Working as a line pilot for two decades it would be very rare to not know someone who got put through the FAA medical grinder, it would also be odd outside of the helicopter or float world to work as a line pilot that long and not end up as a ATP (EAS contracts, insurance rates, Argus stuff, larger planes, etc)

Working as a mechanic however, where you and your fellow mechanics don’t NEED a medical to put food on the table, and many have never even had a medical, not hearing much about FAA medical nonsense would make sense

How about the observations of someone who flew charter AND worked on the planes too? I know both sides of the fence, and mechanics are also subject to drug testing, just like pilots. There are a lot of charter pilots who fly part time, because they value real life more than living out of a suitcase and sitting in remote FBO lounges between trips 50 weeks a year. They tend to have lucrative careers outside aviation.

I do know of three pilots who were prevented from dying by the "FAA medical grinder". All were overweight and developing high blood pressure and heart conditions. If there were no medical, they would have eventually died. All went on to bypass surgery, two had heart attacks, and yet all three were able to regain medicals after a year. I'm reasonably certain that no passengers want pilots who might have a heart attack at the controls. I also know dozens of pilots who specifically went Basic Med because they would be unable to hold a third class medical. That seems to be the object of Basic Med...lower the already low standards.

I understand your concern about the FAA medical review process, and I agree that it needs a complete overhaul. Like any government agency, the people making decisions have no performance standards.

The medical process is broken beyond fixing and should go away. The data from BasicMed is the proof that it doesn’t provide any benefit.

If the whole process goes away, does anything replace it? Are you advocating that we allow pilots at all levels to self-certify?

Truck driver, so called DOT physical. I don’t remember ever hearing of an interstate pile-up, or a single car rear-end accident because a big rig driver had a medical incapacitation.

If the whole process goes away, does anything replace it? Are you advocating that we allow pilots at all levels to self-certify?

Those who fly “for compensation or hire” should be subjected to medical evaluation in order to protect the traveling public.

Those who fly “for their own personal transportation needs” should be subjected to no more medical evaluation than anyone else who utilizes a motorized conveyance for that purpose.

Those who fly “for a hobby” should be subjected to no more medical evaluation than any other hobbyist. I believe this is called “the pursuit of happiness”.

Truck driver, so called DOT physical. I don’t remember ever hearing of an interstate pile-up, or a single car rear-end accident because a big rig driver had a medical incapacitation.

This is why semi trucks should have two crew stations with two truckers up front at all times. I suppose they will each need one of those "doot doot" cords to pull, and we will need to negotiate who is "Trucker Driving" vs "Trucker Monitoring" so we know who pulls the cord and when.

Also we need to barricade the truck entry doors in case someone tries to enter the truck and drive it into a building.

Also everyone who enters the trailer compartment of the truck need their groins fondled by 85 IQ uniforms and plastic badges.

...also probably 100 other things I'm forgetting to be annoyed by.

If the whole process goes away, does anything replace it? Are you advocating that we allow pilots at all levels to self-certify?

We do exactly what we actually do on any given day in reality and let pilots decide their own airworthiness.
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The process is broken and needs to go away.