Aeromedical

Airbus Helicopters reported it has recorded orders for more than 35 new single- and twin-engine Airbus air medical helicopters over the past 12 months. Romain Trapp, president of Airbus Helicopters, said, “We recognize that helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) providers rely on their helicopters to save lives, and we remain dedicated to providing them with state-of-the-art […]

“Old pilots tend to be a deaf bunch,” as one AME so bluntly called it. He would know. For me, the tough reality is sinking in that I too may someday join the ranks of the hearing impaired—wrong in expecting that growing old would take longer.  So when reader and hearing-aid candidate Thomas Folk reached […]

The head of Australia’s largest pilot’s group says a BasicMed type medical certification system may be among reforms being considered after recent meetings with top government officials. A self-certification system like that available to U.S. private pilots is at the top of AOPA Australia’s wish list for regulatory reform. CEO Ben Morgan told Australian Flying […]

Finding out the status of a flight medical is a click away under a new online feature announced by the FAA on Wednesday. The agency says pilots can now follow the progress of their medical through the system on the MedXPress website. Previously, pilots who wanted to check on their application had to call the […]

A Learjet 35A crashed at Gillespie Field (KSEE) in El Cajon, California, around 7:15 local time Monday night (Dec. 27) while executing an overhead visual approach from the north to Runway 27R. The pilot had canceled his IFR clearance after flying a GPS instrument approach to Runway 17. ATC recordings reveal the pilot requesting the […]

The FAA’s Federal Air Surgeon says pilots who have had COVID-19 have to come clean with their AMEs or risk losing their medicals. Dr. Susan Northrup wrote in a safety bulletin AMEs have been told to use their own judgment in determining the fitness to fly for those who have recovered from the disease but […]

If fear of losing your medical has ever influenced your healthcare decisions, researchers in the U.S. and Canada want to hear from you, anonymously, of course. Georgetown University and the University of Alberta are asking pilots to fill out a survey on the impact of preserving a flight medical might have on their overall health […]

The FAA says it hasn’t yet determined whether pilots will be able to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and keep their medicals. In a statement issued to AVweb late Sunday, the agency said it’s waiting for the outcome of an FDA committee meeting on an emergency approval for a vaccine developed by Pfizer. The meeting is […]

Medical science has now confirmed what your family and friends have been telling you since the first time you strapped in and maybe before that. Your brain works differently than that of non-flying folks and contrary to what those in your immediate bubble might think, that’s actually a good thing, well mostly. Chinese researchers have […]

The FAA needs to improve oversight of BasicMed to ensure pilots who use it are actually entitled to do so, a new government report says. The Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General issued a report to Congress on Friday saying the agency needs better verification of the very foundations of the program: drivers licenses […]