Category Archives: flight training

EAA STATEMENT ON FAA RELEASE OF THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL REFORM RULE

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Exciting news!

EAA STATEMENT ON FAA RELEASE OF THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL REFORM RULE
FAA’s BasicMed will take effect on May 1, 2017

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (January 10, 2017) — Years of effort by EAA and AOPA culminated on Tuesday morning as the FAA announced regulations that will implement the aeromedical reform law passed last July. The regulations will be published Wednesday as a final rule, to take effect May 1, 2017.  According to the FAA, no changes have been made to the language in the law.

Because it is final, the rule – named “BasicMed” by the FAA – will not go out for a typical public comment period. The FAA also said it would publish an advisory circular describing the implementation of the rule later this week.
“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, as the provisions of aeromedical reform become something that pilots can now use,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO/chairman. “EAA and AOPA worked to make this a reality through legislation in July, and since then the most common question from our members has been, ‘When will the rule come out?’ We now have the text and will work to educate members, pilots, and physicians about the specifics in the regulation.”
Tuesday’s announcement finalized the highly anticipated measure that was signed into law last July as part of an FAA funding bill. That was the ultimate success of a long effort by EAA and AOPA to bring significant aeromedical reform to pilots flying recreationally and eliminate the time and expense burdens on those holding third-class medical certificates.
The law guaranteed that pilots holding a valid third-class medical certificate issued in the 10 years before the reform was enacted will be eligible to fly under the new rules. New pilots and pilots whose most recent medical expired more than 10 years prior to July 2016 will be required to get a one-time third-class exam from an FAA-designated AME.
The FAA was required to implement the law within 180 days of its signing, or this Thursday (January 12). Since AirVenture 2016, FAA senior leadership has been assuring EAA that the 180-day deadline would be met. Despite the release of the regulations as a final rule, EAA will be reviewing the language carefully to ensure it fully reflects the language and intent of the law.
EAA has updated its Q&A and will continue to update them to provide the latest information. EAA is also working with its aeromedical and legal advisory councils to provide resources that will help members and their personal doctors understand the provisions of the new regulations.
About EAA
EAA embodies the spirit of aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 200,000 members and 1,000 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.
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EAA STATEMENT ON FAA RELEASE OF THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL REFORM RULE

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EAA STATEMENT ON FAA RELEASE OF THIRD-CLASS MEDICAL REFORM RULE

FAA’s BasicMed will take effect on May 1, 2017

EAA AVIATION CENTER, OSHKOSH, Wisconsin — (January 10, 2017) — Years of effort by EAA and AOPA culminated on Tuesday morning as the FAA announced regulations that will implement the aeromedical reform law passed last July. The regulations will be published Wednesday as a final rule, to take effect May 1, 2017.  According to the FAA, no changes have been made to the language in the law.

Because it is final, the rule – named “BasicMed” by the FAA – will not go out for a typical public comment period. The FAA also said it would publish an advisory circular describing the implementation of the rule later this week.

“This is the moment we’ve been waiting for, as the provisions of aeromedical reform become something that pilots can now use,” said Jack J. Pelton, EAA CEO/chairman. “EAA and AOPA worked to make this a reality through legislation in July, and since then the most common question from our members has been, ‘When will the rule come out?’ We now have the text and will work to educate members, pilots, and physicians about the specifics in the regulation.”

Tuesday’s announcement finalized the highly anticipated measure that was signed into law last July as part of an FAA funding bill. That was the ultimate success of a long effort by EAA and AOPA to bring significant aeromedical reform to pilots flying recreationally and eliminate the time and expense burdens on those holding third-class medical certificates.

The law guaranteed that pilots holding a valid third-class medical certificate issued in the 10 years before the reform was enacted will be eligible to fly under the new rules. New pilots and pilots whose most recent medical expired more than 10 years prior to July 2016 will be required to get a one-time third-class exam from an FAA-designated AME.

The FAA was required to implement the law within 180 days of its signing, or this Thursday (January 12). Since AirVenture 2016, FAA senior leadership has been assuring EAA that the 180-day deadline would be met. Despite the release of the regulations as a final rule, EAA will be reviewing the language carefully to ensure it fully reflects the language and intent of the law.

EAA has updated its Q&A and will continue to update them to provide the latest information. EAA is also working with its aeromedical and legal advisory councils to provide resources that will help members and their personal doctors understand the provisions of the new regulations.

About EAA

EAA embodies the spirit of aviation through the world’s most engaged community of aviation enthusiasts. EAA’s 200,000 members and 1,000 local chapters enjoy the fun and camaraderie of sharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft. For more information on EAA and its programs, call 800-JOIN-EAA (800-564-6322) or go to www.eaa.org. For continual news updates, connect with www.twitter.com/EAA.

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Simulator or stimulator

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I’ve always felt that flying was very stimulating.  I think that most pilots feel the same way.  It brings out another side to the personality that a pilot craves.  And one way to fulfill that desire is to use a PC Simulator.  One of the simulator programs that I have is the Microsoft Flight Simulator Professional.  I know there are other systems, but I have had this for years and it has always worked great.
This version offers me a chance to actually download weather from the Internet and overlay it in the simulation I’m in.  Another neat thing is that I can use the simulator program to pick a city and plan a cross country flight, before I make the flight.  And many times the airport in the simulation has many of the topographical things to give me a perspective of the area.  No, it is not the same as being there.  But I’m not there!  I’m pretending to be there.  And that makes it fun.  I can pretend to be almost anywhere.  And I can fly aircraft I don’t own or can’t fly in real life.  My desire has never been to fly an airline, but I can, on the simulator.
And if I want, I can make the flight, shoot a couple of approaches (and I’m not even instrument rated) and be prepared for the trip.  It’s a rehearsal for the actual flight.  And the old line “practice makes perfect” has never been more accurate than in aviation.  The more you fly the better it is.  And that doesn’t mean just flying in an aircraft. 
Want more?  There are lots of extras in today’s flight simulators such as real time weather, lots of cool visual effects and quite an assortment of airplanes.  One of which is my dream aircraft, the Cessna Caravan on amphibious floats.  I have always felt that the Caravan on amphib’s could replace a fifth wheel travel trailer, a testosterone filled truck and my airplane. 
 It could be a flying motor home…although I don’t foresee owning one in the near future.  Now that I think about it, I don’t foresee owning one in the distant future either.  Not unless all of you readers want to contribute to the “SkySmith, I want to own a Caravan on amphib’s fund”.  But until then, I’ll be stuck flying the computer version.  Which really isn’t too bad.  I was able to fly to a lake, land and see the wave’s splash around the floats while I taxied to the dock. 
And when it came time to refuel…I shut the program off and didn’t have to worry about paying for the hundreds of gallons of fuel that I burned during the flight.  My Discover card thanked me.  Kind of a nice thought.