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Additional pilot program

PeteP

Well Known Member
After reading thru the additional pilot information I see no refference to the additional pilot requiring a current medical ceetificate. I talked to the local FSDO andt hey seem to feel that it is a requirement even after I challanged them to quote the FAR requiring a medical certificate for any thing except for PIC and required flight crewmember. Requested a written opinion but that will probably take light years.

Anyone elese broached this subject with the FAA?
 
I challanged them to quote the FAR requiring a medical certificate for any thing except for PIC and required flight crewmember.

As I understand the additional pilot program, you can only carry someone who is considered a "required crew member" for that flight---------no joy rides.
 
As I understand the additional pilot program, you can only carry someone who is considered a "required crew member" for that flight---------no joy rides.

I agree with Mike since the "intent" is to have a qualified pilot that can act as PIC (similar to a Safety Pilot) if required. Since the Additional Pilot (both Qualified or Observer) has to meet both 61.56 (Flight Review) and 61.57 (Recent Flight Experience) requirements, it would seem logical to follow that a qualified AP would have a current medical as well. I'll concede that it's possible to be current on experience, and yet have a recently expired medical, but why would you want to go down that road?
 
I still don't see that a valid argument can be made for an RV to have a second person in the aircraft, from a pilot workload perspective.
 
I can although I have yet to try and take advantage of the program. It's a serious balancing act trying to fly the plane and monitor data or setup avionics for tests. I readily admit that there have been times when my eyes have not spent near enough time outside of the cockpit. On one occasion I got a lot closer to another aircraft than I should have. Also I should note that I fly in some pretty busy airspace so YMMV....
 
medical

Light Sport does not require a medical(drivers licence in lieu of medical). As far as I can determine light sport requires current BFR and same currency as non LSA aircraft. Also I can find nothing that would prevent taking a BFR in for example, a Cessna 172, without having a current medical, and then performing as PIC in LSA.
 
My point is that there a lot of highly qualified and experienced pilots that have choosen to go the LSA route and maintained currency. Heck, even a CFI / CFII /MEI does not require a medical certificate unless he is acting as PIC in a standard catagory airfcraft. Just seemd like a gross waste of talent to ignore such a wealth of experience and talent over a medical slip that the LSA program has proven to be of little or no value to safety..
 
Pete,

Not having parsed the words of the additional pilot program for some time now, I think it would be tough to argue against the idea that the spirit of the program would be to require pilots current in type along with all the requirements of that, which currently requires the medical.

The argument over the third class medical is an entirely different conversation.

I understand crafting the additional pilot program was a careful and difficult process with opponents arguing the program would be abused and what you're proposing plays right into those opponent's argument.

Just my 2 cents.
 
After reading thru the additional pilot information I see no refference to the additional pilot requiring a current medical ceetificate. I talked to the local FSDO andt hey seem to feel that it is a requirement even after I challanged them to quote the FAR requiring a medical certificate for any thing except for PIC and required flight crewmember. Requested a written opinion but that will probably take light years.

Anyone elese broached this subject with the FAA?

I always get a chuckle whenever someone uses "light years" as a unit of time. I laugh and laugh until my side Hertz. This site is positively inch-pounds of fun. What a joule! If I keep this up, I'll get kicked out and will have to move to a newton. :p
 
The requirements in the AC - PDF page 11 - say that the additional pilot must have the Recent Experience requirements of 61.57(a) -

This would require a medical except for a LSA or glider.

I'm not so sure - the requirement for currency is to be the sole manipulator of the controls and that could be accomplished without a current medical (someone else rides as PIC - the PIC need not touch the controls).

Dan
 
I still don't see that a valid argument can be made for an RV to have a second person in the aircraft, from a pilot workload perspective.

But there are other perspectives. I intend to use this program. I fear that I don't have the experience in RV's or test flights in general to handle odd scenarios or problem. If we get in the air and these problems occur, I will be glad to have someone with 20,000 hours of flight experience and hundreds in an RV to help my chances of dealing with them. I suppose I could just ask that person to do the first flight for me, but I prefer to be there for it.

Larry
 
Light Years "Yep"

The light year comment was intentional to indicate that the feds will require you to jump through enough hoops to span a light year before they even consider a written opinion. You and I both know what happens in a network of thousands of resistor in series in a 12VDC circuit. The output will always be zero or ambiguous.

Or as I think Newton really meant..."a body at rest will resist all attempts to move with a force equal to the input energy plus several thousand Newton Meters" Let me see now.. what that electron flow or hole flow theory?
 
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