Get on the stick
For those of you concerned about the situation of third class medical reform, be advised.
The reason that there is no fire under the FAA to get anything done is that there is no fire under the FAA to get anything done. House Bill HR3708 and Senate bill S2103 died in committee last year and to-date no bill has been introduced in the 114th Congress to replace it. So there is no pressure to do anything.
It is my understanding that Congressman Todd Rokita is working to re-introduce the same or similar bill but this has not been accomplished yet. He is an active pilot and a real gentleman (I am told), and is concerned about this issue. Currently his office is working on determining the amount of support there is in the current membership for the bill. Last session there were something in the neighborhood of 130 cosponsors of the bill.
If the bill is reintroduced, it will likely be assigned again to the Aviation Subcommitte of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the House. Rep. Frank LoBiondo and Rep. Bill Shuster(PA) are the chairmen of the two committees respectively. Ultimately, the House leadership, i.e. Speaker of the House, Rep. John Boehner, will decide which bills get acted on. So if you want to blame anybody for dragging their feet once the bill is reintroduced, start with these individuals.
If you are reading this forum and you have not communicated with your representative and strongly urged him/her to AGAIN be a co-sponsor of any new bill, shame on you. Nothing will happen unless you do.
If you are reading this forum and are from Texas, double shame on you. Texas is an aviation-friendly state and general aviation is vital to commerce here because of the industries located here and the distances involved. Texas has 36 congressional districts and that potentially means 36 voices in Congress.
You can easily find out your representative's phone number and much more about the workings of Congress from this website:
http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Do not write a letter to their DC office; it will take weeks to get through. Send an email or a fax directly to their office. Better yet, call their office and talk to a staffer. Toward the end of the week is better for getting through. How you interact with the staffer is important because they are the eyes and ears of the Representative. Make some notes before calling so you can yet your message across in a timely manner. Identify yourself as a pilot (and whatever).
Again, here are some talking points if you don't have your own:
- 600,000 GA pilots in this country and they are a positive influence on their communities. Many have prior military or commercial aviation experience. They are watching closely how Congress is dealing with this legislation.
-This effort is to reform 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 be a big stimulus for general aviation in the congressman's state.
-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 pilots currently must have a third class medical for.
-To-date the FAA has not made any real effort for meaningful reform and Congressional action is essential to get something done.