The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has called on members to raise a petition demanding the government adopt the AOPA position on Class 2 medicals.
AOPA CEO Ben Morgan sent the call out this morning, asking members to send a letter of support for a driver's licence medical to Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester, and to muster signatures for a petition.
"AOPA Australia over the past five years has received thousands of telephone calls and emails from private pilots, all calling for broad reform of Australia’s Class 2 Private Pilot Medical Certification system," Morgan says in the call to action.
"Our membership have demonstrated that a high number of Australian private pilots are being subjected to unfair and unreasonable medical assessments by CASA AVMED which has removed fit and healthy pilots from Australia’s general aviation community and subjected thousands of pilots to unnecessary delays and expense regarding medical assessment."
AOPA believes that removing the need for a Class 2 medical examination would hold benefits for general aviation by reducing licencing costs and unneccessary layers of bureaucratic red tape.
"AOPA’s policy will help kick-start and re-invigorate private flying activity within the general aviation industry, which will result in increasing demand for the varying support services whilst creating valuable jobs and opportunities across the country.
"AOPA understands that its members care deeply about general aviation and are willing to stand up and fight for what matters to them and is now calling on our entire membership to help make our Proposed Policy on Class 2 Private Pilot Medical Certification a reality."
In the past 12 months, National Aviation Authorities in New Zealand, the UK and the USA have reviewed the need for Class 2 medicals.
The documents below were all attached to the call to action.