Well, I’ll be dibby-dadgum!
I never thought I’d see the day, but it has happened. Third-class medical reform has been enacted. Let all the world shout hallelujah!
But, hey, wait a minute — it says the enacted law still can’t be used until the guvmint gets every I dotted and T crossed! Lawd, that may never happen. How do we know that won’t take another decade or more?
But, wait a minute again. The enacted law also says that if all of the proper dottings and crossings are not completed within a year, then pilots can pretend that they have been completed!
That means that within a year, someone who wants to fly without a third-class medical can — if he/she follows all of the rules already listed.
Now hear this: If I’m wrong about any of this, please let me know. It won’t be the first time my interpretation of what the guvmint said was wrong.
One thing is flat-out true. We need to be very appreciative of those who worked so hard to get this done. AOPA and EAA pop up first in my mind. There are many others, and we should personally send them thank-you notes.
This news made me think of Charlie Herfurth — an old-pro pilot who lost his medical decades ago. When I was selling airplanes for a living, Charlie was a great pilot for test flying an airplane that had problems like vibration, trim, rigging, or various other problems. Riding along while he flew was a joy to behold, but he would have loved to fly solo again, and never could.
There must be a blue jillion “Charlies” out there. I hope they all get to fly again (within a year) because of this law.
