[Peetwo]

Fort Fumble AVMED under siege??

Another Skidmore induced clusterduck is rapidly escalating in the halls of Fort Fumble with DAMEs Australia wide getting frustrated with the growing backlog of medicals yet to be processed. Binger in the Oz today...

Flaws in pilots medical portal put doctors off

• Mitchell Bingemann
  
• The Australian
  
• 12:00AM July 8, 2016
  

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Meanwhile in a parallel, non-isolationist hemisphere -

Yesterday the US Senate voted in favour of the 3rd class medical measure, courtesy of AvWeb:

Senate Approves Third-Class Medical Reform (Updated)

By Elaine Kauh | July 13, 2016

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Third-class medical reform is on its way to becoming law after the Senate voted this afternoon to approve the measure as part of a short-term funding bill for the FAA. The legislation, which won House approval on Monday, is expected to be be signed by President Obama before the FAA’s current authorization expires on Friday. Many pilots who have had third-class medicals issued within the past 10 years of the bill's signing will not need another exam by an aviation medical examiner. However, the FAA will have up to a year to develop and finalize the new regulations, which will require at least a valid driver's license and a doctor's checkup every 48 months for eligible pilots.

Another requirement in lieu of a third-class medical is completing an aeromedical education course every two years. The reforms are for pilots who have never had their medicals denied or revoked. Those eligible to be exempt from future medical certification will be able to fly privately in aircraft with up to six seats and a maximum takeoff weight of 6,000 pounds. Flights can be VFR or IFR, but must be no higher than 18,000 feet with maximum indicated airspeeds of 250 knots. Pilots flying with third-class medicals with special issuances also would not have to be re-certified, unless they develop a medical condition requiring a new special issuance. Those who have never had a medical must still get one-time certification from an AME to fly under the specified conditions. 

“This is the most significant legislative victory for general aviation in decades,” AOPA President Mark Baker said. “These reforms will provide relief to hundreds of thousands of pilots from an outdated, costly, and unnecessarily burdensome system. This legislation will strengthen the private pilot-private physician relationship and improve awareness of medical issues throughout our community.  It will help pilots save time, money, and frustration.” AOPA explains some details of the reforms on its Web site.

The FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016, which funds the agency through September 2017, also includes a variety of safety measures including tighter enforcement of unmanned aerial systems and tougher penalties for laser-pointing at aircraft. The FAA also must develop regulations for marking standalone towers between 50 and 200 feet tall located in rural or agricultural areas. The regulations would target meteorological evaluation towers, which can be marked voluntarily, under current FAA policy.

And from the AOPA blurb from earlier in the week when the legislative measure passed the HoR..

..“We have been working day in and day out to win much-needed medical reforms for pilots, and the inclusion of those reforms in the FAA extension, and the House’s overwhelming support puts us one step closer to getting this to the president’s desk,” said AOPA President Mark Baker. “We appreciate the leadership of Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and the steadfast support of general aviation’s friends in Congress.”

Third class medical reform was included in the House Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 introduced last year by Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), Todd Rokita (R-Ind.), and Collin Peterson (D-Minn.). Graves, Rokita, and Peterson are all AOPA members and House GA Caucus members, while Lipinski is a GA Caucus member who has been a stalwart GA supporter. The Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 garnered nearly 200 co-sponsors in the House.

“Today is a great day for general aviation” said Graves. “Many of us have been fighting for third class medical reform for well over five years and we are closer than ever to realizing our goal. It is truly a testament to the grassroots support for third class medical reform from our community and the continual advocacy of the House General Aviation Caucus and our GA industry leaders."  

Other key congressional advocates were equally pleased to see the legislation moving forward.

“As an aviator, I am pleased that the solution we negotiated makes it easier for pilots who love flying to continue doing so without onerous medical regulations,” said Rokita. “While the language does not go as far as I and other leaders have advocated, it represents real progress towards removing unneeded government bureaucracy that does nothing to maintain safety.

“I appreciate AOPA’s leadership and staff for their unwavering efforts on this important issue. I will continue to stand up for GA pilots everywhere, and look forward to continuing my efforts when Congress considers a long-term FAA reauthorization bill next year.”  

“The legislation approved by the House in the short-term extension is a long overdue victory for our nation’s general aviation pilots. This is a great example of what can be accomplished with bipartisan cooperation and stakeholder engagement,” said Lipinski and Peterson in a joint statement. “As strong supporters of general aviation, we look forward to securing additional commonsense reforms in the eventual comprehensive, long-term FAA reauthorization bill.”...

GREEN WITH ENVY -"..bipartisan cooperation and stakeholder engagement.."  - Fancy that??- A place where such words actually mean something while helping foster and promote a vibrant industry. Not the weasel-words that spew out of our pollies, like Albo & selfie King Dazzling Dazza. Who in the next breath turn cheek and abrogate all responsibility to the retrograde bureaucracy, that is seemingly hell bent on decimating the aviation industry with voluminous, overly prescriptive and outdated regulations -     



MTF...P2