At the risk of raising the ire of our benevolent dictator (list admin Mark Langford) for continuing this thread, I will add a comment or two to this discussion, which I believe is germane to all of us who fly experimentals because most of us would prefer to reduce the regulatory requirements for recurring airman medical exams if it can be done while still maintaining operational safety for us and the public at large, and those who don't agree with this position certainly need to be heard for the benefit of those of us who do.
The concern is about what might happen if a pilot is incapacitated while operating an aircraft, whether that incapacitation is sudden, chronic, acute, gradual, or whatever. Most cancers, all colonoscopies, and many other ailments and diseases need not be brought up in this discussion because they will not generally result in such incapacitation without warning or foreknowledge by the pilot that he or she is incapacitated. Sure, it's good practice to get annual checkups, and since I'll be 64 this year I'm getting up to where I need to watch a lot more things than you younger builders and pilots. But why mention things like colonoscopies and prostate cancer screenings when the things an airman medical examiner (and the FAA) should be concerned about are things that can lead to incapacitation without warning. We (and our doctor) need to watch things like diabetes, hypertension, any indication or history of stroke, vision impairment, judgment impairment, loss of mobility. The rest of it is "nice to have", but doesn't generally lead to situations that might endanger the pilot, the passengers, or the public in the course of a flight. The rest of it is as readily self-policed as is regulated: alcohol and drugs; medications that might cause dizziness or sleepiness; anything that impairs vision or judgment; physical impairments that limit our ability to perform piloting duties. Yes, an AME might be able to see some of those things in an airman medical exam even if we don't self-report them- but we drive motor vehicles, large RVs, over-the-road trucks, boats, yachts, and other vehicles without such precautions and with far less government and medical oversight of it. I believe most pilots are responsible people who know their physical limitations, respect their abilities, want to preserve their safety and that of their passengers and the public, and have no more of a death wish than ground-bound folks. I like my AME, but given the opportunity to self-police and take the FAA out of the equation, I would do it. Oscar Zuniga Medford, OR
