Council Activities 

UPDATE BY DR. JOHN D. HASTINGS

Sport Aviation - June 1999

I recently returned from a trip to Sun ’n Fun in Lakeland, FL. Council member Brent Blue and I held an EAA-sponsored tent forum on the second day of the event. The forum title was “The FAA Medical Certificate — Your Ticket to Ride.” The tent was full for the entire two hour session, after which many stayed to discuss specific problems. I am always amazed at the level of interest in medical issues at aviation gatherings. Quite a few in the audience were unaware of the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Program, prompting Brent to comment, “The advisory program is one of EAA’s best kept secrets.” 

I reflected upon Brent’s comment after my return and decided it would be useful to inform the membership of council activities in recent years. The primary mission of the aeromedical council is to provide guidance and assistance in aeromedical certification issues for EAA and its members. The council has worked hard on several programs to achieve this goal. There is now in place an EAA Aeromedical Advisory Program (formerly Pilot Advocate Program), conceived by Brent Blue. EAA’s membership rolls were searched to identify EAA members who were aviation medical examiners (AMEs). EAA-AME members were asked about their interest in serving EAA members as Aeromedical Advisors in situations where medical certification was in jeopardy. Over 125 EAA-AME members responded affirmatively. 

These are volunteers willing to assist pilots encountering medical certification difficulty. A troubled pilot can contact EAA Headquarters and be referred to an aeromedical advisor for assistance. Each of the 13 members of the aeromedical council, representing many specialties, has contributed to the development of an AME-Pilot Aeromedical Advisory Handbook. This document, available to all EAA-AME-Pilot aeromedical advisors, addresses specific medical conditions causing certification difficulty. Previously EAA members contacting headquarters regarding problem aeromedical certification issues were referred to Information Services, long under the able direction of Ben Owen. The council worked with Ben prior to his recent retirement, giving rise to a project currently under way. The “information packages” sent to pilots who inquire about certification issues is undergoing extensive revision in an effort to provide accurate and useful information for EAA members encountering certification problems. 

The revised information packages involving problem certification contain three parts. The first is an instruction section containing general information for pilots regarding problem certification. Guidelines for gathering records, obtaining letters, and assembling a package for the FAA is included in this section. These general guidelines apply to all pilots with certification difficulties. The second component of the package will be a narrative description of FAA requirements pertaining to a specific condition, such as hypertension. 

This document will describe, in narrative form, what is required of a pilot with hypertension who seeks aeromedical certification. This section is intended to provide, in clear terms, what is required to obtain medical certification. The third component of the package will be a checklist, allowing an airman to check of required items as they are accomplished. With completion of the checklist, an airman has assurance that all information required by the FAA has been assembled. A pilot contacting EAA Headquarters will receive this three-part package that will address his or her specific condition. The package will enable the airman to navigate the certification process accurately. 

If additional assistance is necessary, EAA can refer the member to an aeromedical advisor. Council members are now working on the development of information packages for members with specific medical conditions, such as hypertension. These packages should assist the pilot, his or her primary care physician, his or her specialty consultant, and his or her AME in problem certification issues. On another note, council members have recently collaborated in gathering data in reference to G-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) in civil aerobatic operations. The NTSB had put forth recommendations that pilots with a history of cardiac conditions or taking medications that might affect G-tolerance be prohibited from engaging in aerobatic flight. Implementation of this recommendation would have widespread consequences. 

The council, in a letter to NTSB chairman Jim Hall, recommended an educational approach to the issue of G-tolerance rather than regulatory restriction. Though underlying heart disease and the use of medication potentially affecting G-tolerance is worthy of consideration, factors affecting the healthy aerobatic pilot are likely of greater importance. Included are heat, dehydration, fatigue, and the performance of positive-G maneuvers immediately following negative-G maneuvers (push-pull effect).

In generating a response to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the council worked closely with another EAA entity, the International Aerobatic Club (IAC). We of the council are proud of our efforts to promote the safe certification of civil airmen. The resources dedicated to that end should not be the EAA’s “best kept secret.” The council exists to serve the membership. If you have concerns about aeromedical certification, call us at EAA Headquarters. 

Dr. John Hastings, EAA 451228, Tulsa, OK, is Chairman of the EAA Aeromedical Advisory Council. An AME, his specialty is neurology.