Lipstick on a pig cooperation between two entrenched bureaucracies: government and the academic industry. Nothing will come of it. In other news, water is wet.
Why?
-
Bureaucratic indifference to change. When did you ever hear of any government function (needed or not) getting smaller? Or, unless at the point of legislation (Pilot’s Bill of Rights, Basic Med, etc) NOT dragging their feet until they are being dangled over the edge of a cliff by legal directive? Same with Oak City. WE are not the customers, WE are the product. Oak City’s customers are located within the beltway. WE just get in the way. For once, Congress forced FAA’s hand with Basic Med (and they did NOT like it but had no choice) to our benefit.
-
We have seen what the collusion between industrialized medicine, pharma, and the government has wrought over the last three years. You think the FAA medical branch is free of being manipulated in the same way?
-
There’s lies, damn lies, and statistics. I’m thinking they don’t WANT to know the truth; the questions are framed to get the results that they can publish in support of their thesis. The elephant in the room: since the introduction of Basic Med, has the result of medical incapacitation causing incidents increased, decreased, or stayed the same? My own opinion? Basic Med (which I fly under, even as a CFI) has caused me to be MORE engaged with my PCP than before and have discussions with him as to how to best deal with any issues without feeding the pharma hogs rather than seeing a flight surgeon every 2 years for a cursory examination who isn’t involved in my regular care. Who is the better judge of my fitness to fly? It’s basically the same exam. My PCP or a flight physical mill in a spare office at the airport once a month?
-
Change in LSA rules to encompass up to the 172 class of ride? That would be nice. But, probably not in my lifetime. Look how long it took to accomplish the medical changes. Heck, they were talking about that in the mid 80s when I started flying. We’re talking decades before the feds will do anything (again, unless they’re dangled over a cliff) about that.
Just my $.03.