FAA Change to Heart-Test Limit Triggers Worries Over Pilot Health, Public Safety
Concerns and controversy are swirling around the decision by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to alter an electrocardiogram test limit for pilots.
A researcher for an aviation advocacy group, US Freedom Flyers (USFF), stumbled upon the EKG change in December, several weeks after the FAA enacted it.
Because the revision was made without a published explanation, USFF turned to a nationally known cardiologist and other experts to assess its importance.
They say the FAA’s change involving “the PR interval” is significant. The PR interval represents the time it takes for an electrical impulse to travel from one part of the heart to another. It is an indicator of heart health….