Anyone awake at EAA?

[MV031161]

anyone seen this....http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=81444

[FlyingRon]

This isn't bad news. The FAA after a few bad accidents in aviation (and more in other transportation modes) has been focusing on OSA for a while now. Earlier they proposed BMI and then neck circumference ALONE as indexes. It looks like someone whacked them with reality and made them make it based on the research which includes taking in height with regard to the neck size (a 5' 2" guy with a 17" neck is more prone to OSA than a person that's 6'4"). While the link (and the link in the link) doesn't give details, this doesn't look like a bad thing compared to what they were originally proposing.


The thing that royally sucks is the criteria for approving pilots (especially class III) who have sleep apnea and are actually attempting to control it. The requirement for a recording CPAP, etc... is just unfounded and typical FAA CAMI recto-cranail thinking. It discourages pilots from signing up to do the right thing because of the unconsionable level of effort and intrusion into one's personal life involved.

The article does refer to my favorite incident where both pilots fell asleep on a GO! airlines flight which I subsequently referred to as "Wake Up!" airlines. Of course, they haven't figured out how to fix pilots failing to pay attention to the flight because they're too busy trying how to bid their next months route after an airline merger.

[cub builder]

Anyone awake at EAA?

Sorry. They dozed off. Must be sleep apnea... :)

The witchhunt for the FAA to look useful continues with additional persecution of pilots. As stated by FlyingRon, somebody slapped them with a dose of reality, but once again, a diagnosis with the FAA is likely to be costly and make life miserable enough to throw in the towel with aviation.

-Cub Builder

[martymayes]

In the ~15 months since I first heard the FAA suggesting they might take action to screen for OSA, I lost 40#, ~2" from my neck circumference, and have have eliminated some other nagging health issues. Not bad for someone approaching age 60. Managed to resolve a lot of potential medical problems without relying on someone to do it for me.
I guess if I were to write a letter, it would be to the FAA, thanking them for getting me off my butt and learning something about nutrition.

[Tom Charpentier]

We are still digesting this ourselves as the policy was released only a few hours ago (though we have been tracking this since the original announcement). On its face this updated guidance is vastly improved from the original policy proposed by the FAA in November 2013. That policy would have automatically triggered a sleep study if your BMI was over 40 and you had a large neck size. This obviously would result in a lot of costly and unnecessary testing. The new policy will not require a sleep study unless you report symptoms specifically associated with sleep apnea to your AME. Regardless of your size or weight, if you do not have symptoms, you will not be required to take the test and you will be issued a medical certificate. Also under the policy, if you do require additional screening, you will still receive your medical at the time of the exam, and you will have at least 3 months to take the test. This is a change from the initial release of the policy which would have required an immediate deferral.

Note that if you have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, this does not change anything. Sleep apnea has been a “disqualifying condition” for decades, but it is one of the easiest conditions to get a special issuance for if you are being treated. This policy is strictly related to screening undiagnosed cases. The first iteration was extremely overreaching. Thanks to the intervention of many industry groups, which included in no small part EAA, the latest version is much more limited.

I'll add as a caveat that this is only an announcement of a policy intended to go into effect in a little over a month. We will be reviewing it with our Aeromedical Council over the next few days. On the surface, however, this represents a big improvement over the blanket policy that was originally proposed.

[rv builder]

We are still digesting this ourselves as the policy was released only a few hours ago (though we have been tracking this since the original announcement). The new policy will not require a sleep study unless you report symptoms specifically associated with sleep apnea to your AME.
Note that if you have already been diagnosed with sleep apnea, this does not change anything. ...

I'll add as a caveat that this is only an announcement of a policy intended to go into effect in a little over a month. We will be reviewing it with our Aeromedical Council over the next few days. On the surface, however, this represents a big improvement over the blanket policy that was originally proposed.

That is not what it says AT ALL. It says, and I quote


OSA screening will only be done by the AME at the time of the physical examination using the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) guidance provided in the AME Guide. Pilots who are at risk for OSA will be issued a regular medical certificate and referred for an evaluation

The agency is revising the screening approach to help AMEs find undiagnosed and untreated OSA.

And those guidelines from AASM (whatever that is)? Yes, they specifically include BMI.

I see what happened here, though...the first proposal was so outrageous that it got knocked down, so now anything *less* than that is "a big improvement" and hence must be okay.

Shades of the hangar policy when it comes to EAA's "advocacy"...

[rv builder]

That policy would have automatically triggered a sleep study if your BMI was over 40 and you had a large neck size.

Might I add that they expressly address BMI with these weasel words:


BMI alone will not disqualify a pilot or require an OSA evaluation. The risk for OSA will be determined by an integrated assessment of history, symptoms, and physical/clinical findings.

[Tom Charpentier]

http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/clinicalguidelines/OSA_Adults.pdf (http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/clinicalguidelines/OSA_Adults.pdf)

See the flowchart on page 3 - you must go through two layers of verbal evaluations by your primary care provider/AME before a sleep study is warranted. So I stand by what I said - you will not be required to take a sleep study unless you report symptoms specifically associated with sleep disorders AND OSA to your AME or PCP. If you have no symptoms, you will not need a sleep study.

[strangebird]

http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/clinicalguidelines/OSA_Adults.pdf (http://www.aasmnet.org/Resources/clinicalguidelines/OSA_Adults.pdf)

See the flowchart on page 3 - you must go through two layers of verbal evaluations by your primary care provider/AME before a sleep study is warranted. So I stand by what I said - you will not be required to take a sleep study unless you report symptoms specifically associated with sleep disorders AND OSA to your AME or PCP. If you have no symptoms, you will not need a sleep study.

The link wants a password???

[Hal Bryan]

The link wants a password???

That was just a copy/paste error. It's fixed now.

[skyfixer8]

Tom,
Went to the Great Lakes Aviation Conference in Lansing Michigan last Saturday. There was a member of EAA medical panel there talking about this subject and the III class medical. What you said about the BMI, sleep apnia requirements is exactly what he told us about, with more relaxation of some standards comming out later.

Bill

[Jim Heffelfinger]

OSA: I am also a merchant marine officer - my noted OSA on my previous renewal was elevated to a whole new level of scrutiny on my most current renewal ( every 5). All deck officers are required to have the same level of medical no matter what tonnage (size) ship they operate - even very small - daytime only operations. The raft of admin ended up taking a total of 6 months to get the all the hoops jumped. This was with a reasonably current study and recording CPAP. FAA is not alone on this issue. I am guessing all DOT commercial levels are following a new guideline.