AOCOPM 2023 Midyear Educational Conference-259668

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker introduces Dan Barry, a friend and accomplished aviation medical professional, to discuss "basic med." Barry's impressive background includes a PhD in biomedical engineering, flights in the Air Force, and extensive work in medical device patents. The focus is on basic med—a program initiated to provide pilots an alternative to traditional medical certifications, allowing them to fly based on a regular driver's license and an exam from any state-licensed physician. Basic med has fewer restrictions compared to FAA's first, second, and third class medical certifications, though it faces criticism for potential oversight issues and concerns about medical conditions not being adequately monitored. Statistics reveal a higher average age of basic med pilots, indicating its popularity among older aviators. Since 2017, basic med was designed to ease the pilot's medical certification process, but some find it problematic due to accountability gaps and the inability to reliably track accident rates linked to medical conditions. The speaker outlines the distinction between the existing FAA medical certifications and basic med, while addressing concerns about potential legal liabilities for physicians certifying pilots under this program.

Keywords

basic med

aviation medical

Dan Barry

pilot certification

medical device patents

FAA medical certifications

driver's license

aviators

legal liabilities