accidents occurred because of a pilot's medical condition. The absence of any medical certificate requirement for persons operating balloons and gliders has not resulted in a demonstrated reduction in safety.

The ARAC, in its findings, provided accident summary data from 1986 through 1992 indicating that the percentage of aviation accidents involving medical causal factors is lower for those activities that do not require medical certificates than for those activities that do. During this 7-year timeframe, the ARAC indicates there were 761 accidents in lighter-than-air aircraft and gliders--operations that do not require airman medical certification. Only one of the 761 accidents showed a medical cause, according to ARAC (slightly more than one-tenth of one percent of total accidents). For general aviation operations requiring airman medical certification, ARAC indicates there were 46,976 total accidents, 99 of which (slightly more than one-fifth of one percent) showed a medical cause. The FAA believes, therefore, that medical conditions are not a significant cause of accidents in aircraft that are used for sport and recreational purposes.

Copies of the following items are filed in the docket for this rulemaking: examples of medical questions asked on selected U.S. driver's license application forms and on FAA Form 8500-8; NASDAC accident data; and ARAC's final recommendation containing it's accident data findings.

Proposed section 17 of SFAR 89 consists of a table that sets forth the circumstances under which a medical deficiency would preclude a student pilot or sport pilot from operating a light-sport aircraft. These provisions would be consistent with the prohibitions against operating with a medical deficiency specified in Sec. 61.53.
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http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_G...ae5ca362d276d7ef86256b79006a9406!OpenDocument
 
Challenged said:
I hope this is okay to ask without creating a new thread, but what's the thought process behind not being to do Sport Pilot after being denied a medical when you don't need a medical to fly Sport Pilot?
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Having a current medical does not certify that you are medically qualified to fly, it's a piece of paper that ensures a doctor looked for any possible conditions. It is still the pilot's responsibility to evaluate that they are still OK everytime they fly, including temporary conditions.

If you have been denied a medical, then it is because you were found to have a disqualifying condition. At that point, you cannot reach a decision that you're OK because you've been told by people wiser than you that you are not OK.
 
flyingron said:
For an LSA you need a driver's license and not have been denied a medical.
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WRONGO!

You need a valid DL and your MOST RECENT medical must not have been denied or be in suspension.

If you blow your medical, then are able to pass (or get a Special), letting that one expire leaves you good for LSA.
 
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