by Dr. Bill Blank, MD
Senior Aviation Medical Examiner
Published in Midwest Flyer Magazine August/September 2023 Digital Issue
On May 31, 2023, the FAA authorized three new color vision tests Aviation Medical Examiners (AME) can use to test airmen. They are all computerized. The reason for this change is a color vision cheating scandal at the Air Force Academy involving cadets who had memorized the color vision test book. The computerized tests are random and harder to cheat on. The current list of approved tests is unchanged. These are simply additional ones. The new tests are the Rabin Cone Contrast Test (RCCT) Air Force/Navy/Coast Guard Version, the Waggoner Computerized Color Vision Test, and the City Occupational Colour Assessment and Diagnosis test. Pass-fail criteria have been established. Applicants who fail will still need to obtain a color vison Letter of Evidence (LOE) to obtain an unrestricted medical certificate.
May 31 was a busy day for the FAA. Wellbutrin XL was added to the list of approved antidepressant medications. Airman taking antidepressants still need a Special Issuance, but follow-up neuropsychological evaluations will no longer be required.
The FAA upload feature became active on April 15, which permits AMEs to send an airman’s medical records electronically to the FAA Aeromedical Certification Division (AMCD) in Oklahoma City. The record is attached to form 8500-8, Application for Medical Certification, which the AME completes after your exam and submits electronically. Records can be attached at the time of the exam or later.
The last I heard, over 450 AMEs had uploaded records for more than 1300 exams. The purpose is to shorten the certification process. The FAA tracks certification time. It will take a while to determine how successful it has been. A maximum of 25 documents may be attached to each exam. The AME has a cover sheet which includes a document list that is used to classify the type of medical record or records being submitted. Documents must be 3 MB or less. Acceptable file types are PDF, DOCX, JPEG, and XPS.
I thought this might be of interest, although it is not medical. I saw in the May 25 issue of AVweb that the FAA has proposed removing the 24-month expiration date on flight instructor certificates and replace it with 24-month recent experience requirements.
There are various ways a flight instructor could meet the requirement. The instructor certificate would no longer have an expiration date. This is similar to other pilot certificates. A similar rule was proposed in 2007 and later withdrawn. Stay tuned.
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 Flight Instructor – Instrument (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, including their own AME, and refer to the Federal Aviation Regulations and FAA Aeronautical Information Manual for additional information and clarification.
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