New GA medical rule

[fastj22]

Its a good step, could have been better, I don't expect anything better in the future.

I think getting your doctor to sign off will come down to will he/she be protected by his malpractice policy. If the insurance company don't care, he won't either. If they tell him not to, then you will need to shop for someone who will or go to an AME.
Does the BasicMed replace the 3rd Class?
So riddle me this, you go to your AME and he finds something that will violate your 3rd class, will he give you the option to step down to the BasicMed? or is he obligated to report you as failing your 3rd class?

[vigilant104]

So riddle me this, you go to your AME and he finds something that will violate your 3rd class, will he give you the option to step down to the BasicMed? or is he obligated to report you as failing your 3rd class?

I don't know. But I'd bet the AMEs are wrestling with this right now, probably with FAA assistance. I'd hope that each 3rd class exam begins with a little talk to the patient "if this doesn't go well, then we'll count it as a "BasicMed" visit and it will not be reported to the FAA". If the BasicMed criteria are looser than the 3rd class physical and you pass them, the doc signs your sheet and you come back in 4 years. If you still don't pass them, you leave the office with no signed paper and you begin the quest to 1) get healthier and 2) find a more "agreeable" doc who will sign the paper.

But either way, if you are willing to keep your flying within the limits of the new rule (aircraft weight, passenger limits, etc), then the re-exam period for a 40+ year old should be 4 years for either the Class 3 or this "BasicMed" thang. To have one be a 2 year interval and the other be 4 years makes no sense at all.

[MichaelFarley56]

So riddle me this, you go to your AME and he finds something that will violate your 3rd class, will he give you the option to step down to the BasicMed? or is he obligated to report you as failing your 3rd class?

This is completely my guess John so take it for what it's worth, but my guess is...it depends on the doctor. I've seen many different AME's and some are super easygoing, relaxed doctors that try to help you while others try to find a reason to deny your medical.

One option I've heard AME's recommend in the past: if a person wants to obtain a third class medical but is worried about a medical condition, they could always schedule a "wellness check" or yearly physical with that AME (assuming the AME understands what's going on) first. This allows the doctor to check the person over without the risk of failure before the actual FAA medical application takes place. After that, the AME can recommend if an FAA application should happen.

To the best of my knowledge though, once a FAA physical exam begins, the medical must end with either the issuance of a medical, a denial, or a deferral.

[Fastcapy]

Just a heads up. I talked with a couple of buddies who talked to their aircraft insurance agents and both were told the policy says they need the 3rd class medical to be covered...

We will have to see how this aspect pans out as well. Will they rewrite policy? Will they keep it the same? Either way I am glad my medical is current for a few years yet until this all get figured out.

[fastj22]

Just a heads up. I talked with a couple of buddies who talked to their aircraft insurance agents and both were told the policy says they need the 3rd class medical to be covered...

We will have to see how this aspect pans out as well. Will they rewrite policy? Will they keep it the same? Either way I am glad my medical is current for a few years yet until this all get figured out.

This is a good point. I think our insurance carriers will catch up with the new rule. Mine doesn't have the medical requirement specifically in the policy, but I bet if I roll up a Cessna and my medical isn't current, they aren't covering me because I shouldn't have been flying it. My LSA Sonex doesn't require it so they don't have that escape clause.

[radfordc]

Just a heads up. I talked with a couple of buddies who talked to their aircraft insurance agents and both were told the policy says they need the 3rd class medical to be covered...

Hmmm...lots of sport pilots are covered, aren't they?

[n982sx]

So riddle me this, you go to your AME and he finds something that will violate your 3rd class, will he give you the option to step down to the BasicMed? or is he obligated to report you as failing your 3rd class?

If he has downloaded the med express form, he is obligated to complete it, noting the condition and denying your medical.

A better scenario would be to go in for the Basic Med review and if you pass, he could download your completed med express form and sign it for your 3rd class. However, he may feel that the condition he found would not allow him to sign off on the Basic Med.

If he couldn't sign off on the Basic Med, you have still preserved your Sport Pilot privileges, which you would have lost with a failed 3rd class exam.

[WaiexN143NM]

Hi all,
New survey on www.avweb.com on the basic med rule. If you have time take a look and complete the survey. Only takes a couple minutes. I think this is a very good thing. Some of you may not need it and only fly sport pilot. (Drivers license) . But if you get a basic med this lets you fly at night, ifr, altitudes up to 17,500 (with oxygen of course !) and airplanes above the light sport catagory.

WaiexN143NM
Michael

[lpaaruule]

I attended a seminar today that included a presentation on BasicMed. The presenters were two of the nations top AMEs, Dr Pinnell and Dr Gordon.

They both agreed that they are considering not performing any BasicMed evaluation. Dr Pinnell said that at this point, his malpractice insurance is telling him that it will be $14K more a year if he does. Even worse, they both claimed that with the 3rd class medical, the AME was simply examining the pilot according to the FAA's guildelines, and that legally the FAA's rules determined whether or not the pilot was fit to fly. With BasicMed, the burden is put on the examiner to state that the pilot is fit to fly.

Both AMEs agreed that many family doctors may be willing to sign the form eventually, but it may require much more testing then would normally take place during a 3rd class medical exam due to increased liability. They also both agreed that just as some doctors are willing to sign for medical marijuana, there will likely be doctors willing to sign for BasicMed in the same fashion.

[vigilant104]

Paul,
Thanks for the additional info.
Did they mention any possible changes regarding the exam interval for age 40+ pilots for a Third Class medical?
With the potential problems in finding a doc willing to sign the BadicMed form (due to liability, etc), and the possible increased costs for testing beyond a 3rd class exam, it sounds like it may be easier and less expensive for many people to just get a 3rd class exam--if they are sure they will pass. If so, that means "marginal cases" will self-select for BasicMed evaluations, and you can bet that docs will figure that out in a hurry and possibly become even less willing to participate.
But, maybe not . . .