AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 102

NEWS & NOTES

MEMBER SERVICES

AOPA Plus membership is now
AOPA Premier
FOR YEARS, thousands of AOPA members
have enjoyed the extra benefits and services provided through AOPA Plus. Now,
AOPA Plus is AOPA Premier-but we've
changed a lot more than the name. We've
added even more value, and more savings,
all in an affordable membership package.

MORE SAVINGS:

MORE BENEFITS:

* 10 percent discount on AOPA Pilot
Protection Services/Legal Services Plan.
* 10-percent discount on apparel items at
the AOPA Online Store with a minimum
purchase of $25.
* Exclusive discounts and special offers
from manufacturers and retailers, delivered straight to your email.

* AOPA Premier Member lapel pin and
decal specially designed to recognize your
extra support for our freedom to fly.
* Complimentary digital subscription to
your primary magazine-either AOPA Pilot
or Flight Training.
* Advance screening of AOPA Air Safety
Institute online courses.
* 10 additional sweepstakes entries (see
official rules on the website).

* Priority access to the AOPA Pilot
Information Center's staff of aviation specialists through a dedicated phone line and
email address.
* AOPA Navigator one-on-one concierge
service, connecting you with an AOPA representative to provide personal assistance
for all of your membership needs.

PILOT PROTECTION SERVICES

MORE SERVICES:

Food for thought
WITH ALL OF THE CONTROVERSY over the FAA's sleep apnea
issues, I thought I would throw out some data to keep you thinking. I obtained this data from the Aerospace Medical Certification's
2011 Statistical Handbook. This data was pulled from the FAA's
Document, Imaging, and Workflow (DIWS) system. That's
the computer program that the FAA uses to work the medical
examinations that all pilots must obtain. It has all the pilots' examinations in electronic format. The FAA flight exams that your AME
performs are input into this system.
As of December 31, 2011, there were a total of 39,191 females
and 555,627 males with current medical certificates. This data
included all classes of medical certificates. You have been hearing about the BMI (body mass index) as the calculation on which
the FAA planned to base its OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) policy.
The mean BMI for females was 24.2 and males 27.2. The "mean"
is a statistical measure of central tendency. The actual definition
of the "mean" is the sum of all values in a series divided by
the number of actual values. The FAA wants your AME to calculate

102 | AOPA PILOT April 2014

*
Advance notice of upcoming
AOPA educational seminars and webinars.
* Invitations to local and regional events
with AOPA leadership and your fellow pilots.
As an AOPA Premier Member, your
dues help support critical AOPA efforts to
strengthen our advocacy efforts, win key
political battles, and share our aviation
dream with local citizens and the next generation of pilots.
Visit www.aopa.org/aopapremier or
call 800-USA-AOPA (872-2672) to join or
upgrade your membership.
Plus, enjoy a special sign-up gift-a free
AOPA Airports Directory (a $39.95 value) .

BY DR. WARREN O. SILBERMAN

AOPA Pilot Protection Services

your BMI each time you come in for an examination.
For all classes of airmen, the mean weight for females was 147.6
pounds and males 192.8. Since we deal mostly with private pilots
or third class airmen, the mean weight for third class females was
148.4 and males 193.9.
The FAA defined an "overweight" airman as one whose BMI
was between 25 and 29.9 and an "obese" airman was a BMI greater
than 30. So, as of December 31, 2011, there were 8,879 females of
all classes who were in the "overweight" category and 4,078 in
the "obese" and 255,488 males in the "overweight" and 124,973 in
the "obese" groups. As far as the third class overweight category,
there were 4,789 females and 115,692 males. The "obese" thirdclass had 2,193 females and 61,449 males.
Dr. Warren Silberman is the former manager of FAA Aerospace

Medical Certification and a doctor of osteopathic medicine. A
pilot since 1986, he is recognized nationally as an expert in aerospace/preventative medicine.

http://www.aopa.org/aopapremier

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014