Aeromedical

AOPA has announced that it received a letter from FAA Administrator Michael Huerta apologizing for the FAAs nearly two-year delay in responding to the joint AOPA-EAA petition that would expand the use of the drivers license medical standard. In his Dec. 26 letter, Huerta said it was important to ensure that such an unprecedented change […]

The FAA told aviation groups Thursday it will delay implementation of the new sleep apnea testing policy that was to begin in January 2014. The FAA said it will gather additional input from the aviation and medical communities. Both groups are applauding the move, which caught them by surprise in November.”We are pleased to see […]

If you were paying attention to the news last week, you may have noticed that the otherwise chronically broken Congress actually proposed a bi-partisan budget package. Now lets not delude ourselves into thinking strains of Kumbaya will soon be pealing from the Capitol and the members will be caroling on Pennsylvania Avenue, but this little […]

The FAA is moving ahead with implementation of mandatory screening and tests (apparently regardless of widely reported objections) for obstructive sleep apnea in pilots with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or higher, the agency said Thursday. Individuals are typically categorized as obese by current BMI charts if they score a number higher than […]

Representatives in the house Wednesday introduced legislation that would expand the use of a drivers license as an acceptable qualifying medical standard for pilots flying light certificated GA aircraft. The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act would set the drivers license as the medical requirement for noncommercial VFR flights in aircraft with no more than six […]

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has approved a bill that would force the FAA to follow the formal rulemaking process in adopting a controversial new sleep apnea detection initiative, It’s the first legislative step to slow down implementation of a policy introduced by Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton in his November newsletter to […]

Letter of the Week:A Technological Solution to a Human Problem? I have several thoughts about the sudden concern by the FAA over sleep apnea in pilots and controllers. The NTSB Safety Recommendation was issued August 7, 2009. Why has it taken more than four years for the FAA to jerk its knee in response? Has […]

The U.S. House of Representatives has created a bill that would require the FAA to open a public comment period and apply normal rulemaking procedures before imposing new policy regarding pilot girth, medical testing, and sleep apnea. AOPA and EAA reacted to the announced policy with strongly worded letters demanding that it be suspended. They […]

Dr. Brent Blue is a senior FAA air medical examiner from Wyoming who says the new policy on sleep apnea announced by Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Fred Tilton is “one of the craziest things to come out of the FAA in many years.” AVweb’s Russ Niles spoke with him. Duration: File Size: download here

EAA (link) and AOPA (PDF) each wrote strongly worded letters to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta “demanding” that a new policy regarding sleep apnea in pilots and controllers be suspended (and ultimately killed) because it addresses a problem that hasn’t been proven to exist, exceeds the Federal Flight Surgeon’s mandate and could cost the pilot community […]