Aeromedical News from AirVenture

by Dr. William Blank, MD
© Copyright 2022. All rights reserved!
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine October/November 2022 Digital Issue

I am writing this article having just returned from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, July 25-31, 2022. There, I attended several sessions where the Federal Air Surgeon, Dr. Susan Northrup, was a participant. In each case, she began her comments by asking “What can we do better?” She talked about her concerns and goals. The FAA is definitely aware that the certification delays are unacceptable. One of Dr. Northrup’s goals is to have certification completed within 60 days, with few exceptions. All medical records are scanned before they are reviewed. The scanning delay is now about 5 days. At its worst, the delays were as long as 30 days. Deferred exams are not looked at until three (3) weeks have passed since the Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) has transmitted them. This is because experience has shown that it takes that long for all the needed records to be available for review.

Dr. Northrup is working to increase transparency. She wants AMEs to have available to them the same certification requirements the FAA physicians use in certification decisions. These are gradually being published in the Guide for Aviation Examiners and in other forms. This guide is open to the public. She recommends applicants read it, if they have medical issues which will need to be addressed and recommends printing the pertinent sections and giving them to the treating physician. In addition, she has been producing “Pilot Minutes.” These are 60 to 90-second YouTube videos on various medical issues she feels may be of interest.

“AME Minute” is a series of YouTube videos produced for AMEs. They could be helpful in some situations and again are available to the public. Increased transparency will be of benefit to all stakeholders: pilots, AMEs, treating physicians and the FAA medical staff. It should decrease the need for requests from the FAA for additional information and speed up the certification process.

Neurocognitive testing is sometimes needed for certification of airmen after conditions, such as traumatic brain injuries, strokes, and substance abuse. The FAA wants to be sure that an airman’s cognition has returned to baseline. The test currently used is called “CogScreen.” It is proprietary, expensive, and hard to obtain. In addition, the baseline data is imperfect. This results in some airmen being denied when, they should not be. The FAA is aware of this deficiency and is planning to develop its own, non-proprietary test. A psychologist has been added to the FAA staff to develop a new test. You will probably hear more about this, because the FAA will be looking for pilot volunteers for the test, to develop a better baseline. The volunteers would remain anonymous.

The FAA is planning to change how “color vision testing” is done. Currently, AMEs test for color vision on each exam. The changes would apply to first-time applicants. Color vision would only be tested on the first flight physical. If you passed, you would never be tested again unless you developed certain diseases or were taking medications known to affect color vision. All persons who currently have no color vision restriction on their medical would be grandfathered in (i.e., considered to have passed the one-time test). This includes airmen who have SODAs (Statements of Demonstrated Ability) or LOEs (Letters of Evidence) for color vision. The testing would be done by computer rather than by the books currently used. These changes are supposed to take place “soon.” Dr. Northrup has assured me several times that no one currently certified for color vision will lose their certification. The devil is in the details. If and when this actually happens, I plan to write an article on color vision.

These are some of the aeromedical topics discussed at AirVenture. They are steps in the right direction. Progress is slow with the FAA. Happy flying!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Columnist William A. Blank is a physician in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and has been an Aviation Medical Examiner (AME) since 1978, and a Senior AME since 1985. Dr. Blank is a retired Ophthalmologist, but still gives some of the ophthalmology lectures at AME renewal seminars. Flying-wise, Dr. Blank holds an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate and has 6000 hours. He is a Certified Instrument Flight Instructor (CFII) and has given over 1200 hours of aerobatic instruction. In addition, Dr. Blank was an airshow performer through the 2014 season and has held a Statement of Aerobatic Competency (SAC) since 1987. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Aviation Hall of Fame in 2021.

DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this column is the expressed opinion of the author only, and readers are advised to seek the advice of others and refer to the Federal Aviation Regulations and FAA Aeronautical Information Manual for additional information and clarification.