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Lawmakers Urge FAA To Ease Path to Mental Health Care
U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee and aviation subcommittee members urged FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker to take “decisive actions” that would encourage aviation professionals to seek mental healthcare. “We are concerned about the FAA’s approach to ensuring aviation professionals can obtain mental healthcare in a timely and efficient manner,” the lawmakers said in a joint letter sent last week. “It is clear to us that talented aviation professionals—our… (www.ainonline.com) More...
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I think this recent focus by the FAA on mental health is impacting my goals to being a pilot. I have been trying to get my 3rd class medical since April 2023. The most recent demand by the FAA is a psychological and psychiatric evaluation. These will cost me between $4500 and $5000 to get, and who knows what they will ask for next. I am starting to think it's not worth it anymore.
I had no idea. Is there a requirement also for those who build their own aircraft or fly experimentals? What about heavy drones?
The FAA doesn't make distinctions of why you need a class I, II or III. If you need one of those certificates for any reason, you have to go through the same protocols. I had a patient who flew heavy drones with depression and it was the same process as if they flew for a commercial airline
There is no easy answer when you consider thousands of daily flights with few issues then consider the Horizon stolen plane (by a non-pilot) and the Alaska jump seat pilot incidents. Any policy will prove both right and wrong, depending on the situation. Tough job.
(As with every social issue, the balancing act is hard. Opinions without responsibility or accountability are plenty.)
(As with every social issue, the balancing act is hard. Opinions without responsibility or accountability are plenty.)
The answer for the lemmings is laws that do more harm than good. A great example (and not many will agree UNLESS they think of the whole picture) is the DUI Laws. They take a crime that could be a terrible thing (and at times are)...and in doing so have destroyed thousands more lives such as housewives who had a glass of wine...on and on and on. They can not validate a single life being saved by DUI laws...but, they keep making them more strict, more costly, and more destructive. (note: no, I nor my family have never been arrested for DUI).
does the "whole picture" include a different planet than this one?
DUI laws have not saved a single life. Not one. They have ruined many. If we could "turn in" the cops that I have seen firsthand on the job drunk or high (one cop OD'ed three times in one month in our ED on drugs he stole from "Criminals"). MADD caused the laws. Fact is, MANY things are and always have been far more deadly than drunk drivers and the scare tactic laws behind them. Then again, you have to be able to handle some critical thinking to comprehend such realities.
I'll take that as a yes.
Easier solution is to have the Govt mandate governors on all cars and allow police to shut down any car on a public road at any time for "investigation", think of all of the lives we could save.
Then why don't we just ban all cars and trucks then because that would be even blah blah, blah blah blah.
You say DUI laws have not saved a single life. I say every single life lost due to somebody driving drunk would have been saved if that particular drunk was in jail rather than out driving. Prove me wrong. Well will you look at that, we are both right.
Cops, good or bad, overdosing or not, are a separate and unrelated issue. MADD is a separate issue. Other things causing more deaths is a separate issue. Also the housewife had a choice, unlike the person she might have plowed into had she not been caught so tough shit for her.
You are supremely self confident and full to the brim with false equivalence. What a great combination.
You say DUI laws have not saved a single life. I say every single life lost due to somebody driving drunk would have been saved if that particular drunk was in jail rather than out driving. Prove me wrong. Well will you look at that, we are both right.
Cops, good or bad, overdosing or not, are a separate and unrelated issue. MADD is a separate issue. Other things causing more deaths is a separate issue. Also the housewife had a choice, unlike the person she might have plowed into had she not been caught so tough shit for her.
You are supremely self confident and full to the brim with false equivalence. What a great combination.
If that is the case. why are there more DUI arrests than ever before? Why are there police departments that get 60%+ of their budgets on DUI? Why are bars allowed to have parking lots?
See, I work on the other end of the scene (in the medical facilities). DUI laws have done NOTHING to lower crashes. Now, even worse, people who smoke weed and drive or CBD and drive. Heck you can take your blood pressure med and fail a field sobriety test. We have had DOZENS of "in custody" people who are are in our facility who with our BAC are .002 and the police just changed it to driving while "impaired" - and, in general folks will lose their jobs, cars, freedom, savings accounts and on and on and on - and there is NO VICTIM. Fact is, the DUI laws do nothing but empower criminally corrupt police to terrorize the public.
As a note, I never, never not EVER let the local or county police in any treatment area. We do allow State, DOC, and our facilities' own armed guards into care areas. Heck, the city cops think they can do what they want where they want. The cops we see on opiods are OUTLANDISH and most of them will claim a TUE for the fact that can not pass a freaking drug test. It is funny to see the look on their faces when we tell them point blank that they are not going to be with our patient, in custody or not, they are not welcome into treatment areas.
You are FAR out of your league here. See, we play all the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men....laws or no laws....yep, the number of people has not changed that need to be put back together again.
Now...so, I saw a few Chinook flying around today with four Blackhawks...not normal for here.....
See, I work on the other end of the scene (in the medical facilities). DUI laws have done NOTHING to lower crashes. Now, even worse, people who smoke weed and drive or CBD and drive. Heck you can take your blood pressure med and fail a field sobriety test. We have had DOZENS of "in custody" people who are are in our facility who with our BAC are .002 and the police just changed it to driving while "impaired" - and, in general folks will lose their jobs, cars, freedom, savings accounts and on and on and on - and there is NO VICTIM. Fact is, the DUI laws do nothing but empower criminally corrupt police to terrorize the public.
As a note, I never, never not EVER let the local or county police in any treatment area. We do allow State, DOC, and our facilities' own armed guards into care areas. Heck, the city cops think they can do what they want where they want. The cops we see on opiods are OUTLANDISH and most of them will claim a TUE for the fact that can not pass a freaking drug test. It is funny to see the look on their faces when we tell them point blank that they are not going to be with our patient, in custody or not, they are not welcome into treatment areas.
You are FAR out of your league here. See, we play all the Kings Horses and all the Kings Men....laws or no laws....yep, the number of people has not changed that need to be put back together again.
Now...so, I saw a few Chinook flying around today with four Blackhawks...not normal for here.....
