Updating Operating Limitations for LSRI

The end of summer has seen a flurry of updates from the FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine, addressing several pain points in the aeromedical certification process and releasing several new improvements and changes. 

Diabetes saw several major updates and planned updates. For insulin-treated diabetes with continuous glucose monitoring, some airmen will now be able to extend their time between recertification from six months to one year, on a case-by-case basis depending on risk factors. Annual eye evaluations for many uncomplicated cases may now be performed by an optometrist rather than an ophthalmologist as well. Applicants should review their special issuance authorization letters or contact their aerospace medical examiners (AMEs) for information on their specific cases. 

For non-insulin-treated diabetes, the FAA is considering removing the requirement for a special issuance entirely in certain well-treated cases. However, 14 CFR Part 67 is written in such a way that a rule change is necessary to accomplish this change (unlike other conditions not specifically listed in the regulatory language). In August, the FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to clear the way for this policy change, and EAA contributed to aviation association joint comments in support of the measure. The policy for those with non-insulin-dependent diabetes will change when and if the rulemaking becomes final. 

The lengthy wait after a “severe brain injury” (including any blood on the brain) has been an issue for many airmen, who generally needed to wait five years after an injury to reapply. This could keep a pilot out of the air years after a successful recovery. The FAA has cited the chance of severe complications, including seizures, as the reasoning behind this wait time. In September, the FAA lowered this wait time from five years to four years, a change that hopefully portends a further reduction in the future. This is an incremental shift, but one that will buy many airmen an extra year of flying. The window of increased scrutiny following more mild injuries such as concussions has also been changed to four years, meaning injuries that occurred longer than four years ago are eligible for a simplified clearance that an AME can conduct. 

Pilots have long been asking for an official list of acceptable medications from the FAA. The FAA partially delivered on this several years ago with the publication of the “Do Not Issue – Do Not Fly” list of medications deemed particularly incompatible with flight safety. Now, the FAA has taken an additional step forward with the publication of the MedGuide, a comprehensive, interactive list of medications and their dispositions.