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  #141  
Old 05-12-2014, 09:11 AM
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With proofreading from rockwoodrv9, I completed my letter and tailored it for my representatives & senators and just now faxed them into their offices.

This is second letter in attempt to convince Colorado democrats.

bc
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Last edited by GrayHawk : 05-12-2014 at 09:18 AM.
  #142  
Old 05-18-2014, 03:15 PM
wilddog wilddog is offline
 
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Default Four More Reps Onboard

Four more Reps joined on as cosponsors May 15th for a current total of 107.
  #143  
Old 05-23-2014, 12:49 PM
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ArVeeNiner ArVeeNiner is offline
 
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Default My Democratic Congresswoman (is that PC?) from California is on board

I finally received a response today:



Thank you for contacting me regarding the 3rd class medical certificate requirement for certain types of general aviation. I appreciate that you took the time to share your thoughts with me.



As a member of the House General Aviation caucus, I have been supportive of this important industry and followed this issue. I agree that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) should not create unnecessary regulatory barriers to general aviation. I hope you will be pleased to know, due in part to your advocacy I have decide to cosponsor The General Aviation Pilot Protection Act. This bill has already had an impact by spurring the Department of Transportation (DOT) to act. The DOT has recently announced a rulemaking process to review this requirement and plans to announce a new rule by the end of the year. I will continue to follow this issue, and I will keep your thoughts in mind should this bill be brought to the House floor for debate.



Again, thanks for being in touch. If I may be of assistance to you or your family, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely

Zoe Lofgren

Member of Congress
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  #144  
Old 05-23-2014, 01:04 PM
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With one exception, I'm afraid Colorado remains ignorant. I received only one reply so far and it's content showed they did not even understand the issue. They somehow associated it with commercial pilots. bc

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Robert:
Thank you for contacting me regarding the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 3708). I appreciate hearing from you.
The safety issues related to a pilot's health are incredibly important, and I believe this is something that should be constantly monitored. I agree that the well-being of commercial and regional pilots and their passengers must be our top priority when we consider these issues.
As you know, the General Aviation Pilot Protection Act of 2013 was introduced by Representative Rokita on December 11, 2013. H.R. 3708 would redefine the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Third Class medical requirements by replacing a brief and compulsory medical exam with a requirement that pilots carry a valid driver's license. This license would be used as proof of health. H.R. 3708 would also limit the number of passengers a pilot can fly with, the altitude and speed that they can achieve, and the weight that an aircraft can take off with.
H.R. 3708 has been referred to the House Subcommittee on Aviation. Should this or similar legislation come before the Senate I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind.
I value the input of fellow Coloradans in considering the wide variety of important issues and legislative initiatives that come before the Senate. I hope you will continue to inform me of your thoughts and concerns.
For more information about my priorities as a U.S. Senator, I invite you to visit my website at http://bennet.senate.gov/. Again, thank you for contacting me.

Sincerely,

Michael F. Bennet
United States Senator
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  #145  
Old 05-30-2014, 06:47 AM
Daniel S. Daniel S. is offline
 
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Default Kinda Quiet Out There

Hey all-
I haven't heard much out there lately & the info is kind of now buried on the EAA & AOPA sites unless you dig a little & are looking for it. Not to mention the DOT site doesn't have C**P from the FAA rule making side... Good news though is we now have 122 co-sponsors (including the 10 in the senate)... How can we mak this more or a head line issue??? It seems like all are sitting back & waiting rather than pushing this forward. Like people before me said, if your not worried about your medical now, you soon will be at some point!

Sorry for the rant. I just hate seeing this issue going kind of silent.

Oops spoke to soon... From the AOPA: http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/A...orm-grows.aspx
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Last edited by Daniel S. : 05-30-2014 at 06:51 AM. Reason: more info
  #146  
Old 06-09-2014, 09:37 AM
koda2 koda2 is offline
 
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Default Third class Medical Reform Update

I took some time out to research this issue. I have enough info for several pages of posts but here are the key points.

First, never refer to this issue as third class exemption. What we are talking about here is reforming the licensing process for a significant portion of private pilots and which, no surprise to anyone who has been involved, is not working for the good of GA pilots.

HR bill 3708, introduced last winter, now has gathered 113 cosponsors,

The bill was referred to the Aviation subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation. It remains in the Aviation subcommittee. A spokesperson for the committee would only comment that the committee is actively working with Rokita. No formal activities have been scheduled. No hearings have been set and may not be needed.

Eventually if there is enough support and enough information has been submitted the bill could be deliberated on, formally or informally. If it receives a positive nod it will be discharged to the full Committee for further deliberation. At that point if there is enough support in the full committee, the House Leadership will have to be convinced to bring the bill to the floor for further deliberation and a vote.

The Aviation subcommittee is chaired by Rep Frank Lobiondo, a twenty-or-so year senior congressman from NJ and a Republican. I contacted his office and they would give me no information regarding this issue.

If the bill passes the House in whatever form, it will be referred to the Senate.
Eventually the Senate could vote on the House bill and and any differerences or amendments would have to be ironed out before a final bill would be passed by both houses.

S2103, a sister bill in the Senate, has been sent to the Commerce Science, and Transportation committee, which is a full committee and is chaired by Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat and a lame duck senator, in that he is not seeking re-election. In addition, congressional decorum usually dictates that the House bill, which was introduced first, will be allowed to play out first. For all those reasons, and maybe more, do not expect much if any activity from the Senate at this time. There are now 10 Senators who are cosponsors of S2103. More are needed.

The House aviation subcommittee members come from these states.

NJ, WI (2), NC (2), TN (2), GA, TX (3), IN (2), PA, FL (2),
CA, KY, MT, IL (3), WA OR, DC, MA, MN, NV, NY

Go to: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/ and look for committees.

If you from these states and have not contacted your congressman, you should.

Write letters to your Congressman?s local branch office but email or call their DC office.

Be brief, polite and courteous and have your facts together. State who you are and, if you own a business or have other connections, state them. The staffers need to know who they are talking to.
If you have aviation-related activities, (manufacturing, etc.) in your state, list them. Your rep needs to know how important this bill is to people in his/her district .

Talking points:
- 600,000 GA pilots in this country. They tend to be very analytical and aware individuals and are a positive influence on the community. Many have prior military or commercial aviation experience. They are watching closely how Congress is dealing with this legislation.
-These two bills are for reform of the medical certificate process and NOT exempting pilots from responsibility.
-The current system used by the FAA is cumbersome, irrational in its approach, and in some cases, discriminates against pilots.
-Supporting these bills will stimulate all aspects of general aviation, including manufacturing, not just recreational flying.
-The creation of the Light Sport Pilot program has been an outstanding success with a good safety record and some of the aircraft flying under the light sport rules have greater performance than many aircraft that are certified by the FAA and that pilots currently must have a third class medical for.
- You may want to note that the two main detractors of this bill, the FAA and CAMA have a vested and STRONG financial interest in keeping these bills out of deliberation.
-Finally, it is up to Congress to do something because the FAA has demonstrated by its actions, its unwillingness to make any changes.
-Most importantly, you would like your rep TO BE A COSPONSOR OF THE BILL.

Being a cosponsor shows they are serious about their promises and not just ?glad-handing? you.

It will take broad-based bipartisan support to move this bill. At this point in time the most important thing you can do is get your Congressman to be a cosponsor of the bill.

Dave A.
  #147  
Old 06-11-2014, 01:24 PM
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Default Possible roadblock.........

http://www.flyingmag.com/blogs/going...-class-medical

To quote Robert Goyer "Shame on the AMA"
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  #148  
Old 06-11-2014, 01:30 PM
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Add them to CAMA, a group that apparently represents a small subset of AMEs. So apparently the only people in the country who support keeping the current system in place, are the doctors who A.) make money from it and B.) get to act as "gatekeepers" to decide who flies and who doesn't.

Color me shocked.
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  #149  
Old 06-11-2014, 04:38 PM
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plehrke plehrke is offline
 
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Theses are not the AMEs but the American Medical Association. My understanding is they are loosing membership due to most doctors not agreeing with the organization and currently membership is <15% of doctors.
Reasons they are going to lobby against 3rd class medical reform are pretty poor. I list them here for your amusement.

1. That pilots operating under a driver's license medical would represent a danger to commercial aircraft, constituting a public health concern.

2. That AMEs frequently find unreported health issues during the certificate exam that would disqualify a pilot.

3. That a license is really an "unrestricted ticket" and that AMEs offer the last line of defense to make sure the skies are safe.

4. That most pilots are "infrequent fliers," which adds stress and puts them at greater health risk.

I especially like 3 and think my CFI will get a laugh that the Skies are safe due to medicals and not due to required training.
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Last edited by plehrke : 06-11-2014 at 05:01 PM.
  #150  
Old 06-12-2014, 08:04 AM
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N395V N395V is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BobTurner View Post
To no one's surprise...

Every year I get a whole bunch of post cards from AME's, around the time my medical expires. There's a nice amount of money to be made here, and the medical union certainly isn't going to kill the cash cow if they can help it.
1. Best statistics are only between 5% and 15% of all "licensed" physicians are AMA members. The rest of us consider the AMA a sick joke.

2. Most AMA members are academic or research physicians who have little to nothing to do with direct patient care.

3. The percentage of aviation medical examiners that are AMA members is so small as to be immeasurable.

4. Most AMEs are AMEs because they are pilots or aviation enthusiasts.

5. It is doubtful that any AMEs make even 1% of their annual billing (sales not profit) from aviation medical exams.

6. It is doubtful that much, if any, any profit is made on an aviation medical exam, once you take into account,t overhead and time spent. It is much more profitable to se 5 runny noses in the same amount of time an aviation exam and it's paperwork takes. It certainly isn't a "cash cow".

7. I would estimate that 98% of practicing physicians are even aware of the fact that pilots are required to undergo a medical exam.

Physicians didn't invent the requirement for an aviation medical FAA bureaucrats did so direct your ire at them and not your Doctor.

Physicians cannot make the requirement go away only politicians can
so aim your bullets at them not your Doctor.

The AMA is an insignificant group that DOES NOT represent the vast majority of physicians nor share our views and beliefs. If you want to demonize the AMA that's ok by me, just don't lump the rest of us in with them.
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