118 S3752 IS: Fair Qualifications for Pilots Act U.S. Senate 2024-02-07 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

II118th CONGRESS2d SessionS. 3752IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATESFebruary 7, 2024Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Budd, and Mr. Warner) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationA BILLTo prohibit requiring a pilot of an unmanned aircraft to hold a medical certificate as a condition for piloting such aircraft, and for other purposes.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Fair Qualifications for Pilots Act.

2.

Findings

Congress finds the following:(1)Unmanned aircraft pilots do not use their feet for things like rudder pedals to control their aircraft and therefore, amputees might be qualified to serve as remote pilot in command without special accommodation.(2)While flying, crewed aircraft pilots do not have ready access to quality medical care, whereas unmanned aircraft pilots and crew can directly and easily access both primary and emergency medical care.(3)The growing degree of automation in unmanned aircraft systems allows for differently abled persons to fully and completely exercise the full range of system capabilities at the same level as anyone else.

3.

Prohibition on requiring a pilot of an unmanned aircraft to hold a medical certificate

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, neither the Secretary of Transportation nor the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall require (by regulation or other action) that a pilot of an unmanned aircraft (as defined in section 44801 of title 49, United States Code) hold a first-class, second-class, or third-class medical certificate issued under part 67 of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations, as a condition for piloting such aircraft.

4.

Medical qualifications

In promulgating any rule establishing a regulatory pathway for certification or approval of unmanned aircraft systems (as defined in such section 44801) to enable commercial beyond visual line of sight operations and to the extent it is necessary to issue any new requirements pertaining to the medical qualifications of unmanned aircraft operators, the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration shall consider the recommendations of the Beyond Visual Line of Sight Aviation Rulemaking Committee relating to the development of tailored medical qualifications for unmanned aircraft pilots and other crew members.