EAA, AOPA Urge Survey Participation for Medical Exemption

July 3, 2013 - EAA and AOPA continue their joint efforts to have the FAA grant a third-class medical exemption for private pilots who fly noncomplex aircraft, and you can help.

The petition was submitted in March 2012, and the two organizations recently received indications that the FAA sought more data related to the rate of medically related incidents among pilots flying under sport pilot rules. This data will help the FAA decide whether to allow private pilots or better to fly day VFR, four-seat (with one passenger), 180-hp-maximum aircraft using a self-certification medical standard and a driver's license in lieu of a traditional third-class FAA medical.

EAA is asking all pilots currently flying under sport pilot rules - either certificated sport pilots or private pilots exercising sport pilot privileges - to complete a brief survey to better document the amount of hours flown by this segment of the pilot population. Data will be used to paint a clearer picture of how many pilots fly under these rules and for how many hours each year. No personally identifiable information will be collected.