Membership
Just what the doctor ordered
AOPA helps you fly under BasicMed
FAR Part 68, which establishes BasicMed—the new alternative to third class medical certification—is in effect as of May 1, 2017. BasicMed is an option for pilots to fly aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of no more than 6,000 pounds and authorized by type certificate or supplemental type certificate to carry no more than six people. More than 90 percent of the general aviation fleet qualify for operation under BasicMed. AOPA anticipates that BasicMed will affect hundreds of thousands of pilots.
AOPA prepared an online aeromedical course to meet BasicMed requirements; the FAA released the BasicMed Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist and AOPA’s course in late April. AOPA recommends that pilots have the medical examination checklist completed first, and then complete the online course. The AOPA course educates pilots about conducting medical self-assessments and determining fitness to fly, and requires users to complete a 20-question quiz to pass the course. Users can save their progress. Upon completion of the course, BasicMed rules require the user to provide some basic information about the pilot and the physician who conducted the exam, the date of the exam, and a few certifications as to the pilot’s fitness to fly.
“We have worked tirelessly with Congress and the FAA to achieve medical reform,” AOPA President Mark Baker said. “Check out our suite of online Fit to Fly resources to let us help you settle into the left seat.”
To help members through the process, AOPA has dedicated staff in its Pilot Information Center to answer questions about BasicMed. If you have any questions, please send an email to the AOPA Pilot Information Center or call 888-462-3976, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.
FIT TO FLY Resources
AOPA developed a suite of Fit to Fly resources to walk pilots—and their state-licensed physicians—through the BasicMed process to make it as easy as possible for members to be ready to fly as pilot in command.
- BasicMed checklist. Download the Comprehensive Medical Examination Checklist, fill it out, and have the state-licensed physician who performs the medical examination fill it out.
- AOPA’s Medical Self-Assessment: A Pilot’s Guide to Flying Healthy. This online aeromedical course, developed by the AOPA Air Safety Institute, satisfies the requirement for pilots to complete a medical education course prior to operating under BasicMed.
- Pilot resources for BasicMed. Learn about eligibility for BasicMed and what you must do to participate.
- Frequently asked questions. What must you carry with you to fly under the new rule? How does it help you if you have a special issuance authorization? AOPA has answers for these common questions and more.
- Conditions requiring additional attention. Certain medical conditions will require a pilot to obtain a special issuance medical once. Learn more about the cardiovascular, neurological, and mental health conditions that warrant extra attention.
- Medications resources. Although there is no list of medications that are prohibited for pilots flying under BasicMed rules, certain medications are not safe to be used while flying and others require a reasonable waiting period after use.
- Physician resources. AOPA provides background on BasicMed and a step-by-step guide for physicians performing an exam for BasicMed.
- Quiz: Can you fly under BasicMed? This interactive tool guides you through questions to determine whether you qualify for operations under the new rules.
Member Products and Services
Ask Jim
Renter’s insurance
Only you can protect your financial interest
By Jim Pinegar
AOPA Insurance Services
Q: At what point in private pilot training is it essential to purchase renter’s insurance?
A: When I was training for my private certificate, by lesson three or four I was preflighting and fueling the aircraft on my own, even without my CFI on the airport. If I had damaged the aircraft, would I have been liable? Most likely, yes.
Renter’s insurance is important even when you are flying with a CFI. If you are flying with an instructor and have an accident, you and the CFI may be sued by the injured party. Your FBO’s and CFI’s coverage won’t defend you against lawsuits.
Renter’s insurance covers your legal liability related to bodily injury and property damage (to other than the aircraft you are flying). It also covers your legal defense for claims brought against you. As an extra coverage option, you can select insurance that covers the aircraft.
If for some reason the FBO missed an insurance premium payment, there’s a lapse in coverage. Who will cover the loss? Most likely the renter. Be careful when assuming someone else’s policy will cover you.
Jim Pinegar is vice president of the AOPA Aviation Insurance Co. and owns a Cessna 172.
Pilot Protection Services
You’re overweight!
The words no one likes to hear
By Chad Mayer
AOPA attorneys have counseled pilots who ask what sanctions the FAA might impose if an emergency forces a landing before enough fuel has been burned to bring the aircraft to an approved landing weight. It’s not just large Transport category aircraft that have certificated takeoff weights higher than their landing weights. A common general aviation example is the Cessna T182, which can take off at 3,100 pounds but is not approved for landing above 2,950 pounds. In that aircraft, 25 gallons of fuel would have to be burned after a maximum-weight takeoff before the aircraft would be at its approved landing weight.
FAR 91.3(b) states that “In an in-flight emergency requiring immediate action, the pilot in command may deviate from any rule of this part to the extent required to meet that emergency.” A pilot should not be sanctioned for landing overweight in an emergency.
Intentionally operating overweight is another matter. This is a common topic of hangar lawyers, and opinions run the gamut. There seems to be a myth among some pilots that one cannot get in trouble for flying overweight, or even that there is no federal aviation regulation forbidding it.
FAR 91.9(a) requires that anyone operating a civil aircraft comply with its operating limitations. Additionally, one cannot compute takeoff and landing performance as required by 91.103(b)(1) without considering gross weight. The FAA can also allege careless or reckless operation in violation of 91.13 for flying over gross weight.
The safety risks of overweight operation are beyond the scope of this article, but they are substantial. The FAA Sanction Guidance Table lists a 60- to 120-day suspension for taking off overweight, and a 30- to 90-day suspension for landing overweight.
Chad Mayer is an in-house attorney with AOPA’s Legal Services Plan.
ANSWERS FOR PILOTS
Aircraft ownership webinar series
By Kathy Dondzila
When two or more individuals own an aircraft together, the costs are a fraction of what they would be if one of them owned it alone. Along with the financial appeal, however, come some big decisions. Which type of ownership arrangement is best for each individual situation? AOPA is discussing the various options in a series of webinars presented by Ray Speciale—an attorney, CPA, and CFII—and Mike Filucci, vice president of the AOPA Pilot Information Center and flight operations.
The first webinar aired May 17 and gave an overview of co-owning an aircraft, including the legal and relational aspects, benefits, and challenges of this type of ownership. It’s available online to view at your convenience.
The second webinar, to be held July 12, will focus on limited liability companies (LLCs). Is an LLC right for you? You may be surprised by what you learn.
The final webinar, on leasing through an FBO or flight school, will be presented August 9, with a focus on the legal and tax implications for aircraft owners. Discover why leasing may be a great arrangement for some owners but not for others.
All webinars start at 8 p.m. Eastern time. Live sessions include the opportunity for viewers to ask questions and recordings will be available afterward. Information on these webinars, as well as other webinars scheduled for 2017, is available online.
Questions? Give us a call, 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672), Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.AOPA
Kathy Dondzila is AOPA technical communications manager and an instrument-rated private pilot.
AOPA Air Safety Institute
Honoring life-saving flight assists
AOPA Air Safety Institute recognizes air traffic controllers
By Machteld Smith
During the Communicating for Safety conference, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) presented 19 controllers with the prestigious Archie League Medal of Safety Award. Recipients are heroes—air traffic controllers, who through extraordinary feats of bravery saved the lives of pilots who were in danger, distressed, and disoriented.
The AOPA Air Safety Institute (ASI) also honored eight other controllers with its Flight Assist Commendation. Since only one Archie League recipient is recognized per ATC region, ASI created the commendations in 2009 to honor air traffic controllers whose life-saving efforts guided general aviation pilots to a safe landing. ASI’s director of education, Paul Deres, presented the awards for demonstrated initiative, teamwork, professionalism, and a calm demeanor to these controllers:
John Karnbach, New York Tracon. Karnbach helped a distressed Piper Lance pilot land safely after his aircraft experienced complete electrical failure at night, leaving him with only his cellphone as a means of communicating with ATC.
Eric Miner, Chicago Midway Tower. While taking off from Chicago Midway, a Challenger jet lost a tire—unbeknownst to the flight crew. Miner’s resourcefulness and exceptional coordination efforts with other ATC facilities alerted the crew to the situation, which resulted in a safe landing without incident.
Matt Reavis and John Perczak, Detroit Metro Tracon. Reavis and Perczak assisted a Piper Aerostar pilot who experienced GPS and compass failures while flying in instrument conditions. Their teamwork and expertise helped to reorient the pilot to a safe on-airport landing.
Darren Tumelson, Memphis Center. After the pilot of Piper Cheyenne declared an emergency because of the loss of one engine, Tumelson’s exceptional service and experience as a multiengine pilot helped him guide the distressed pilot to a safe landing.
William Mitchell and Eddie Yurus, Southern California Tracon. Mitchell and Yurus demonstrated exceptional teamwork while reorienting a Cirrus pilot who had difficulty navigating and maintaining altitude.
Greg Schildmeier, Los Angeles Center. Schildmeier’s initiative by declaring an emergency for a Bonanza pilot who picked up ice at night while flying in IMC helped him guide the pilot safely to an alternate airport.
Machteld Smith is an aviation technical writer for the AOPA Air Safety Institute.
View all award winners at NATCA’s website.
AOPA Finance
Untangling financial complexities
Why does it take longer for an aircraft loan than a car loan?
By Adam Meredith
Many of us have sat in car dealerships while the salesperson typed our facts and figures into a computer, and within 10 to 20 minutes, there it is: We’re approved for a car loan. So why can’t a $45,000 airplane loan be that simple? Airplane loans typically take a day or two to approve, and sometimes longer depending on the financial complexity and number of borrowers.
That’s because the underwriting process for an airplane loan is more like that for a house than it is for a car. With both a house and an airplane, lots of documentation needs to be collected and presented. For an aircraft, you need to supply photos, logbook entries, personal financial statements, tax returns, IDs, and more—and that’s in addition to signing a promissory note, security agreement, and other legal documents. However, one of the most time-consuming issues can be verifying a clean title to the airplane.
Consider that it would be rare to finance a 30-year-old car, but it’s an everyday occurrence to finance a 30-year-old airplane. Airplanes are designed and built to have long lives, so the average aircraft is far older than the average car. With that age can come a colorful history, which needs to be thoroughly examined. To make matters more complicated, it can sometimes take weeks to clear up issues arising from an improperly executed lien release.
On a positive note, because the registration process is centralized in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, there’s only one place to check. Further, now that the FAA is willing to accept electronically executed documents, the process is going to become easier. Many banks and other lending institutions are slower in accepting electronic signatures, but that will change and speed up the process further.
Probably the biggest reason the process of obtaining an aircraft loan is slower than that for a car is because aircraft lenders are not collateral lenders; they are cash flow and collateral lenders. Most automotive lenders can rely heavily on the collateral of the car, because they can have greater confidence in the resale value in the event they must repossess the asset. Forecasting the resale value of an aircraft is more challenging. Items such as the condition or total number of hours on the engine can significantly impact value. If a lender gets back that Cirrus SR22 and the engine is run out, it’s going to easily cost up to $40,000 to overhaul it on a 10-year-old airplane—that’s almost 20 percent of the aircraft value. Needless to say, forecasting the resale value of cars is a far easier task than forecasting the resale value of aircraft.
Whether you are financing an aircraft purchase or refinancing, your colleagues at AOPA Aviation Finance are ready to help. We’ll walk you through each step of the process. If you need a dependable source of financing or refinancing with people who are on your side, just call 800-62-PLANE (7-5263) or visit the website.
Adam Meredith is president of the AOPA Aviation Finance Co.
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