AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021 - 68

LOOKING BACK on recent advancements in
aviation, most people turn to technology.
GPS has made navigation easier, widely
available in-cockpit weather made us
safer, and a slew of beefed-up backcountry
airplanes made it all more fun. These
advancements are incredible, but all
ignore the rest of the aviation ecosystem,
such as regulatory changes. And when you
consider this, medical certification reform
is paramount.
On July 15, 2016, Congress passed
what would soon be known as BasicMed,
an alternative pathway to medical qualification
that AOPA and the rest of the
general aviation community had in one
form or another been championing for
decades. Since then, tens of thousands
of pilots have come back to flying or
decided to continue flying, in no small
part because their most important private
medical conversations can now take place
between them and their personal physician.
It has made obtaining the medical
clearance to fly more convenient, more
economical, and, it could be argued, significantly
more effective.
The push for medical reform began
almost as soon as third class medicals
were required decades ago for pilots flying
for noncommercial purposes. These
efforts took various forms over the years,
including simply having a state driver's
license in lieu of an FAA medical
certificate, which is currently the requirement
for sport pilots. But significant,
comprehensive reform remained elusive.
That was the situation Mark Baker
was handed when he took over the role
of AOPA president and CEO in 2013. The
FAA and Department of Transportation
had been sitting on the request for
years, with little to no movement.
" Unfortunately, decades of effort didn't
bear much fruit and Mark Baker decided
to change things. In reality, it was well
past time to take this matter to Congress
for action and Mark knew that, " said Jim
Coon, AOPA's senior vice president of
government affairs
Through his years of service as a
senior committee staffer working on
Capitol Hill, his insight and understanding
of the legislative process, and the
relationship's he'd built, Coon was able to
get in front of members of Congress and
their staffs and educate them on the need
for and the benefits of medical certification
reform.
Over the course of about two years,
Coon and his team, working alongside key
supporters in Congress such as Sen. James
Inhofe of Oklahoma, were able to get more
than 70 bipartisan Senate co-sponsors on
a reform bill, and broad support in the
House of Representatives. " When Senator
Inhofe agreed to
take the lead in
CONVENIENCE AND COST
Hesham Oubari turns to BasicMed
At first glance you wouldn't think the Hampton
Roads area of southeastern Virginia would
have a shortage of aviation medical examiners.
But Hesham Oubari said it's been getting increasingly
difficult to find one. That, and the fact that he
can roll his physical exam up through his medical insurance made
the decision to switch to BasicMed easy for the Cessna 172 owner.
" The convenience factor of dealing with my normal doctor is a
far better deal, " he said. Now instead of having to go to another
city, Oubari drives two miles to see his normal doctor. She had no
hesitation completing the physician checklist, and saw it as a typical
and thorough physical exam. Oubari takes the self-certification
responsibility seriously, and grounds himself when he doesn't feel
well. " For the type of flying I'm doing, I have absolutely no incentive
to go back to third class. " -IJT
68 | AOPA PILOT July 2021
the Senate, I knew we were going to get
it done, " Coon said. " His knowledge as a
GA pilot, his professional persistence, his
ability to work with both Republicans and
Democrats, and and passion for flying gave
me every confidence of the outcome. "
President Barack Obama signed medical
certificate reform into law on July
15, 2016, as part of an FAA bill. Although
the law did not include a driver's license
standard, it did include a compromise
that requires only a one-time FAA medical
issuance for every BasicMed pilot.
On May 1, 2017, a few months ahead
of the deadline imposed by the law, the
FAA solidified BasicMed as regulation.
" The FAA's implementation of BasicMed
was exemplary, " Coon said. " The FAA
essentially took the statutory language
verbatim and wrote the regulation. That's
how well thought out the legislation was. "
WHAT IS IT?
BasicMed is an alternative pathway from
traditional medical certification. Instead of
seeing an aviation medical examiner, pilots
who elect to fly with BasicMed work with
a state licensed physician to go through
a medical checklist every four years, and
then take an online course covering various
aeromedical topics every two years. Every
medical certificate has various privileges
and limitations, and so does BasicMed.
By flying with a BasicMed qualification, a
pilot is limited to a six-place airplane, and
five passengers, with a maximum takeoff
weight of 6,000 pounds, and can fly up
to 250 knots and up to 18,000 feet msl,
day or night.
WHO IS ELIGIBLE?
Any pilot who is comfortable flying with
the aircraft and operating limitations may
decide to fly with BasicMed in lieu of a
traditional medical certificate, provided
they meet a few basic requirements. They
must have held at least one valid FAA
medical certificate since July 14, 2006,
and your most recent medical must not
have been revoked or denied. If you held
a medical certificate that was valid on July
14, 2006, or later, you don't need to see an
AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021

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