The FAA is pursuing changes to pilot medical certification aimed at reducing application backlogs and simplifying requirements for certain medical conditions. During a regulatory panel Wednesday at NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, Caitlin Locke, associate administrator for the FAA’s Aviation Safety Oversight and Certification Organization, outlined efforts to make regulatory decisions faster and more predictable.
Changes to Medical Certification
“How can we go faster to bring more safety into the system, and how can we be more predictable in what our expectations are going to be, and how we’re sharing them transparently with the industry that we regulate?” Locke said during the panel.
Among changes that are under consideration is a proposed rule that would allow pilots whose diabetes is controlled through non-insulin medications to obtain medical certificates directly from aviation medical examiners (AMEs). Under current regulations, those applicants generally require FAA Special Issuance authorization.
The proposal, which was first introduced in September, would allow eligible applicants to receive first, second or third-class medical certificates without that additional review. The FAA estimates approximately 3,000 applicants annually could qualify for immediate certification under the revised standards.
Efforts to Reduce Backlogs
The agency is also working to reduce medical application delays following earlier concerns about review backlogs. According to a May report from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the FAA increased its medical officer staff from 52 to 78 and implemented changes to case management procedures. In July, the agency also expanded AME authority to handle certain mental health renewals following an initial FAA authorization.
Locke also discussed broader efforts to modernize supplemental oxygen requirements and emergency medical kit regulations through more performance-based standards. The proposed diabetes rule remains pending, and the FAA has not announced an implementation date. Pilots whose diabetes requires insulin would continue to follow the existing Special Issuance process.
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