Third Class Reform By End of July?

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MichiPilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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MichiPilot
I just watched AOPA's tv show and they said the third class bill was attached to a bill that has to pass by the end of July. My medical is up on March...I certainly won't hold my breath.
 
Medical is due August 5th for me.... I'm sure I'll be screwed!
 
And do the work too - hassle your elected officials.

What exactly do they do? Sure take the credit though...
 
When pigs fly.

th
 
MichiPilot said:
I just watched AOPA's tv show and they said the third class bill was attached to a bill that has to pass by the end of July. My medical is up on March...I certainly won't hold my breath.
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If it passes it most certainly pass by the end of July, now what year..???
 
jspilot said:
Medical is due August 5th for me.... I'm sure I'll be screwed!
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Huh?

Is the a second or first class thing? AFAIK...medicals expire at the end of the month just like almost everything else with the FAA does.
 
I kind of hope it doesn't pass. Makes me look at my health more closely. I love flying that much!!

I guess what I am trying to say is that since getting my medical I am in better health than ever. And I'm keeping it that way.
 
mulligan said:
I kind of hope it doesn't pass. Makes me look at my health more closely. I love flying that much!!

I guess what I am trying to say is that since getting my medical I am in better health than ever. And I'm keeping it that way.
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Would you feel that way if you had to get a semi truck drivers medical just to drive your car? "Oops.....you BP is too high, here is a metro bus pass. I'm also giving you a free trial offer for Uber. Have a nice life walking buddy."
 
Unit74 said:
Would you feel that way if you had to get a semi truck drivers medical just to drive your car? "Oops.....you BP is too high, here is a metro bus pass. I'm also giving you a free trial offer for Uber. Have a nice life walking buddy."
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You should be a politician. Your not comparing apples to apples. Flying and Driving are both privileges and not rights so if my health stood in my way of doing either I would work hard at fixing my health. Our society is full of glutinous people who blame everyone else for their own actions.
 
mulligan said:
You should be a politician. Your not comparing apples to apples. Flying and Driving are both privileges and not rights so if my health stood in my way of doing either I would work hard at fixing my health. Our society is full of glutinous people who blame everyone else for their own actions.
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Many times what is standing in the way of people's medical is not something they can easily fix. This isn't just a check to see if people are overweight like your post implies.
 
timwinters said:
Huh?

Is the a second or first class thing? AFAIK...medicals expire at the end of the month just like almost everything else with the FAA does.
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Forgot about that- well mine was issued August 5th so I guess I have till the end of August then... Probably little good that will do me! ;)
 
Somedudeintn said:
Many times what is standing in the way of people's medical is not something they can easily fix. This isn't just a check to see if people are overweight like your post implies.
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There is no debate here. If you have a health issue in the air it is different then having a health issue in a car. I stand behind my comment that flying is a privilege and not a right. There are many careers that people cannot do because of their health. Find something else.
 
mulligan said:
You should be a politician. Your not comparing apples to apples. Flying and Driving are both privileges and not rights so if my health stood in my way of doing either I would work hard at fixing my health. Our society is full of glutinous people who blame everyone else for their own actions.
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How is flying a plane any different than driving a car? Apple to,apples....planes to,cars. That's about as Close as it gets bro. Go do some research before opening your mouth and looking like an ill informed Sheeple. Your odds of serious injury and death multiply once you chock that bird and roll off the ramp to the streets. That's just a pure fact.

Also, do you even lift bro?
 
If the bill referred to on AOPA Live passes at all, it will pass by July 15th, because that's the date the current FAA authorization expires and it's the date that Congress will recess for the summer. If that bill doesn't pass, there are two other bills passed by the Senate and pending in the House. They will have to pass by the end of 2016 when the current session of Congress ends. Anything that doesn't pass by then is dead and would have to be reintroduced as a new bill when Congress reconvenes in January. Like many others, I have been hopeful but pessimistic about 3rd class medical reform. But what I've read about this latest effort to get it passed by July 15th leaves me more hopeful than ever before. Your response -- like your mileage -- may vary.
 
Unit74 said:
How is flying a plane any different than driving a car? Apple to,apples....planes to,cars. That's about as Close as it gets bro. Go do some research before opening your mouth and looking like an ill informed Sheeple. Your odds of serious injury and death multiply once you chock that bird and roll off the ramp to the streets. That's just a pure fact.

Also, do you even lift bro?
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You have health issue in a car vs health issue flying a plane is where the difference is. I would think that is pretty easy to understand. And no I don't lift. Has nothing to do with this argument. Just another attempt to muddy the water that has nothing to do with the fact that there are rules and laws and it sucks for those who don't meet it but they exist for good reason. Nice try!
 
There is no difference.

If a driver has a kidney stone should his car license be suspended? If a driver gets a script for BP Meds should he have his license revoked? If a driver is treating diabetes should they never be allowed to,drive again in their life?


If a driver or a pilot has a serious emergency while operating a motor vehicle, the outcomes ar extremely similar. We are not talking commercial operations. This is Johhny Q Public operations.

Your position lacks any facts to back up your dissent. If you feel all bubbly about a token visit to an AME which is an absolute joke to begin with, fine. But you are not in good company on this board or any other board where GA pilots have been treated like they are flying a 737-300 with an oversold plane instead of what they really are.
 
mulligan said:
You have health issue in a car vs health issue flying a plane is where the difference is. I would think that is pretty easy to understand. And no I don't lift. Has nothing to do with this argument. Just another attempt to muddy the water that has nothing to do with the fact that there are rules and laws and it sucks for those who don't meet it but they exist for good reason. Nice try!
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What you are missing here is the guy who is perfectly healthy enough to fly safely but has to spend $$ to prove it. Or the guy who has a mis-diagnosis on his record, or was given the wrong med as a 6-year-old.
 
Mason said:
What you are missing here is the guy who is perfectly healthy enough to fly safely but has to spend $$ to prove it. Or the guy who has a mis-diagnosis on his record, or was given the wrong med as a 6-year-old.
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I'm not missing that at all. It sucks. But there is an avenue to get an SI. Epileptics can't drive a car until cleared so yes there are health conditions that preclude cars as well.

The point that is being missed here is that in my own case I said I was glad there is a class 3 because it helped me get into better health.

While I realize there are people in the world who have medical conditions unrelated to their lifestyle, there are far more in the United States whose health is a direct reflection of their lifestyle.

Ill yield to you all for the last word. Flame away!!
 
mulligan said:
There is no debate here. If you have a health issue in the air it is different then having a health issue in a car. I stand behind my comment that flying is a privilege and not a right. There are many careers that people cannot do because of their health. Find something else.
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I don't have this problem but what about those diagnosed with ADHD?

I find it extremely hard to believe that they are a danger in flight.
 
mulligan said:
The point that is being missed here is that in my own case I said I was glad there is a class 3 because it helped me get into better health.
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If you think your improved lifestyle made your health better, why wouldn't you have done whatever you did anyway? Isn't your health more important than flying?
 
Everskyward said:
If you think your improved lifestyle made your health better, why wouldn't you have done whatever you did anyway? Isn't your health more important than flying?
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Not trying to spur the debate, but I find it crazy how people do things they know are bad or counterproductive to their health. Smoking is a prime example to me. Everyone and their grandmother knows the risks involved. If the cancer doesn't kill you, the emphysema and COPD will make your life hell. But people continue to smoke. Obesity is another one. Ironically, eating takes effort. People stop their routine several times a day to put food in their mouths. Could you imagine if you had to brush your teeth that often? Most people would have dentures if that were the case. Not really contributing to the thread, just saying.
 
I believe PBOR2 requires a medical within the last 10 years before going into the program -- if it passes.
 
IF the bill did happen to pass July 15th, my understanding is that the FAA then has 6 months to develop a rule or regulation. I'm not sure it will help a whole lot though. One of our esteemed congress people attached an amendment that requires a sign off by a non-AME physician. In our litigious society, it will probably be difficult to impossible to get a physician not familiar with aviation to sign off on the form. Maybe the plus is if it passes, after a few years, it would be amended to ease this requirement.
 
somorris said:
IF the bill did happen to pass July 15th, my understanding is that the FAA then has 6 months to develop a rule or regulation. I'm not sure it will help a whole lot though. One of our esteemed congress people attached an amendment that requires a sign off by a non-AME physician. In our litigious society, it will probably be difficult to impossible to get a physician not familiar with aviation to sign off on the form. Maybe the plus is if it passes, after a few years, it would be amended to ease this requirement.
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This.
I think most AMEs are actually fairly lenient. I can imagine that the typical GP who knows nothing about aviation except that if he messes up he'll get sued, will be extra "cautious" and will dot all the i's and maybe add a few, just to be sure.
Another example of beware what you wish for...
 
MichiPilot said:
I just watched AOPA's tv show and they said the third class bill was attached to a bill that has to pass by the end of July. My medical is up on March...I certainly won't hold my breath.
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I'm pretty sure that the FAA will have something like 180 days after the bill becomes law to publish new standards. I might have the timing wrong, but I can tell you for sure that you should not expect immediate change.

Bob Gardner
 
bobmrg said:
I'm pretty sure that the FAA will have something like 180 days after the bill becomes law to publish new standards. I might have the timing wrong, but I can tell you for sure that you should not expect immediate change.

Bob Gardner
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Even with a limit in the statute, this is the sort of thing that the FAA routine thumbs their noses at the Congress and the Constitution over. Nobody gets too upset with their incessant bureaucratic foot dragging. What many of the bills did have was a ONE YEAR sunset on the FAA being able to enforce any medical violations if they don't enact such regulation however.
 
What about those that numerous Drs have cleared and say are healthy but yet the FAA denies them because of some asinine rule or at the very minimum makes them wait months to find out their fate. As much as I believe there are many good and useful government agencies the FAA is the very definition of what is wrong with our government.


Oh and on the original topic an AOPA rep told me a couple of weeks ago that Inhofe wants it done by Airventure.
 
mulligan said:
You should be a politician. Your not comparing apples to apples. Flying and Driving are both privileges and not rights so if my health stood in my way of doing either I would work hard at fixing my health. Our society is full of glutinous people who blame everyone else for their own actions.
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Horse hockey. Driving and flying are not "privleges",and are most certainly de fact rights. How fast do you think a judge would slap a state gov't or the FAA if they denied a license for a capricious cause?

You pass the test, and the medical, the FAA doesn' have a choice, they have to issue. They don't have a legal alternative. They aren't doing you a favor or granting you an extra helping of Jello because they like you.

And the third class is nonsense, a solution in search of a problem. if your health is better bacause of the third class, you did a damn poor job of managing it, unless your personal physician and AME are the same person.

I don't need to be compelled by the FAA to attend to my health, and sure don't need to be dragged along by those who do.
 
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