I’ve just been reading the last US AOPA magazine. There is a good interview with their current chief who quite frankly says how they tried to achieve this but it proved impossible. He is diplomatic enough to not say why (he just says they could not educate 500+ congressmen) but presumably it was working against other lobby interests… He’s happy with BasicMed which is good for everything including IFR and which gets a lot of US pilots out of the horrid Special Issuance system.
The UK has the totally amazing NPPL which – below 2000kg – is based purely on the driving entitlement plus a lack of psychiatric problems. No AME involvement at all. There is literally no other requirement. But it is UK only, day VFR, and the ability to use it on certifieds is due to be killed by Brussels in April 2018, which will really cripple it.
France has no medical requirement at all for microlights, but you can’t just base an F-reg microlight anywhere…
Has any other country managed this? Is the UK really the only place, and how was it achieved?
A related thread is here
The CAA have stated that they intend to continue trying to persuade EASA to accept driving licence based self declarations for use on EASA aircraft after next April, although personally I’m doubtful they will succeed. On a more potentially useful basis I have heard that IAOPA are also lobbying ICAO to accept self declarations for private flying generally, which if successful, would have obviously more widespread implications.
If I could find a suitable annex 2 aircraft before next April (RV prices are going through the roof and they are like rocking horse dung to find) I would opt for a self declaration on my UK ICAO legacy PPL
Are there regular exams in the UK to maintain a driving license? If not, I don’t understand the connection. At least in Germany, if I you pass a simple eye test (not done by qualified doctors even) at the age of 17, you get your driving license and you keep it until you die without ever having to prove fitness in any way. A driving license would not add any meaning to a medical self-declaration over here.
Peter wrote:
Has any other country managed this? Is the UK really the only place, and how was it achieved?
In the US, in addition to Basic Med there is Sport Pilot. That provides for lighter and lower performance aircraft being flown with a state Driver’s License serving as medical certification, and nothing else. No declaration. This has been the case for some time.
The hope with Basic Med was that Sport Pilot would be extended to larger aircraft based on the established precedent and positive experience. The failure to do so, and the associated loss of political inertia is in my mind about as much a negative as Basic Med is otherwise a positive.
There is an interesting aspect to this: if you lose your driving license (for non alcohol/drug related reason, e.g. speeding) do you also lose the ability to use the Sport Pilot or the UK NPPL?
In the case of Sport Pilot, the following is extracted from the AOPA website on the subject:
“The Sport Pilot rule allows a pilot to fly light-sport aircraft without the need for an FAA medical certificate. However, a sport pilot must hold at least a current and valid U.S. driver’s license in order to exercise this privilege. The only exceptions are for operations in a glider or balloon, which does not require a driver’s license”
The UK DVLA have a crazy system of issuing a letter authorising you to drive without a licence. I had no problem with renewing my licence at 70, but at 73 there were new questions – including “Ever been referred to a specialist for an eye problem”. I had been, before I got my licence at 18. I could not supply details of the event, and was sent that authorisation letter. I heard of an over 70 HGV driver, on the Inverness – Glasgow run, who had been using this for years. As I could see problems renting, I threatened raising it at Parliamentary level. I got a crazy form, on which my GP scrawled “Irrelevant” on every item, stamped it with the practise stamp, and signed it. I got my licence. Fortunately I had an EASA Class 2, so this did not affect my flying.
At 76 it was again simple.
As written above by achimha there isn’t really a medical test for the drivers license in Germany, consequently there is no pilot license based on something like that either.
Personally I would like to see medicals for drivers in Germany. There are way too many (especially elderly) people driving around while medically unfit to do so. I once was part of an emergency room team that had to treat am 8 year old girl ton a bicycle who was run over by a 90 year old lady with her Mercedes. The girl even followed all traffic rules properly, to no avail. She made it okay though will keep huge scar tissue for life…
Back to pilot licences, Germany has the LAPL as the lowest licence to fly certified aircraft, which appropriately requires a “LAPL” class medical. I don’t know what the difference is to a class 2 medical.
In Norway we have something called “air sport medical license” valid for gliders, microlight and balloons? Then LAPL medical license, but I don’t know what the differences between LAPL medical, PPL medical and air sport medical actually are. An AME can do all, but a house doctor can do air sport and LAPL.
Driving licenses are different also. I have a license for small bus and large van. They require renewal every 5th year, with a medical examination. The ordinary driving license has no such requirements until you reach 80 or something ? I think.
Several countries have medicals for drivers licenses at the age of 70 plus but not below.
