Time for an overhaul

With regard to our air traffic system, policymakers are moving away from the tired and repeatedly failed debate of who controls the system and are now all-in on ensuring the flying public and air traffic controllers have the best and most modern equipment available. Our air traffic control and medical systems are so arcane and outdated that we can no longer afford to kick the can down the road (see “Modern Skies”).

As many AOPA members know, for years we have also been advocating for medical process reforms. We led the effort on third class medical reform and now we have a successful BasicMed program where more than 90,000 pilots have qualified to use the program since its inception in 2017. BasicMed has proven to be so safe that Congress recently expanded the program and, moreover, it helps reduce the bureaucratic burden on the FAA’s medical system. Some of my commercial pilot friends wish they could see their own private physician for medical flight exams as their personal doctors know more about their medical history than anyone.

Maybe you inadvertently did not disclose something on the confusing MedXpress form? Maybe you have experienced the situation where your physician says you don’t need a certain medical test but the FAA medical reviewer in Oklahoma City says you do? Or you incorrectly filed or didn’t file the proper medical documentation and now an additional eight weeks in delays have been added to the already excruciating and lengthy delay. And it goes on and on. We’ve heard from thousands of frustrated pilots over the years, and AOPA, through our expert medical advisor team and our Pilot Protection Services (PPS) legal program, where everything is kept confidential, has helped pilots successfully navigate through the system.

Many pilots have been caught up in the labyrinth of the FAA’s medical system, and similar to the focus on modernizing our nation’s air traffic control system, we must also do the same with the FAA medical processes, including how mental health issues are perceived and addressed. Without question, the current medical system is arcane, confusing, non-transparent, and downright frustrating for both pilots and AMEs.

I want to point out that we now have a real leader in Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup. She is a listener, a doer, and professionally persistent. A medical doctor and active private pilot, she is working with AOPA and other pilot organizations to reform the system so it works the way it should. It won’t happen overnight, but the FAA medical division has not had a leader like Northrup, along with her deputy, Dr. Brett Wyrick, in a long time. AOPA and others will do everything we can to implement reform quickly. It never goes fast enough, but we will not stop until we have a medical system that is modern, transparent, clear, and concise.

One of the first actions AOPA President Darren Pleasance took when he came on board this year was to meet with Northrup and convey his commitment to AOPA’s continued advocacy in supporting common sense solutions to address overdue reforms to the medical processes for pilots. It’s already been beneficial, as the FAA retreated from its proposed medical denial letter policy and agreed to work with AOPA and others to educate pilots and ensure they are prepared with the proper documentation before meeting with their AME (see “FAA Withdraws Medical Denial Policy Proposal”).

AOPA is also represented on an aviation industry Medical Reform Working Group, which has been established by Congress to create solutions for improving the FAA’s medical system. And our AOPA Board of Medical Advisors, chaired by Dr. Ian Fries, has been invaluable in tackling these issues head-on, including efforts to foster a more supportive environment for pilots’ mental health. Last year the FAA, medical experts, AOPA, and others participated in a Mental Health Aviation Rulemaking Committee which released 24 recommendations to reduce barriers to mental health care.

We are fortunate to live and fly in the greatest aviation nation in the world, and there are no excuses for not having kept up with modern air traffic technologies or enormous advancements in the practice of medicine. We will continue our advocacy in Washington, D.C. and across the country, on behalf of every AOPA member, to ensure our elected officials are successful in advancing aviation in the United States.

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