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?(Image from the AOPA LinkedIn.)Leaders of the AOPA and the COPA are sent a letter urging Canadian Minister of Transport Chrystia Freeland to allow U.S. pilots with BasicMed privileges to fly within Canadian airspace.
The BasicMed program was developed to streamline the medical process for both pilots and the FAA. It allows pilots to fly without holding a FAA Medical Certificate as long as they meet certain requirements. Currently, pilots with BasicMed are not permitted to fly into Canada. The FAA reports that BasicMed is as statistically safe as a third-class medical and more than 90,000 pilots have qualified to fly under BasicMed privileges.
Canada is in the process of creating a new Category 4 medical standard that aligns with BasicMed principles. It could potentially help establish a bilateral agreement that would permit Canadian pilots operating under its future Category 4 medical to fly into the U.S. No such steps have been taken to allow BasicMed pilots to fly in Canada.
"BasicMed has been such a huge success here in the U.S. It's proven to be safe and we hope Transport Canada will accommodate our request. It just makes too much sense," said AOPA President and CEO Darren Pleasance. "Last year, at AOPA's request, Congress expanded the BasicMed program to include more aircraft. It would be helpful for both countries to get this done for economic and recreational benefits."
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AOPA and COPA called for Canadian acceptance of BasicMed in 2022 and in 2021. It stated that other North American countries such as Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Dominican Republic allowed BasicMed pilots and that allowing the pilots would have a positive economic impact.
"Authorizing U.S. GA pilots with BasicMed privileges to safely fly in Canada's airspace…will help reduce the burden and backlog for Transport Canada's medical evaluations process that are not only impacting GA pilots but commercial pilots as well," said the 2022 letter to former FAA Administrator Billy Nolen and Canada's former Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra.
According to the AOPA, COVID-19 prevented Transport Canada from moving forward with the previous requests, but the program does meet the intended benefits without compromising safety.
"The FAA BasicMed medical category has clearly demonstrated that aviation medical standards can be safely reformed and simplified," said COPA CEO Marcia Kim. "COPA supports similar reform to the Canadian Category 4 medical standard and encourages recognition of the U.S. BasicMed standard in Canada,"