The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is poised to review feedback from aviation stakeholders regarding enhancements to the airman medical process. This follows a listening session held on Wednesday, where industry figures shared their input.
Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau emphasized the collaborative spirit needed for safety advances. "I like to talk about safety being a team sport and certainly this is part of that process to make things better," Rocheleau stated in his opening remarks. "Clearly there are things that are not working for everyone."
Rocheleau further announced that the FAA will refrain from a proposed policy to issue initial denials to pilots tendering incomplete examinations or paperwork. "There was a lot of [stakeholder] feedback, and we took it seriously and we are not going to do that," he noted.
FAA Federal Air Surgeon Dr. Susan Northrup addressed the session's attendees, outlining the challenges in medical certificate application evaluations and existing efforts to accelerate the process. In 2024, the FAA received about 450,000 applications, a significant increase from the recent annual average of 385,000. Additionally, Special Issuance medical certificates have doubled since 2019, often requiring more processing work. Frequent challenges stem from incomplete information in applicants' submissions.
The FAA is pursuing several initiatives, such as enhancing the online MedXPress portal and engaging FAA-industry working groups to modernize the medical process, including tasks by a mental health rulemaking committee.
Participants at the session communicated strong support in correcting misconceptions about the FAA's timeline improvements. Stakeholders have also developed a checklist to guide pilots in preparing for medical exams and will distribute this to their respective organizations.
Several innovative ideas were proposed to streamline the process further: the creation of a plain-language edition of the Guide for Aviation Medical Examiners, clarification of ambiguous application form questions, and strategies to encourage pilots to report medical conditions. Additionally, targeted information on common diagnoses by age, accessible via flow charts or checklists, was suggested, along with a webpage featuring QR codes to link to condition-specific information and video testimonials from pilots sharing their resolution experiences.
The session saw participation from diverse organizations, including the Air Line Pilots Association, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Allied Pilots Association, Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, Experimental Aircraft Association, Independent Pilots Association, National Association of Flight Instructors, National Business Aviation Association, National Flight Training Alliance, Southwest Airlines Pilots Association, and Vertical Aviation International.
