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BasicMed - FAA Private Pilot Medical abolished - not useful outside the US (merged)

And in the meantime the UK CAA rules that the FAA Class 3 medical is not valid in UK airspace… sometimes, the world goes backwards.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

That CAA ruling mentioned in the post above was retracted a few weeks later. They are happy with the Class 3 now, but they are requiring some forms to be filled in – SRG2140 and SRG2142 (a search finds the threads).

BasicMed update

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Update on BasicMed

A great system but still in some ways not as good as the UK medical self declaration The latter cannot be used with an IR, for example, AFAICT.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I don’t know if this warrants a new thread but regardless on July 24th FAA will release the Notice of Proposed Rule Making for a very significant change to Sport Pilot aircraft and pilot eligibility, with the associated change in medical requirement for newly eligible aircraft. It takes some study to fully understand (and I haven’t yet done it) but appears to eliminate the private pilot medical requirement (meaning a US state drivers license only will be required, no 3rd Class, no BasicMed) for private pilots flying larger and more complex planes than is currently the case, including certified four seat ‘FAA complex’ aircraft as long as they stall clean at 54 kts or below and have only two people on board.

My aircraft stalls at higher than 54 kts clean (naturally ) but for example a C172 RG and similar four seat aircraft appear to me to be eligible, meaning no medical or BasicMed required to fly them. It looks to me that most Vans aircraft might not quite be eligible due to stall speed slightly over 54 kts clean but the RV-9 with its long wing would for sure be eligible. RV-7 wing tip extensions on the horizon? No doubt during the NPRM comment period there will be lots of discussion on these types and issues.

Last Edited by Silvaire at 19 Jul 20:43

Sounds excellent

It does sound good and rational.

In effect, other than the limit of 2 people on board (even with more seats available), the governing eligibility criterion for operating the plane under Sport Pilot will be it having 54 kts or lower clean stall speed. Nothing else listed in the NPRM will come into play if that limit applies. The downside is that if during the NPRM comment period that 54 kts number were to be pushed down even a knot or two, it would eliminate a lot of types.

Maybe not so good for visitors to the US who have a ‘stand alone’ private license. BasicMed and quite likely this ‘no med’ development require a US driver’s license which is hard to get as a visitor (typcally 6 months residency etc.). Maybe there’s some shady (but legal) route to a US driver’s license? I’ve not looked into it (yet).

Aopa (US) was deaf to pleas regarding this issue when it originally arose over BasicMed. (They were to me, anyway).

Also I’m not sure there’s a route back to a 61.75 and reliance on foreign medical (I remember the examiner solemnly tearing mine up when I passed my Private). Many FBO’s insist on US medical anyway and that might be the solutuion here too, but not if the class 3 is abolished altogether.

In reality flight schools will probably fail to ask about driver’s licenses when this change comes in (you drove here, didn’t you?) creating a whole new way to fly illegally. Added to the dodgy renter’s insurance based on accomodation addresses it’s a world of fun!

EGBW / KPRC, United Kingdom

AOPA US, for all the great work they do in the US, are basically useless for non US members like me. I pay the fee because I get the magazine and I get the fee back on some landing fees here, and they have some influence in Europe. They pretty well directly told me they are not interested.

The way to get advice is to contact one of the US AMEs who offer consultancy. I have a good contact (PM). This is illegal in Europe where the AME is an agent of the CAA and all comms are supposedly copied to the CAA, but in the US it is legal, and obviously a good thing.

If the US abolished Class 3, that would shaft the many standalone US license holders outside the US. Class 1/2 is not always obtainable.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Even with that, there are still cases where you need a Class 3, though maybe they will go away too. Anyway a Class 2 is practically the same as a Class 3 – I always do one, since I have a CPL, though I only renew every second year. There is some minor difference, which I forget, but if you can pass a Class 3 you’d have to be very unlucky not to pass a Class 2 also.

The 54 knot thing is kind of weird. I’d have been fine in my TR182 (51 knots), but not in the TB20 which has Vs1 of 70 knots.

LFMD, France

if you can pass a Class 3 you’d have to be very unlucky not to pass a Class 2 also.

Look up some fairly common cardiac interventions… An FAA C1 or C2 needs a repeat angiogram, which is extremely aggressive, not to mention expensive – anything up to $20k in the US.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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