FAA Weighs Cutting the Paperwork Between an AME Visit and a Signed Medical

The FAA has proposed letting aviation medical examiners issue certificates directly to pilots whose diabetes is managed without insulin, rather than routing those cases through the agency's special issuance review. Today, diabetic pilots — insulin-dependent or not — typically wait on that additional layer before a certificate is cleared. Under the proposal, non-insulin cases would be handled at the AME's desk, the same visit as any other medical. Insulin-treated diabetes would still go through special issuance. The FAA has not set a timeline for finalizing the rule.

With reporting from AVweb.