Now is your chance to stand up and be heard. It made it out of committee, now it's up to us.

Click on the link below and add your voice.

I did.

http://govt.eaa.org/12706/support-hr-3578/

You may want to look at the subject line for your post. They are not supporting the sleep apnea bill, rather a resolution bill to require the FAA to adhere to a formal rule making process followed with public input before any bill can be passed and shoved down our throats!!

I almost tossed my lunch

I had to do a double take, too. Signed & sent.

Man EAA makes that easy. Awesome stuff.

Signed and forwarded to the 256 members of my EAA chapter.

I signed & sent the letter to my representative.

KEEP it going. Everyone needs to take 30 seconds & sign up.

byeBill

that was easy and fast! thank you EAA

Maybe a good idea to title like that. I thought the same thing and clicked here quick cause I was pissed and couldn't believe it.
Glad were fighting. Gets tiring trying to fight all the bs they try to nail us with on a daily basis.
Thanks eaa

Nice, Done & sent to both!

vaughans

Wow that was like the easy button!!

I signed. A little history for you younger pilots. Not long after AOPA started providing reasonably priced legal services for dealing with the FAA and NTSB, the FAA started a harsh program of medical scrutinization. When you get a little older and have to take some medications, check with other pilots to find out which Flight Surgeons are fair and which are not. Also check on FSDOs that are hardest on waivers. Flight Surgeons are now required to enter you in the computer first when you walk in. The fair ones will ask you if you are sick or have any temporary problems and will check your list of meds before entry and advise you to get your doctor to prescribe approved meds before taking the medical. Once entered in that computer you are under the gun to pass at that time. Any problems and you are in the waiver process. Once in the waiver process, it is the same as getting a modification approval. They will do whatever pleases them.

contactflying wrote:...Flight Surgeons are now required to enter you in the computer first when you walk in. The fair ones will ask you if you are sick or have any temporary problems and will check your list of meds before entry and advise you to get your doctor to prescribe approved meds before taking the medical. Once entered in that computer you are under the gun to pass at that time. Any problems and you are in the waiver process. Once in the waiver process, it is the same as getting a modification approval. They will do whatever pleases them.

Interesting point, especially since the FAA MedXPress process encourages going online prior to the actual AME visit and 'pre-entering' in the computer, as I understand the process.
If you're coming up on 40, go get a fresh medical while it's still valid for 5 years out.

Denali pilot, I advise against pre-entering in the computer. If something happens and you decide to go light sport rather than take the medical, you have given them evidence that you cannot pass a medical. Let me put it this way: If you expect to drive a car well into your golden years, shouldn't you expect to fly as well? Flying is safer and easier and requires far less attention to detail. The FSDO keeps their number of working positions based on paperwork created. With AOPA lawyers right up front, it is harder to create paperwork based on violations. You would think medical advances would help the pilot. Not necessarily true. The waiver process creates a lot of paperwork. I sent in over 15,000 pages after my last crash. I continue to drive. I have not received a waiver to fly. Kansas City FSDO also emergency suspended my Commercial. I still fly with any pilot who can act as PIC. Other than the ability to charge, my life is not altered. If I were not of retirement age, it would mean I would have to get a non-flying job.

I was lucky enough to fly 35 years in a profession where paper didn't really mean a whole lot. If you fly in a paper conscious profession or area, I suggest that you, "don't ask, don't tell," in all dealings with the FAA. "Ol Charlie is always out there." "Fly low and he won't know." As soon as the farmer, fireman, or policeman shows up ask, "Is it alright if I land here." As a last resort, say, "You're probably right," and leave.

Sleep Apnea is a lot more dangerous for the auto driver than the pilot. I guarantee it will ground a lot more pilots then auto drivers. At the very least, it will create a lot of paperwork.

Bump

Is it working? The new policy has been put in a holding pattern....

http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All- ... 1220epilot

GA supporters in the Senate on Jan. 16 introduced a measure that would compel the FAA to go through the rulemaking process before implementing any policy changes related to sleep disorders. The legislation was introduced by AOPA members Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), and co-sponsored by Sens. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Mike Johanns (R-Neb.). (Begich and Johanns co-chair the Senate GA Caucus and both Manchin and Inhofe are caucus members.)

The language in the Senate bill, S. 1941, mirrors that of H.R. 3578, introduced in November by House aviation subcommittee Chairman Frank LoBiondo (R-N.J.) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). That bill passed the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on Dec. 4, 2013, positioning it for a vote by the full House.

The legislation comes in response to the FAA’s unilateral announcement of a policy that would require pilots with a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or greater to undergo expensive and intrusive sleep apnea testing. The FAA initially said it planned to lower the BMI requirement over time, potentially affecting more than 120,000 pilots with a BMI of 30 or higher.

“As a pilot myself, I recognize that there is nothing more important than making sure our skies are safe, and I appreciate the FAA’s efforts to offer the best guidance on how to do so,” said Manchin. “I also believe that government should work as a partner with the private sector. It’s just common sense to let the pilot community provide public feedback during the rulemaking process before the FAA finalizes any new guidelines.”

“This bill protects our nation’s pilots by ensuring that any changes to the medical certification requirements are done in a manner consistent with the well-established rulemaking process that allows for thorough consideration and adequate public input,” said Inhofe. “This is a classic ‘bureaucrats know best’ effort by the FAA regarding the personal health of those in the aviation industry. I am proud to join Sen. Manchin in introducing legislation that would enforce transparency with FAA's latest change to its medical certification requirement and ensure pilots, air traffic controllers, and other stakeholders who would be potentially impacted have a voice.”

The FAA’s sudden announcement of the policy change drew an immediate and overwhelmingly negative response from the general aviation community.

AOPA demanded that the FAA withdraw the policy or submit to the rulemaking process, and turned to friends in Congress for help. The issue was also discussed at a meeting between AOPA President Mark Baker and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, and on Dec. 19, 2013, the FAA contacted AOPA to say it would put the policy change on hold.

The FAA has since said it is still concerned about sleep apnea and wants to find a more acceptable way to address the issue. The legislation now working its way through the House and Senate would ensure that the stakeholder community has the opportunity to weigh in before the FAA makes any future changes to its policy.

“I’m frustrated the FAA didn’t follow the proper procedures and refused to listen to public comments before changing this regulation,” said Begich. “Testing private pilots for sleep apnea might be a worthwhile idea but the agency should have talked to its stakeholders first. If they had been willing to listen to the aviation community they might have found smarter and less intrusive ways to ensure pilots are safe to fly. The irony is that sleep apnea has never been identified as a factor in a general aviation incident.”

Congress intervened in a similar situation in October 2013 after the Department of Transportation attempted to require sleep apnea testing for commercial truck drivers. In that case Congress passed a law requiring the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to go through the formal rulemaking process before requiring testing.