The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association in the USA has added support to the AOPA Australia campaign to reform the Class 2 medical system in Australia.
AOPA USA president Mark Baker co-signed a letter with AOPA Australia president Marc De Stoop addressed to CASA and Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, outlining the positive impacts the BasicMed system in the USA has had on general aviation.
"Third class medical [equivalent of Australia's Class 2] reform in the United States was signed into law on July 15, 2016 by President Obama, after being passed by the House and Senate a few days earlier," the letter sets out. "On January 10, 2017, the FAA published the BasicMed final rule, based on the legislation, and set May 1, 2017 as the effective date for the new regulations.
"We believe a similar initiative to reform the medical regulations and standards for general aviation pilots in Australia will improve safety and be a catalyst for growth in the community. AOPA and AOPA Australia jointly call on CASA to undertake this initiative.
"In the first three months since BasicMed has been implemented, more than 15,000 pilots in the United States have become eligible to fly under these new medical standards, and we expect that number to grow substantially. Hundreds of thousands of pilots in the US will benefit from BasicMed, reducing the ineffective and burdensome government bureaucracy, and saving both pilots and the government millions of dollars.
"We believe reforming medical certification regulations and applying risk-based standards would benefit pilots in Australia and save time, resources, and money that could be reinvested in ways that do much more to enhance safety including increased proficiency flying and installing advanced safety equipment in aircraft."
AOPA USA has developed guidance material for pilots operating under the new BasicMed system, including an on-line education course. The association believes that this, coupled with an honest relationship with a GP, will enhance rather than degrade aviation safety.
"We believe that making flying more affordable through medical reform can be a catalyst that will get many pilots back to flying, and once implemented, will boost participation in general aviation and help the industry recover from the current downward spiral that it is in," the letter concludes.
Recent feedback to a CASA discussion paper on aviation medical reform showed the industry was overwhelmingly in favour of a self-certification system in Australia similar to the USA's BasicMed.