FAA Asks Industry To Review Sleep Apnea Guidance

By Andy Wilson | April 3, 2014
CalPilots

Instructs AMEs To Consider More Than Body Mass Index When Diagnosing OSA – In response to concerns from the aviation medical community, the FAA has sent draft guidance for Aviation Medical Examiners (AMEs) on Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) to key industry medical representatives to review within 14 days. Untreated OSA has always been and will continue to be a disqualifying medical condition.

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House passes sleep apnea bill

By Andy Wilson | February 13, 2014
CalPilots

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed H.R. 3578 to ensure the FAA conducts an open rulemaking process before making changes to medical certification requirements for pilots with sleep disorders. Read in browser

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A 'baaad' rule

By Andy Wilson | November 22, 2013
CalPilots

WASHINGTON, D.C. — This could be the beginning of something big: The FAA has followed recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board and announced a program to check the weight of pilots in order to produce safer flight. The announced reason is that overweight people have a tendency to be more liable to suffer sleep…

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Third-Class Medical Certificate Exemption On Hold?

By Andy Wilson | April 21, 2013
CalPilots

Reporting on a recent meeting with FAA Administration Michael Huerta, AOPA President Craig Fuller said support in the agency for the third-class medical certificate exemption seemed to be waning. “High-level FAA staffers told us the exemption was not a priority for the agency,” Fuller said, referring to a meeting earlier between FAA executives and leadership teams from AOPA and EAA. The two associations jointly petitioned the FAA last year to allow pilots of four-place, 180-horsepower fixed-gear aircraft and smaller to fly in day VFR conditions using only a driver’s license as a medical certificate. The proposal included a requirement that pilots regularly complete online training courses that educate them on their health and how it relates to flying safely.

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