AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2018 - 106

NEWS & NOTES

MEMBER SERVICES

LEGALLY SPEAKING |

Pay attention
BasicMed expiration dates
can be confusing

BY CHAD MAYER

Pilot Protection Services

B Y C H A D M AY E R
TO ENSURE UNINTERRUPTED COMPLIANCE

with BasicMed, pilots must complete the
required comprehensive medical examination and online medical education
course within the required-and differently calculated-time periods. For an
airman to act as pilot in command under
BasicMed rules, within the previous 48
months he or she must have received a
physical examination by a state-licensed
physician who followed and completed
the FAA's comprehensive medical examination checklist, while the airman must
have completed the online course within
the previous 24 calendar months.
Incorporating the requirements
of BasicMed into the federal aviation

TIPS FROM PIC

|

Streamline
the process
Call AOPA's medical
certification staff first
BY JEENA TYLER
IF YOU HAVE HAD A NEW MEDICAL EVENT,

a change in medications, or new medical history, you should call AOPA before
you report anything to the FAA. AOPA's
medical certification specialists will assist
you and help streamline your FAA medical certification process.
In addition to the 15 specifically
disqualifying medical conditions that
require a special issuance authorization, many conditions require an FAA
review before a medical certificate will
be issued. You can avoid lengthy delays
by understanding the process-the
106 | AOPA PILOT May 2018

regulations involved changes to Part 61,
including §61.23(c)(3)(i)(C) and 61.23(c)
(3)(i)(D), as well as the addition of the new
Part 68. Additional FAA guidance on the
new regulations is available in Advisory
Circular 68-1A. The takeaway is that careful attention must be paid to when the
different components of BasicMed lapse
and must be completed again (see "AOPA
Action," page 12).
For example, an airman completing the BasicMed checklist and physical
exam on May 10, 2017, and the online
course on May 20, 2017, would be able to
operate under BasicMed through May 31,
2019 (24 calendar months after the online
course was completed). If the airman then

required recovery period after treatment, the medical records that will be
needed, and the testing that must be
done in a certain timeframe-all before
you visit an AME or notify the FAA. If
your medical packet is missing any of
this information, or if the testing was
done before the recovery/observation
period was completed, or was not done
within the FAA's parameters, your application could be delayed for months-or
worse, denied.
For members who have upgraded their
memberships to Pilot Protection Services
Plus, copies of your medical information
can be reviewed by AOPA medical certification staff. The staff makes every effort
to ensure all the reports are thorough and
the package is complete before it is sent
to the FAA.
For pilots not flying for compensation
or hire, the new BasicMed regulations
may allow you an alternative pathway to
medically self-assess without the need
for an FAA-issued medical certificate.

completes the online course again
on May 31, 2019, then he or she
would be able to continue operating
under BasicMed until May 10, 2021 (not
May 31, 2021) because 48 months have
passed since the physical exam.
Completing a new checklist and exam
on May 11, 2021, would allow the pilot to
operate under BasicMed until May 31,
2021, at which time another online course
would be required. It would be advisable to set smartphone or other calendar
reminders to keep the applicable expiration days straight.
For more information on BasicMed,
see AOPA's Fit to Fly pilot resources
(www.aopa.org/basicmed).
CHAD MAYER is an attorney with the AOPA

Pilot Protection Services plan.

BasicMed questions?
Check out AOPA's Fit To Fly resources
(www.aopa.org/basicmed), including
BasicMed frequently asked questions
and an interactive tool to see if you may
qualify. There's also information on how
to explain BasicMed to your physician
and more details about the rule and
what you should know if you want to
fly under BasicMed.

Certain medical conditions may require a
one-time special issuance authorization
before you can participate in BasicMed.
Call AOPA Monday through Friday, 8:30
a.m. to 6 p.m. 800-USA-AOPA (8722672). Choose option three for medical
certification.
JEENA TYLER is an aviation specialist for the

AOPA Pilot Information Center.
http://www.aopa.org/basicmed http://www.aopa.org/basicmed
AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Turbine Pilot Magazine - May 2018
