The hackneyed aphorism about what happens between cup and lip aptly describes the state of the recently passed Third Class medical exemption. Signed into law in July amidst much cheering by industry groups, the proposed new medical rule lacks just one thing: Certainty, especially for pilots who currently have special issuances.
While the bill’s author, Sen. Jim Inhofe, made the law’s language as specific as possible to favor minimal FAA intervention, the agency may still have room to add conditions and requirements in the final rule it’s required to publish within 180 days of enactment. “The fact is, we just don’t know what the FAA will do,” one senior AME told us in late July. Nonetheless, the bill’s language and intent are clear and even those worried about FAA fiddling in the margins believe it will still benefit thousands of pilots who otherwise couldn’t pass medical certification or who worry that they would be disqualified as they suffer age-related conditions.