WASHINGTON – A bipartisan, bicameral group of 84 Members of Congress sent letters on Wednesday to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Adm. Michael Huerta encouraging the agency to implement new regulations that follow Congress’ intent of the third class medical reform language signed into law on July 15, 2016, as part of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act of 2016. 

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), authors of the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2, led the Senate letter with 26 signatures, which can be read by clicking here.

U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) and U.S. Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) led the House letter with 58 signatures, which can be read by clicking here.

In both letters, the Members wrote: “We encourage the FAA to ensure that these regulations follow the intent of the new law, which is to remove bureaucracy, red tape, cost, and delays from the cumbersome process that exists today while maintaining a safe general aviation pilot population.  Moreover, this bipartisan compromise also relies on the education of general aviation pilots with respect to aeromedical awareness.

“As you know, a 2014 safety enhancement, implemented by the FAA-Industry General Aviation Joint Steering Committee (GAJSC) led the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s Air Safety Institute to develop a medical education course that can be used by all pilots for free, regardless of certification level, to educate them on medical fitness and certain health conditions that could impact the safe operations of an aircraft.  The intent of the authors was to use this course to fulfill the requirements included in the statute.

“We also understand that the course recommendations were developed by medical subject matter experts in partnership with the FAA Office of Aerospace Medicine and that the Agency will again review the AOPA Air Safety Institute course before it can be administered, according to the statute, to the pilot population at large.”

Background:

Section 2307 of the FAA Extension, Safety, and Security Act included compromise language from S.571, the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2 sponsored by Inhofe, to address third class medical reform. The compromise language garnered the support of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).

On Feb. 26, 2015, Inhofe introduced the Pilot’s Bill of Rights 2, legislation that would reform the third class medical certification for recreational pilots and broaden the protections provided in the original Pilot’s Bill of Rights authored by Inhofe and signed into law in 2012.

On Dec. 9, 2015, the Senate Commerce Committee reported S. 571 as amended to the Senate by a voice vote. On Dec. 15, 2015, the Senate passed S.571 by unanimous consent and with 70 cosponsors.