Eric Friedman - Exemption/Rulemaking

Dr. Steven Edelman, representing the non-profit organization Taking Control of Your Diabetes (TCOYD), supports Captain Eric Friedman's petition for exemption. He argues that establishing clear, stable standards for insulin-treated pilots will increase aviation safety, improve government efficiency, and prevent pilots from being sidelined by administrative delays.

The commenter supports the petition to establish clear, public standards for medical certificate renewals. They argue that current private letters and vague guidance from AAM lead to inconsistent treatment and fear of retaliation, and that formal rules would ensure transparency and fairness.

The commenter, an individual pilot, urges the FAA to grant the exemption because the current process for obtaining a medical certificate for individuals with insulin-controlled diabetes is overly burdensome and unpredictable. They argue that the current "special issuance" process creates significant stress and potential job loss due to long wait times and uncommunicated standards, and that diabetic pilots should be able to obtain certificates as routinely as non-diabetic pilots.

An individual pilot who is a diabetic supports the petition for exemption from current FAA medical certification requirements. They argue that modern medicine makes the disease easily manageable and that the current application process is overly cumbersome and ambiguous.