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-   -   BMI & OSA: New Hurdles To Jump Thru For Medical Certification (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=106736)

az_gila 11-18-2013 06:36 PM

"Once we have appropriately dealt with every airman examinee
who has a BMI of 40 or greater, we will gradually expand the
testing pool by going to lower BMI measurements until we
have identified and assured treatment for every airman with
OSA."


The use of the words "testing pool" almost sounds like they want a large group of folks who get regular, standard medical exams to prove out a theory.

I sort of wonder who the "they" is that would want this experiment....

Mike S 11-18-2013 07:34 PM

Dont know if it will do any good or not, but I did send EAA and AOPA a note about this.

"The newly released FAA **** about checking BMI--------------this needs to be stopped immediately or sooner. This is a condemnation based solely on conjecture not fact. Profiling at its ugliest."

N941WR 11-18-2013 07:38 PM

AOPA is already on it.

Sam Buchanan 11-18-2013 08:41 PM

thread note
 
Doug, this thread was deleted by one of the mods as "not RV related".

I hate to undelete a thread but I believe this is a subject that effects hundreds of RV pilots and who knows how many non-RV pilots. This is a huge development in our medical certification.

Please override my override if you see fit. :)

Mike S 11-18-2013 10:48 PM

Interesting reading below. I wonder if a case could be made that the FAA is violating some federal law/regulation such as ADA, or EEOC or HIPAA etc??

http://www.diversityinc.com/diversit...ity-says-eeoc/

http://www.psmag.com/health/obesity-...th-care-60619/

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/index.html

plehrke 11-19-2013 04:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Low Pass (Post 827301)
Where are the incidents that would have been prevented by this measure?

I thought so.

I have not heard or seen any accident reports indicating sleeping as a cause.

Quote:

Originally Posted by WhiskeyMike (Post 827302)
Others can opine on the FAA?s true agenda in this case, but we?re seeing an alarming increase in ?non-science-based science? trotted out by government agencies as the basis for new rules and regulations that limit citizen?s freedoms and liberties. BS indeed!!

Scary part is the precidence it could make. This is more then just a worry for people with high BMI. Eventually the FAA will target Anybody within ANY risk group and require you to prove you are not affected before the FAA allows issueance of a medical. Example: Family history of cardiac condictions my require you to prove, with a stress test, your heart is OK.

Brantel 11-19-2013 05:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sam Buchanan (Post 827363)
Doug, this thread was deleted by one of the mods as "not RV related".

I hate to undelete a thread but I believe this is a subject that effects hundreds of RV pilots and who knows how many non-RV pilots. This is a huge development in our medical certification.

Please override my override if you see fit. :)

Thank you Sam. This thread most definitely is RV related. I was very sad to see it deleted last night. Glad to see in brought back to life.

While the initial BMI limit set for this discrimination/profiling may not effect that many, the other statements made in that memo should be scaring the majority of RV pilots. This is just the beginning and who knows where this will end.

Many folks may be shocked to find that their BMI falls within the proposed lower limits that are being discussed.

The memo states that they plan to find all pilots that have undiagnosed OSA. It goes on to say that 30% of people with a BMI > than 30 have OSA. This tells me that to meet their goal they will eventually have to lower the BMI requiring an evaluation to the sub 30 BMI range. I would bet that the % of the pilot population with a BMI of 25-30 is a huge number.

AOPA said this "In 2011, the FAA identified 124,973 airmen who are considered obese" My gut feeling is that only a small percentage of those are part 121/135 pilots. My guess is that the majority of em are folks just like us....

rmartingt 11-19-2013 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brantel (Post 827410)
This tells me that to meet their goal they will eventually have to lower the BMI requiring an evaluation to the sub 30 BMI range. I would bet that the % of the pilot population with a BMI of 25-30 is a huge number.

I fall in that 25-30 category. I'd like to see whatever desk-driving bureaucrat came up with this idea come do a half-ironman with me next year.

(rant about FAA and medical certification typed then deleted to avoid straying into politics...)

brad walton 11-19-2013 06:34 AM

Cost
 
It is my understanding these sleep studies cost many thousands of dollars and one or more sleep overs at the doctors office wiired up like Frankenstein. Can you imagine going through this annually on your special issuance medical?

Moondog 11-19-2013 06:36 AM

AOPA asks FAA to suspend implementation
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by Low Pass (Post 827301)
Where are the incidents that would have been prevented by this measure?

I thought so.

Exactly. Planes are not falling out of the sky because of sleep apnea.

The FAA is casting a wide net. You may have to spend a couple thousand dollars to determine your sleep apnea score. Should you fail that test, you?ll place an expensive mask on your face every night for a couple of weeks before you become so frustrated with the device that you sell it for a loss on ebay.

Furthermore, while body fat is a contributing factor to sleep apnea, Body Mass Index is not a true indicator of body fat.

So the FAA is using criteria that doesn?t does not directly correlate to a health problem, to solve an aviation problem that apparently doesn?t exist. Besides the cost, it may take a lot of RVs and their pilots out of the sky.

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...aspx?CMP=ADV:1


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