Senate passes Bill of Rights and changes medical requirements

[Jaba-who]

..snip........The big cause of deaths in single pilot operations was heart attack. The medical will not predict that. A friend of mine died from a heart attack within a month of having his medical, and when I queried the Dr. about it he told me they cannot predict a heart attack.

I would assume that a medical may pick up Fits, hypoglycaemia or vascular disease, but that would be about all.

 

My opinion is that it is just another expense to try to reduce the number of people flying.

Unfortunately there is a small statistical chance that it might predict IF certain things are found during a medical - but then it's still only a small chance of a small chance. But that's enough for CASA to claim it has to be done even though the Americans have shown that since its so small a chance it's irrelevant.

 

The story with Fits is exactly the same. Sure if somene is a known epileptic - but they can't drive a car within two years of a fit either so would never fit any criteria for a pilot medical. As for people with no known epileptic history people can have fits out of the blue ( I know one person personally who had a nocturnal seizure completely out of the blue and lost his medical on that despite previous physical examinations turning up nothing.

 

Hypoglycaemia is essentially a myth unless you have diabetes and you are on insulin and give yourself too much. The fad for self diagnosed hypoglycaemia was based on people assuming symptoms that could be found in many things were from hypoglycaemia but not actually testing the blood glucose levels and was just a fad that has passed, along with RSI and has been replaced by today's "in" illness - coeliac disease ( gluten allergy).

 

Vascular disease is the only one you mention that is stable and would reliably be picked up in a medical, provided it was severe enough and provided the doc asked the right questions and provided he/she did the right examination. But off the top of my head I couldn't say what the percentage risk of a sudden debilitation from it is. For many people with vascular disease I would guess the likelihood would be well below the so called 1% threshold that CASA claims to use ( but doesn't seem to stick to it at all).

 

 

[DrZoos]

Unfortunately the way these morons work is they simply build resumes via change and dot points...and use tax payers money to build empires, often in complete contradiction to objectives and benefit of the industry they serve...

 

So just like our great new CEO finished the year saying they achieved

 

1......

 

2.....

 

3....

 

Not bagging our CEO, just highlighting the rules of the game for exec climbers

 

These mormons at CASA every quarter put out a report to the minister saying we achieved .....

 

1... made flying harder and more expensive by forcing pilots to .......

 

.....

 

....

 

...

 

.....

 

...

 

21... accidents declined by ____ % since _____ (pick really high period)

 

Its a game of continual change so you have things to list in your resume and no one can measure your performance, due to changes!

 

Unfortunately for us CASA plays the game with a lot of bureaucrats and force, huge financial clout and that means they use their funds to rob us of our flying time and funds... all achieve increased safety for reports via less flying hours

 

 

[Jaba-who]

These mormons at CASA every quarter put out a report to the minister saying we achieved .....

Eh? Bring back some Catholics they'll lick them Mormons back into shape.

 

 

[DrZoos]

Eh? Bring back some Catholics they'll lick them Mormons back into shape.

Then we will need a 2nd royal commission!

 

 

[facthunter]

They think they are lucky as they have nine wives. Nev

 

 

[Vev]

If the augments can be supported by real facts, what would it take to press for some real reform of the med system?

 

Whilst I know the RAA are currently unaffected by the GA style meds, we could become subjected to these requirements if controlled airports or space become within scope of our privileges. ... This, in my view, would be a backward step!

 

Where would one start to challange the current system and protect the RAA from this nonsensical approach to Medicals?

 

Cheers

 

Vev

 

 

[Jaba-who]

If the augments can be supported by real facts, what would it take to press for some real reform of the med system?Whilst I know the RAA are currently unaffected by the GA style meds, we could become subjected to these requirements if controlled airports or space become within scope of our privileges. ... This, in my view, would be a backward step!

Where would one start to challange the current system and protect the RAA from this nonsensical approach to Medicals?

 

Cheers

 

Vev

I think you are completely correct in your assumption that the restrictive medicals will get applied (eventually) as part of any reform to access into CTA.

In private GA there was the introduction a couple of years ago of so-called "Drivers License Type" Medicals which still allowed the entry into CTA. In reality these have turned out to be a trojan horse. I personally know of three people who transitioned to these license types because they failed to fulfill a class 2 medical on some relatively technical ground. The initial approval was not that difficult for them but all have lost them on the renewal which is seems to be more prescriptive than the original issuance. Further they have no appeals process as this is specifically not allowed with the drivers license type.

 

I know of one who has gone back and with much cost and difficulty regained a class 2 medical because of it. This is where I perceive the RAAus medical system will head. The only light on the horizon is the direction the Americans are taking but it will probably not be in our flying lifetimes that CASA take any notice of that. You can bet that CASA have already had meetings (maybe "conclaves" would be a better choice of words given their religious church-like position of self imposed arbiter of knowledge and rulings of the masses) and to come up with reasons why Australia will not follow the same line no matter how sensible it might be. CASA's role is to regulate and downgrading controls means downgrading regulating.

 

The problem of expecting CASA to change anything based on real facts is that CASA have proved themselves over and over again to hold themselves above such piffle as facts and reality and for that matter the law outside of aviation or fair natural justice.

 

 

[facthunter]

With the current mentality ZERO. likelihood of success.. Join AOPA If you are half fair dinkum. They are the only ones who have the situational ability, resources and drive to put the heat on. Nev

 

 

[Jaba-who]

With the current mentality ZERO. likelihood of success.. Join AOPA If you are half fair dinkum. They are the only ones who have the situational ability, resources and drive to put the heat on. Nev

Yep

 

we have to realize that only a single united LOUD voice that has some commercial aviation involvement will have any lasting effect.

 

As far as CASA (and for that matter the rest of non-aviation society) are concerned recreational pilots of all categories, are all a bunch of rich wankers who deserve to be brought back to the same level as everyone else and have their hobby taken off them. Its only all the average-Joe commercial operators whose demise would inconvenience everyone else who can carry any weight. We all need to be standing there supporting the Average-Joe operator who will in turn support us (because he needs our numbers ) and who is often one of us in his spare time. This is where some all encompassing group like AOPA comes in.

 

 

[Yenn]

I was in AOPA many years ago and it was worthwhile. I let it lapse when I was doing very little flying and rejoined about 4 years ago.

 

I was so disgusted at the AOPA submission to the enquiry into CASA that once again I didn't renew, but told them why as well. They seem to me to be a load of whingers, complaining that RAAus has better conditions than them and GA shouldn't have to compete or fly with RAAus. In my opinion a total waste of time and money joining AOPA.

 

 

[kaz3g]

Well, a few weeks ago I became one of those pilots who self-grounded.

 

I had a little "episode" in the middle of the night...fell off the throne in a faint after just sitting down to pee. Bashed my head on the tiles, too.

 

I've had catscan, ECG, an Oral glucose tolerance test, and god knows how many blood tests with my GP who couldn't point to any causal factor. I saw my DAME to see if he would ok me getting back in the air and now I have to spend a couple of days in hospital while a specialist physician wrings me out again.

 

Haven't had anything happen before, and no symptoms since. It's a pain and a half because I had planned on a flying trip over Christmas-New Year. But I'd never forgive myself if there was something going on and I hurt someone else with the aeroplane.

 

Merry Christmas everyone to you and your families. Stay safe and may 2016 be a fantastic year for you all.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Jaba-who]

That's too bad Kaz. Sorry to hear it.

 

Sadly you are in a predicament now.

 

These sorts of nocturnal events can be a major problem as far as medicals are concerned.

 

If I can give any advice - try very very hard to get a diagnosis.

 

The problem is the vast majority never have a diagnosis found and never happen again.

 

The big problem with that is (as a general rule) :

 

If you have a diagnosis CASA will either say "no more medical, no medical for x time then you get it back, or have it back straight away".

 

2/3 chance of flying again. And at least you know where you stand.

 

No diagnosis - no medical ever.

 

 

[jetjr]

There is a condition which does this

 

As you relax to pee, many other muscles relax including those keep blood to head. Much more so after a few grogs

 

If so cant see how it would effect flying

 

 

[kaz3g]

Micturation syncope...fainting while peeing or trying to. Vaso vagal action draws blood to the stomach which lowers BP and causes fainting.

 

I hope that was it.

 

Kaz

 

 

[Yenn]

I hope you are soon back with a medical Kaz, but you did the correct thing.

 

 

[DrZoos]

Sorry Kaz... hope your all good asap with a diagosis and back in the air..

 

I think your case highlights exactly why the current AVmed is such a joke... because you and everyone here would ground themselves in that situation ...who wants to potentially die or kill loved ones or innocent 3rd parties when they know they are unfit to fly...

 

Yet the real issue is , any 40 something airline pilot who suffered a similar incident would spend a month stressing and pondering about if they should report such a career ending issue... lots would not see a doctor and many would continue to fly until they decided... some would go overseas or some might seek a cash diagnosis off the books...

 

No matter which way you look at it ...the way Avmed currently makes getting back in the air almost impossible, prohibitively expensive and catastrophically delayed (from a career perspective) its a doomed system...

 

 

[facthunter]

It will only be doomed if someone wakes up to how ineffective it is. Whoever is in charge at the time, decides the policy, doesn't have the qualifications to over rule professional experts either, and way back they would listen to the opinions of qualified people, and you are entitled to seek other opinions from them too. They are not always right and most are conservative anyhow, which is fair enough in the circumstances. The system should NOT discourage anyone seeking to check themselves out and have tests done. It should actively encourage it. Nev