Tag: pilots

FREDERICK, Md. - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has drafted new guidelines for diagnosing sleep apnea among pilots, according to news reports. Under the new guidelines, announced April 1, pilots will not be disqualified from flying based on body mass index alone. The change came about after opposition from pilots, lawmakers and physicians forced the FAA to put on hold its plans to start testing pilots for sleep apnea in January. The House of Representatives passed a bill in February that...

WASHINGTON - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials say they will start screening obese pilots and air traffic controllers for obstructive sleep apnea, ABC News reports. Pilots and air traffic controllers with body mass indices (BMIs) of at least 40 or neck measurements of at least 17 inches will be screened. Eventually, pilots and air traffic controllers with BMIs of 30 or greater will be screened, according to the story. After investigating an incident in which an airplane overshot an...