It is also noted that in USA and some part of Europe you have 3 class of medical, Class
three for PPL class 2 for commercial, class 1 for airliner pilots with no 1%- 2% rule.

	It will be interesting to know what kind of rating is the FAA 3rd class medical?. Of course if;
with a PPL you have the money and want to fly a 4 engines or jet engine you need the proper
class medical. The new sport pilot license allow pilots who lose their license for some medical
reason to fly a two seat GA aircraft.

	But do not be too exited; in USA too there is a double standard, recently the EM and the
FAA met to address an unforeseen “double standard” in the sport pilot rule. Pilots who hold valid
U.S driver's license are allowed to exercise sport pilot privileges without an FAA medical
certificate. But an important exception, added late in the rulemaking process in response to
FAA concerns about safety, says that private pilots or higher cannot fly as sport pilots.

	 If they were not issued a medical certificate (were denied of did not complete the
process) at the time of their most recently application. - If their most recently issued FAA
medical certificate was revoked or suspended, or if their most recent authorization for a
SPECIAL issuance medical certificate was withdrawn.

	The DOUBLE STANDARD exists because an individual with an identical condition who
never applied for medical certificate or never had a medical revoked can fly as a sport pilot with
a driver's license. The meeting was positive and drew a cooperative exchange of ideas, with
several possible solutions offered and considered. Both groups pledged to share the ideas with
their respective headquarters and to continue the dialogue. (EAA Sport Pilot magazine
September 2005). This should be a good example for a dialogue between SAA and the CAA.

	EXPERIENCE - It is one of the most important safety standard in aviation business and the
CAA know very well those pilots who are dangerous and those with years experience as any
pilot suppose to be registered. This applies also for maintenance engineers, and controllers.
You do not have a Captain in Boeing 747 of 20 years old or cosmonaut in the shuttle of 20
years. It take years for a co-pilot to have his/her captain qualification. But even so they can
make a mistake, this is called human factor The car insurance companies know that very well,
if you are 80 years old you pay less premium that a 20 years old driver.
So, to say because you are older you are dangerous it is a nonsense, just check the statistics.

	MAINTENANCE - This is the one underestimated matter especially on light aircraft, and a
big part of safety standard. According to the statistic more of 90% of accidents, crashes,
incidents, pilot error, design default, etc.. are of the human factor concern.
	The CAA cannot control everything and it is not a solution to give a central bureaucracy
power control. We know what happened in Russia with a dictatorship bureaucracy, it does not
work. So here we back AGAIN to individual responsibility, honesty, and proper training. It is an
International matter not only a New Zealand one.. The other matter is to train a proper
Aeronautical maintenance engineer it take some years, not mentioning experience.
	A friend of mine in Australia at Qantas to obtain his full licenses on Boeing 747 took 7 years
and with an exam almost every fortnight. 22 people on his promotion, only 6 were successful.

	In “general” (GA) light aircraft it is also complicated, for example I have been trained for
wood and fabric aircraft airframe, so I will not touch an aluminium, fiberglass, carbon fiber
airframe, because of lack of experience although I know the basic problem. Exams give basic
knowledge but not good enough.

So when the CAA or the Ministry of transport talk about safety they need to know what they
talking about and it is impossible to make a general rule because we are dealing with the
human factor. Aviation is a very complicated matter, all we can do is to make a basic rule.