Story ID: 
EASA To Tighten Pilot Medical Requirements
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: Proposals will serve as the basis for rulemaking to be published by the European Commission toward year-end.
Word Count: 178
The European Aviation Safety Agency has sent a set of proposals to the European Commission that would update the rules governing pilot medical qualifications. Released in the form of EASA Opinion 09/2016, these proposals introduce the following new requirements, among others: drug and alcohol screening and comprehensive mental-health assessments; better follow-up in cases of a medical history of psychiatric conditions; improving the quality of aeromedical examinations by upgrading training, oversight and assessment of aeromedical examiners; and preventing fraud attempts by requiring AMEs to report incomplete medical assessments to the proper authority.

The EASA opinion also seeks a broader update of its Part-MED that is aimed at keeping the rules current by incorporating the “latest developments in the field of medicine and filling any gaps identified through operational experience.”

These proposals will serve as the basis for rulemaking to be published by the European Commission toward year-end. To support the implementation of the new rules, the EASA has prepared a draft of an “acceptable means of compliance and guidance material” annexed to the opinion.