This is taken from a report of Tilton's speech at Oskosh. This opens up the possibilities for many aging pilots. Not knowing this, I had a pre-medical "physical" from a non-FAA doctor and made the decision after that. Knowing this would have simplified things and made the decision more positive.


"Surprisingly, after an audience member asked a question, Tilton mentioned a bit of a hole in the FAA's current
medical system. If someone is afraid of failing a medical, there is nothing that prevents the AME from first giving
the pilot a "physical" and not a medical examination. Any potential problem can be mentioned at this point and
the medical would not be failed, as the physical was not truly a medical. While there are certainly some ethical
questions here, the possibility remains that pilots who are not fit for a medical can be "pre-screened" and instead
of failing, they can simply fly under the sport pilot rules with their driver's license. "We're not recommending it, but
there's nothing wrong with it." says Tilton."