Re: EAA AOPA medical proposal
Posted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:30 pm
Funny thing about the government, the vast majority of those making decisions have no medical training at all. Letting them make decisions about anything health care related makes as much sense as letting a bunch of lawyers take your appendix out. The government is good at one thing, and only one thing. Creating needless redtape and standing in the way of enterprising individuals.
The government doesn't tell us that we have to take a physical in order to operate a vehicle. So any 94 year old that hasn't been to the doctor in 20 years can crawl behind the wheel of a 6000 pound SUV, load it up with everyone he plays shuffleboard with, and go crash into a school bus- no questions asked. But put him behind the yoke of 2500 pound 172 with 3 people he plays bridge with and he'll have to submit to something that may be more invasive than a TSA pat down.
Sorry, but it both cases it is the responsibility of the 94 year old individual to know whether he can operate the vehicle in a safe manner. It is required of us every single time we crawl into a plane and you should be making the same evaluation any time you slide behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you're not medically sound to operate then you need to make other plans. If you are then you don't need a doctor to tell you that you are. And honestly many of the things that the FAA is worried about are sudden onset events. An MI can hit you just as easily the day after a physical as it can the day before. Paying a doc $125 to sign a paper doesn't change that.
The government doesn't tell us that we have to take a physical in order to operate a vehicle. So any 94 year old that hasn't been to the doctor in 20 years can crawl behind the wheel of a 6000 pound SUV, load it up with everyone he plays shuffleboard with, and go crash into a school bus- no questions asked. But put him behind the yoke of 2500 pound 172 with 3 people he plays bridge with and he'll have to submit to something that may be more invasive than a TSA pat down.
Sorry, but it both cases it is the responsibility of the 94 year old individual to know whether he can operate the vehicle in a safe manner. It is required of us every single time we crawl into a plane and you should be making the same evaluation any time you slide behind the wheel of a vehicle. If you're not medically sound to operate then you need to make other plans. If you are then you don't need a doctor to tell you that you are. And honestly many of the things that the FAA is worried about are sudden onset events. An MI can hit you just as easily the day after a physical as it can the day before. Paying a doc $125 to sign a paper doesn't change that.