Flights With Up To Five Passengers In VFR Conditions Would Not Require A Third-Class Medical

GA pilots have for years been asking the FAA to look at rules for third-class medical certificates in an effort to see those rules relaxed. Wednesday, two Republican Congressman turned up the heat on the process by introducing a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would substantively change medical requirements for thousands of GA pilots.

Move Follows Objections By The Civil Aviation Medical Association 

The FAA has sent a memo to Aviation Medical Examiners saying that its Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) policy introduced last month in a medical bulletin had not been implemented and physicians should not include body mass index calculations as part of the airman medical examinations. The agency also noted that a formal notice would be issued prior to the policy's implementation.

Bill Proposes What The FAA Clearly Refused To Do (Despite AOPA Hype) -- Get Rid Of The 3rd Class Medical

It is yet another sign of potential... a few more glimmers of hope, possibly. Following Shell's recent announcement of a 100LL replacement and the completion of the Small Aircraft revitalization Act, another group of lawmakers has decided to try and force the FAA to do what it clearly did not want to do... namely, free many (but not all) Private Pilots of the bureaucracy, complication, expense and limitations of the Third Class medical certificate.

An Amazing Melding Of Motion, Visual And Aerodynamic Response In An Affordable Training Device

While at the Redbird Migration 2013 meeting, ANN CEO and Editor-In-Chief, Jim Campbell talked with Redbird Flight Simulations CEO, Todd Willinger about their prototype helicopter simulator. Willinger said they started looking at a helicopter simulator designed a couple of years ago. Within the last few months a prototype has been developed to test their design concepts. Willinger said motion was a key factor in the design. He admits that the prototype simulator is a bit odd looking, but it proved that their motion system works. Helicopter training is expensive, and Redbird Simulations feels that the prototype testing proves they can market a simulator that can reduce these costs.

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