why a 3rd class medical?

[896tr]

I guess my point is with medicals becoming less restrictive and some not even requiring an exam why have one at all? Ultra light's don't need one, para sail's don't, powered 'chutes don't. If medicals are required for some why not require anything that can lift someone into the air also have the same rules? When I turned 40 I had to renew every 2 years and at the next renewal I found out I have type 2 diabetes. When I told Oklahoma it was controlled with diet and exercise everything was fine but the next doctor that renewed my med. cert. said I was using Metformin and hoops had to be jumped through. I guess I am also saying that even though med certs are easier to get I will be a rebel and not get another one. And I need to go sleep, I tend to ramble when I'm tired. Sorry for wasting bandwidth but I feel it's something to think about.

Steve

[aviator79]

I am not totally against medical certification, and I'd much rather have an incapacitated pilot crash his paraglider pilot into my house than Cessna 421. But a bureaucrat in DC trying to make a determination on whether your type 2 diabetes is properly managed seems ridiculous to me. I like BasicMed in principle. You let people and their doctors decide if they are fit to fly. But, as Eddie mentioned, you still have to get a 3rd class medical at least once. If this requirement went away, BasicMed would be more meaningful. What does that 3rd class really mean 20 years later?

[Hockeystud87]

Just to correct one thing. Airline travel is one of the safest ways to travel and or be period. You're safer flying airlines than you are in your own home.

General Aviation is definitely not safer than driving. There has been many statistics that cover different stats (Miles flown/driver or hours flown/driven) both show results of planes being less safe than cars.

http://philip.greenspun.com/flying/safety - interesting article on the topic.

[av8rps]

But we all drive our cars a lot more hours every year than we do our airplanes...so the real risk is still most likely driving our car.

I remember hearing that an aircraft is 12 times more dangerous than an automobile. So if you fly 1/12th as much as you drive, the risk is the same.

That's what I tell my friends when they talk about how dangerous planes are...

[av8rps]

Oh, and on the subject of a medical:

I run a trucking company. Every commercial truck driver in America is required to have a DOT approved medical. Yet every time I start shopping for company health insurance I get told how our rates are high because we have such an unhealthy group

Having medicals proves nothing as you can keel over walking out the door of the doctors office (my grandfather died in his sleep the night after a complete physical, which he passed with flying colors).

To make the public feel better they should continue with medicals for commercial pilot licenses, just like they do with truck drivers.

But for recreational pilots there should be nothing more required than to show you have a valid drivers license, like LSA.