Len Government bureaucracies are toxic to freedom, prosperity and common sense. Both the Elephants and the Donkeys are guilty of that. Case in point: Starting May 18, 2009, every private plane departing or arriving the US has to submit a list of crew and passengers to Homeland Security (Customs) and wait for them to check against the "no fly" list before flying. The bureaucrats that made the rule were not smart enough to think that somebody intending harm could simply omit their name when submitting the crew and passenger list, or use a false name. Even worse, Customs has stated; "At this time, domestic operations are not affected". Does that mean that domestic operations could be affected in the future??? Furthermore, more than 2,900 public comments, most of them against the rule, were ignored by government. Now the TSA wants to apply airline type security to any plane exceeding 12,500 pounds and increase security on 300 additional small airports. Are we, bit by bit, losing our freedom to fly?? Eliacim
----- Original Message ----- From: airslot4518 To: [email protected] Sent: Friday, February 13, 2009 8:56 AM Subject: [ercoupe-tech] FAA medical requirements ????? I often refer to the FAA as the darkside for sometimes good reason medical requirements being one of them. The FAAs medical establishment in OK City is a huge bureaucracy and being what it is strives to be self substaining as an organization and I am not exactly ignorent when it come to health/medical issues having a Ph.D in public health. This said the UKs position seems to be more enlighten than the FAA. Essentially what the Btits have done is say that your doc knows more about your medical condition than some bureaucrat in th FAA. To add insult to injury there is no consistensy even among federal agencies. Case in point I am a licensed merchant marine officer(captain)licensed to operate passenger vessels up to 100 miles offshore. If you think flying is a bit demanding try running a boat in six foot seas for 18 hrs fifty miles off the beach when everything is soaked with seawater with a 250lb mako shark trying to eat its way into the boat and more often than not someone is seasick and passengers(fisherman) are not real experienced big Game fisherman. Yes I do have to jump thru some medical hoops every five years--yes five years-- to maintain my ticket. Just did it -- max 8 stress test blood pressure , eye exam, blood chem-hearing test ect. The FAA- in reality- has no such option. My doc signs a form stating that I am medically fit to command a vessel submits all the paperwork to the national maritime folks then good to go. As for the FAA I probably could make it thru a 3rd class- my doc sure as hell thinks I am safe to fly-- but why chance it so LSA is the way to go for me. Kind of strange I can get paid to take people to sea but can't take my wife and kids flying in a tripacer. In some ways the LSA thing is a joke. A lot of the new LSA birds cost a hundred grand or more-- glass cockpits and all. Of course as we all know a Cessna 150, tripacers or even a cessna 120 is not a legal LSA airplane. Also take a look where most of the LSA birds are being manufactured--- not good ole USA-- maybe europe????. Now considering that the country is in an economic mess why not make a few rule changes like dumping the medical for leisure pilots to include fixed gear airplanes which fly at less than 130 kts(maybe less than 150 hp) vfr -daylight -below 10000 foot or some such combination. The 1330 lb gross weight thing is a poor criterian. A lot of people can afford a cherokee as opposed to a new LSA. Wonder how many cessna LSA flychasers(catchers) are going to get sold this year. I guess the bottomline is no matter how hard you try you can't fix stupid and from someone who spent a fair amount of time around gov't somethings just are stupid the FAA medical proceedures for non professional VFR single engine pilots being near the top of the list in my book. PS Last night booked an combination overnight offshore shark /tuna charter for five- two women and a 14 year old included- in June. Seven people at sea for 18 plus hrs STRANGE this world of ours. Capt Len Buchta
