FAA Altered Pilots’ Cardiac Test Standard, Sparking Vaccine-Related Concerns

Controversy and questions are swirling over a recently revised federal standard used to decide whether pilots are medically cleared to fly airplanes.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made the change on Oct. 24.

But it went virtually unnoticed until Jan. 17, when an article by Steve Kirsch, founder of the Vaccine Safety Research Foundation, brought it to light. His Tweet linking to the article, at last check, had attracted 1.1 million views.

In his Substack newsletter article, Kirsch revealed that the FAA amended the range it considers acceptable in part of an electrocardiogram (EKG) test.

He provided links and screenshots documenting the FAA change, as well as a video interview with a cardiologist who explained why the changed standard for the “PR interval” on an EKG is cause for concern about a pilot’s health.

The change was made a little more than a year after an executive order required many people, including pilots, to receive COVID-19 vaccines to keep their jobs.

Considering that context, Kirsch said he sees the EKG standard change as “a tacit admission from the U.S. government that the COVID vaccine has damaged the hearts of our pilots” his Substack newsletter says.

Asked to respond to Kirsch’s post, the FAA told The Epoch Times in an email: “When making changes to medical requirements and guidance, the FAA follows standard processes based on data and science.”

The FAA did not immediately answer specific questions about how the decision was made, by whom, or why.

The FAA also did not say why the change went unannounced. Kirsch contends the FAA “quietly” widened the acceptable range for that EKG reading. “And they didn’t widen the range by a little. They widened it by a lot. It was done after the vaccine rollout … They did it hoping no one would notice. It worked for a while.”

The Epoch Times will update this story.