Safety
Tilton Is Right (but he could use a good PR agent)

Unpopular as his crusade may be, Federal Air Surgeon Fred Tilton is right to shine a spotlight on sleep apnea in the pilot community. But the way he broke the news of the proposed screening program surely raised hackles: it did not adhere to rulemaking protocol and to pilots it appears invasive beyond the agency’s charter. The doc got off on the wrong foot, and his stated goal of using body mass index (BMI) as the matrix for unearthing sufferers, while in line with medical opinion that BMI is a leading indicator, has some shortcomings. BMI is one indicator, but it will not weed out everyone struggling with sleep apnea. “Struggling” is no exaggeration for someone trying to cope with severe OSA.