Hey folks, just read on Avweb that the FAA will soon deny medicals to people who are obese. If you have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 40 or greater and a neck 17 inches or greater in circumference you are assumed to have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) and therefore disqualified. If you exceed the BMI and neck circumference values you must go to a doctor that is a board certified sleep specialist to either prove you don't have OSA or get treated. This applies to both pilots and controllers. Eventually the criteria will be lowered to affect all those with a BMI of 30 or greater. I'm curious to see what, if any, evidence they produce that shows that the above criteria decreases the overall safety of the national airspace system. I've read many accident reports over the years but don't recall obesity or sleep apnea being listed as a cause or contributing factor. Here is a link to the Federal Air Surgeon's medical bulletin introducing the concept: http://www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviat...dia/201304.pdf