Co-op(eration)

In the very small town of Lakeview, Texas, about eight country miles from the farm, was the local cotton gin. The gin was a business entity, part of a co-op of local farmers who combined all their harvests, shared the profits from sales to reinvest in the gin and future seed purchases for the next crop, and protected and enhanced the members’ interests and crop investment.

We in the aviation industry are a co-op of sorts. We have a shared interest in flying, be it for recreation or a career liveli-hood. We pay into the co-op through fuel taxes, ramp fees, hangar fees, and yes, even our medical certificates. Safety is a shared responsibility for us all, and we share that mutual responsibility with the FAA, the ultimate overseer of safety under our U.S. Department of Transportation. 

Whether we hold a first class medical and fly as Part 121 airline transport pilots, a new student pilot, or a seasoned Part 91 BasicMed pilot, that shared “cooperative” relationship exists between us and the regulators when we talk about safety. 

For many pilots who are asked by the FAA to provide some additional information before the medical can be issued, the experience may seem more like a tribunal rather than a “cooperative” interaction, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Just as we preflight the airplane, we all should do a similar pre-medical evaluation before visiting the aviation medical examiner.   

The FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine and AOPA work together to get the word out about doing your homework before your next flight physical. This is especially true if you are reporting a new medical condition, medication, or seeing a health care specialist for the first time. AOPA’s website is a great resource to start. Our information reports also link directly to the FAA’s online Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, the go-to source for information that your AME needs for many medical conditions. Although the guide is an AME resource, it is a public document online for anyone to prepare for an upcoming flight physical.   

The FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine is working hard to be a co-op player with pilots. As confusing as it sometimes is to understand what the agency wants, and the time it takes to get a decision, the goal is to get to a “yes” for as many applicants as possible. The aeromedical staff are folks just like us, doing their job to keep the airspace safe. Remember AOPA has a full-time medical certification staff in our Pilot Information Center, and we’re a part of the “co-op” too. 

Gary Crump is director of medical certification for the AOPA Pilot Information Center.

aopa.org/pps