Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) president and CEO Mark Baker called BasicMed “one of the biggest wins in general aviation in the last 50 years” and told lawmakers that the association is working to expand it outside the U.S.
Adopted into law in 2016 and implemented in 2017, BasicMed is an alternative path to third-class medical as long as qualified pilots meet certain requirements, including taking an online medical course. Under BasicMed pilots may receive their physicals from their personal doctor rather than an aviation medical examiner to maintain flying privileges.
During a House aviation subcommittee hearing this week on general aviation issues, Baker noted that in the five years since its implementation, some 73,000 pilots have taken advantage of BasicMed. “We did the safety look back [and found] no discernible difference between that and third-class medical at all, zero from a safety perspective. People have been safely flying up to five passengers in these aircraft around the country.”
This data provides an opportunity to revisit the medical qualification and “look at how could we expand it,” he said. AOPA has been working with Canadian officials to expand the concept there, Baker said. “We've got it done in the Bahamas, in Mexico, and most of the Caribbean.”
He called it a “really successful program” in that it has lowered costs, enabled pilots to work with their own doctors on their personal medical issues, and helped make sure pilots are aware of decisions they need to make to fly. “I am really proud of this….[it] has resoundingly improved the value of aircraft and the access to these 5,000 airports in a big way.”
Helicopter Association International president and CEO James Viola, who also testified before the panel this week, added that BasicMed ties into workforce development as well. “There are people that knew how hard it was to get through the medical process,” Viola said, adding now those people know that they can get started with BasicMed “and get involved in aviation.”
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), the ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, pledged to work with newer members in Congress to explain BasicMed, why it is important, and what the impact has been.