Ripple effect

BasicMed has been a great boon to general aviation and general aviation pilots, significantly reducing arbitrary FAA requirements, but it does not give pilots permission to do something stupid. Please don’t do nuttin’ stupid and screw up this great gift given to us by Congress.

As you can imagine, with any rule that takes control from a government agency and gives it to medical professionals and pilots, the FAA/NTSB will often do everything in its power to find fault. (We have seen some progress on that front. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute recently announced changes in the way that mental health is evaluated, loosening some of its previous restrictions. They have also changed some of the cardiac special issuance renewal requirements. Watch this column for updates.) Even though a medical condition may have nothing to do with an accident, if the pilot involved holds a BasicMed certificate, that point will be emphasized, just like the irrelevant “no flight plan” found in NTSB reports. The NTSB recently released several final reports of VFR into IMC accidents. Many of these accidents have happened with pilots who held BasicMed certificates. Come on people, it is your life, but it also affects the general aviation community, even when the accident has nothing to do with your medical status. It is like when you screw up as a Boy Scout, it reflects on the whole troop!

There are ways to mitigate the risks associated with many of these accidents. For one, you could get an instrument rating and maintain proficiency. If nothing else, get some instrument training. The drop-in price to add basic situational awareness instrumentation even to older panels can save your rear if you do find yourself in a compromised situation. That is not to encourage you to enter instrument conditions inappropriately, but to help you rescue yourself and passengers if the situation occurs.

BasicMed also doesn’t give pilots license to ignore their health. Often, pilots will come in for standard FAA medicals or BasicMed and their blood pressure is within FAA limits but at the top end of those limits. Many pilots are significantly overweight. Some, much to my chagrin, still use tobacco products including vaping and spitting tobacco. My standard line is “you will pass your medical, but you are at risk for early arterial disease in your heart and brain. Do you really want to end up in a nursing home drooling out the side of your mouth?”

Harsh words, but I have been practicing medicine long enough to have seen patients I have warned end up in that exact situation. There are great drugs now for tobacco cessation and weight loss that work. They can be pricey but so are long-term care facilities.

Exercise is also important for long-term health and goes hand in hand with weight loss. Getting and keeping cardiovascularly fit is problematic in aviation, especially with professional pilots whose job requires lots of time in a seat. Plus, airport and FBO food could be some of the unhealthiest food outside of the Colonel.

If pilots have any choice, selecting hotels with exercise facilities (and using them) is a, pardon the pun, step in the right direction. Using stairs instead of elevators and walking, when possible, can help. From a medical perspective, we like to see people get 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise a day. That is loosely defined as getting your heart rate in the target zone (220 minus your age, times 0.7) for 30 consecutive minutes. It does not make any difference what exercise you do since heart rate is the end point. So, a person could walk uphill one day, get on an elliptical machine another, or bike another. The point is we want to fly as long as we can and make good decisions while doing it.

Let us enjoy opportunities like BasicMed by making good flying choices and maintaining our health by eliminating tobacco products, losing weight, and regular, vigorous exercise.

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