Say again slowly - given that the actual, written legal requirements aren't quite good enough for you, how far do you think it's right for people to make up their own rules? If it's acceptable for people to gold-plate the legal and CAA requirements to their own standards, where do you draw the line.
As an example, let's look at an analogy.
I had a minor medical problem myself a while back. I'm wondering what my reaction would have been if I'd gone back to my AME and he informed me of the happy news that I now met the CAA medical standards in full, but he wasn't going to sign the medical because he and the partners in his practice liked to apply their own, higher standards and he didn't think I was quite up to them? They want me to go down the gym every week and knock off the alcohol for a month, then they'll reconsider. Just in the name of safety, of course. He once signed off someone who met the CAA standards, but they had were taken unwell at the controls a few weeks later, so they now take it upon themselves to be a bit more stringent. There are no, actual, written guidelines as such, it's just up to him. Funnily enough, he can often tell when someone first comes in the room and he sees from their appearance how they look after themselves that the alarm bells first start ringing. Oh, and by the way, don't bother asking another doctor for a second opinion as they've called around all the local AMEs and warned them about my case.
Do you think it would be right for the AME to gold-plate the legal requirements to increase the safety of my passengers like this, or should he just follow the CAA rules? If he's allowed to make up his own rules, how far should he be allowed to go? If he shouldn't make up his own rules, why should you?
Last edited by Wrong Stuff; 24th June 2008 at 18:15.