Right Seat: Poked and prodded

Unfortunately, not everything age-related is subjective. Aviation is filled with seemingly random and occasionally frustrating age-related hard lines. Airline retirement at age 65, airplane solo at 16, and airline transport pilot certificate at 23 are just a few. My new least-favorite limit is the third class medical certificate. It’s valid for 60 months until the pilot turns 40, after which point the next medical certificate is valid only 24 months.

So it was with hair jokes hanging over my head that I went to the aviation medical examiner this week for what will be my final five-year medical certificate. And I instantly remembered why I hate the process so much.

There has to be a better way, and now thankfully there is.Let’s start with the challenges of simply making it to the appointment. The FAA’s medical application has more minefields than a Thanksgiving political discussion. Make a mistake and you could face serious consequences. The questions seem designed to catch us. One asks the applicant to list every medical appointment in the past three years (not including regular dental and a few other types). Then a series of questions asks whether the applicant has ever had a particular condition. That’s not so hard for the first time, but imagine filling out the form for the tenth time. I broke a finger in high school. What if I hadn’t reported that before? Do I report it now? If I do will the agency think I lied before?

Naturally, the applicant has no idea whether any of this matters until he gets to the doctor. Mine was nice, professional, and thorough. There are eye exams and hearing exams, and for some reason the need to bend over and touch my toes. He asked about something I had previously reported, and had me retake an eye exam. Maybe I am getting older.

In the end I did walk out with a medical certificate in hand, $110 poorer, 90 minutes of my life now gone, and feeling no more content or informed about my health than when I walked in.

There has to be a better way, and now thankfully there is. AOPA and other advocates were successful last year in getting a new alternative medical pathway signed into law and ensconced in the regulations. This new BasicMed will save pilots time and money, all while keeping the system safe. Here’s how it works as a student: Go to an aviation medical examiner and get a medical exam before you solo. Then, assuming you choose to fly under the BasicMed aircraft performance caps and you stay healthy, you’ll never have to visit an AME again. Instead, once every four years you’ll take a checklist to your regular doctor, and every two years you’ll take an online course. If you’re strategic and have good insurance, the doctor’s visit can even be free as part of a yearly physical.

The benefits are obvious. Your doctor knows your history, and he or she knows whether you’re healthy enough to fly an airplane. My 90 minutes—much of it spent in the waiting room—told the AME very little about me, my history, or my general abilities to fly. Yet, he issued a certificate.

To learn more about BasicMed visit www.aopa.org/basicmed. And if you have questions about that medical certificate application form, call AOPA. We can help guide you through the questions so the form doesn’t stop you from reaching your goals.

Aging we can’t do anything about. You’re on your own for that one.