Diabetics have the first new delivery method for insulin in more than 80 years.  But not if they also hold an FAA Medical Certificate.  The FAA is disallowing the use of the new inhaled insulin, sold under the brand name Exubera, pending a review process that will take at least a year.

Exubera is designed primarily for Type 2 diabetics, those who could use some insulin to help manage the disease.  Type 1 diabetics, whose body produces no insulin, can use the inhaler. But it needs to be supplemented with longer lasting insulin shots.

-Andrew

A researcher with the Wichita State University Human Factors Laboratory asked us to tell you about a study  they are conducting into issues regarding pilot ages.  The study aims to gather information on vision, audition, motor control, and cognitive thinking. 

I’m 37 and all of the above is quickly going.  Kidding.

You can participate by visting this site:  http://pilotsurvey.notlong.com/ 

-Andrew

As someone who receives his medical through the Special Issuance program of the FAA, I pay close attention to medical issues that may ground me.  The FAA expects me to.  This involves consultations with experts who can help navigate what can be a confusing landscape.  Wrong turns can put your medical clearance in jeopardy.

As such, I  recently had the pleasure of consulting with the medical staff of both AOPA and EAA.  All members should take advantage of the free services the two organizations offer.  And, like getting a second opinion from a doctor, I recommend consulting both of them.  You’re basically getting a medical consultation for the small price of your yearly membership.
While AOPA’s service is excellent, EAA recently stood out for going the extra nautical mile.  My question regarded a diabetic condition and how it should be reported to the FAA.  EAA actually had an endocrinologist who was also an AME call me to discuss the sitation.  We talked for thirty minutes about diabetes, flying, new medication and the specific condition I was inquiring about.  Speaking with a learned professional raised my confidence level in how to proceed.

I also want to mention a group you may have heard about, especially if you’re a commercial pilot:  Virtual Flight Surgeons, which can be found on line at aviationmedicine.com .

For about $40, VFS will provide you with an on-line consultation.  They also offer additional services, including representing you in front of the FAA’s medical staff.

As you often hear, don’t go it alone when dealing with medical issues and the FAA.  There are groups that will keep your flying career healthy.

-Andrew

Some pilots lie on their medical applications to the FAA or don’t tell the FAA about conditions that are not consistant with flying.  That’s the conclusion of a report by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee which is investigating fraudulant medical applications and why the FAA allegedly fails to do a better job at preventing abuses.  You can read coverage from avweb and read some case studies from the report itself here faamedical.pdf.

Some of the cases, usually uncovered after an accident, are shocking in the lack of basic human decency people show to their passengers.  If you are flying with a known medical condition that could lead to pilot incapacitation you are doing more than breaking the law.  However, as pilot groups point out, the connection between accidents and medical history is teneous.  Less than one percent of accidents are connected to medical incapacitation.

It’s not excusable to commit fraud, especially when people’s lives are in danger. So why do pilots do it? Because they want to keep flying.  While we believe the FAA has been good at expanding medical certification for previously disqualifying conditions (for example, diabetes), there are many experts who say the FAA should do more and reclasify some conditions to allow for special issuance on a case by case basis.  Not all conditions will qualify, of course.  You can’t be prone to passing out and expect to fly a plane.  But should you be banned from flying for taking Ritalin, a drug to treat hyper activity?  I don’t know, but there are doctors who say you shouldn’t be.  (In fact, recently Ritalin has been approved for narrow uses.)

Without giving pilots hope that they can still fly if a specific condition is in check, the FAA risks two things, both of which this report shows is happening.  First, some people will not seek help and will continue to fly with an untreated condition that has no paper trail in the form of a medical record.  Second, some will get treatment and then commit perjury on their medical application.

The Bush Administration is finding no love even among fellow Republicans on its FAA funding proposal, which includes user fees and a three-fold fuel tax hike for general aviation.  Senator James Inhofe, who sits on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee said, “I have seen credible analysis that indicates the Administration’s proposal will result in less money, not more, for aviation. Furthermore, because the “fees” can be adjusted by an unaccountable board, it will be impossible to accurately predict what the fees will be for users of the system.”

Inhofe is a pilot.  You can read his entire statement here. Statement of Senator Inhofe.doc

Readers of these pages know that we have been hyper-critical of pilots who recklessly do things so stupid that they lose their life before anyone has the opportunity to take their license. Tragically, too often these pilots take others with them.

The NTSB has concluded that the pilot of a Cessna 182 that crashed near Delta, Colorado last year had “volatile concentrations” of marijuana in his system. The report says 40-year old Glen Harcourt had smoked marijuana within three hours of the flight. His two passengers, both employees, were killed as well. They were Tim Hackett and Bollie Willse. Marijuana can show in drug tests up to thirty days after use- long after having any effect on ones physical or mental ability- but the report makes it clear that Harcourt had smoked it that day.
The 182 crashed into power lines on a clear day, with good visibility and little wind. You can read the NTSB report here.

Any of us can make bad decisions before or during a flight and I would never substitute my judgment for that of another when it comes to decision-making, especially when many pilots have more experience than I do. However, there’s probably no debate that one shouldn’t fly while high.

The parent of one of Harcourt’s victims- note my choice of words- said “no one should lose their life because someone else choses to be impaired.”

-Andrew

The FAA is proposing a sweeping overhaul of Part 61 regulations, more than 200 changes in all.  They include lengthening the time a Student Certificate is valid and the end of expiration dates for CFI Certificates.  AOPA is taking as much credit as they can (as usual).  The FAA has again rejected the use of a driver’s license in lieu of a third class medical.

We have the entire 50 page proposal, if you’d like to read it.  Read it here: part61-nprm.pdf

In its report on the crash of Yankee Pitcher Corey Lidle’s Cirrus, the NTSB has indicated that the FAA will make permanent the flight restrictions imposed along New York’s East River last October.  The restriction effectively ends the VFR corridor along the East River and requires all pilots to obtain clearance from- and maintain contact with- ATC.  (Seaplane operators are excluded).

Lidle and flight instructor Tyler Stanger crashed into an Upper East Side apartment building while attempting to make a 180 degree turn along the tight corridor north of the 59th Street Bridge.  It’s a turn many seasoned pilots later said they would not attempt.  The NTSB has concluded that the plane suffered no mechanical problems.

In view of the comments made by many pilots after the crash, we’ve determined that this restriction, as it is narrowly tailored, is not unreasonable.  To say otherwise is a kneejerk reaction that any rule change is automatically bad for general aviation. GA websites that have commented negatively on the decision appear to be from outside the area.  I’ve never had a problem gaining clearance from ATC in New York’s Class B airspace.  Further, I’d rather by flying this route at a higher, safer altitude than at the low altitude the VFR corridor required.  True, many pilots might say “well, that’s your choice.”   But, truth be told, since the restriction went into place in October, I haven’t heard much of an uproar.

It’s important to keep the VFR corridor along the Hudson River (on the other side of Manhattan, for those unfamiliar with the territory) unrestricted.  The Hudson is a key north-south thoroughfare and is much wider.  Asking pilots to communicate with ATC would prove cumbersome and could overload controllers.

-Andrew

As 2flytv first reported last week, the FAA will, in fact, propose that the “Age 60 Rule” be changed to an “Age 65 Rule”.  The current regulations require airline pilots to hang ‘em up when they turn 60.  The rule dates to 1959 when humans lived to an average age of only 26.  Since 1959, humans have invented eyeglasses, penicillin, and oxygen.

The FAA will issue a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) later this year. You can read the FAA’s press release here.

-Andrew

While pilots are familiar with the large aviation organizations such as AOPA and EAA, there are other, smaller groups that are working on new ways to jump-start interest in flying, increase safety and improve pilot professionalism. Some of the work that these grassroots groups are doing could go a long way in bettering the overall image GA has in the view of the non-flying public.

Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of doing a small amount of work for a group called SecureAV. Headed by pilot and attorney Michael Baum, SecureAV has put together an enormously impressive group of individuals to develop the Aviator’s Model Code of Conduct. The AMCC covers a lot of ground and there are currently versions for private pilots, student pilots, sport pilots, and seaplane pilots. I had the pleasure of editing a small portion of one chapter of the AMCC and look forward to providing whatever help I can in the future.

The AMCC addresses several key areas: airmanship, safety, ethics, and improved community relations. The guide provides plenty of take-away points that users can immediately implement into their flying.
What strikes me most about the approach SecureAV is taking is that it is pilot and passenger-focused. While AOPA and others manage the macro-issues of GA, SecureAV is trying to reach the individual. And it is indivduals that ultimately make up flying. It is individuals who take their friends and family on that $100 hamburger. It is the individual who is the face of GA when a new student walks onto the tarmac for the first time.

New pilot starts fell last year. The efforts by the large aviation groups to recruit pilots are not working– they aren’t even holding the line. It’s possible that these groups have spent too many years on ‘big ticket’ issues and have lost touch with how to reach the individual. Don’t misunderstand me, fighting user fees and airspace restrictions are important to the future of GA, but without a growing pilot community there won’t be a future of GA to fight for.

We’ll continue to update you on the important work this group is doing.

Check out their website, download the AMCC, and see how its themes can fit into your flying experiences.

-Andrew