I help lead this work because I agree with you! And we have been working hard on this for the last couple of years (and most of the research is publicly available). Historically, aircraft are certified for a generic pilot, pilots are certified for a generic aircraft, and procedures are built with these generic assumptions in mind. Tailoring aeromedical certification to the type of operation, the actual aircraft, the procedures flown, and the number of hours in the air would be great. We want as many people to be able to fly as possible. But relaxing requirements isn't necessarily straightforward because it requires data to show we aren't negatively impacting safety and fundamentally rethinking the we analyze and control for risk. Commercial aviation hasn't had a hull loss in more than a decade, but private pilots are crashing every few days.
But even if we were able to make the changes we'd like to make, we still need to ensure compliance with ICAO. For example, we could not conduct aeromedical exams during the pandemic due to lack of telemedicine. However, ICAO does not even allow telemedicine to be used.
It's not for lack of trying. There are very real barriers that take significant time, resources, and willpower to solve.
> Commercial aviation hasn't had a hull loss in more than a decade, but private pilots are crashing every few days.
Oh boy wait until you hear about automobiles. Gonna blow your mind.
The goal is not (should not be) maximum safety at all costs. It's a balance of safety, cost, and convenience.
---
Come on, man.
Of course a 400 million dollar jet at 35,000 feet with top-of-the-line avionics, redundant systems, IFR flight plans, and professional co-pilots with thousands of hours of flight time is going to be safer than Grandpa Bob in his Glastar.
The question is whether a private pilot with an Aderol prescription presents a public safety risk significant enough to revoke his license. What's the FAA's data to prove that it does? Non-existant?
But even if we were able to make the changes we'd like to make, we still need to ensure compliance with ICAO. For example, we could not conduct aeromedical exams during the pandemic due to lack of telemedicine. However, ICAO does not even allow telemedicine to be used.
It's not for lack of trying. There are very real barriers that take significant time, resources, and willpower to solve.