Editor—The General Medical Council recently held a “stakeholders’ conference” on the revalidation of doctors, at which participants reportedly went along with the educationally improbable proposition that formative assessments (“appraisals”) can be summated to provide robust formal revalidation decisions:“five satisfactory appraisals equals revalidation.” 1

Now, reminiscent of the Vatican’s 17th century assertion of its Aristotelian dogma of a stationary earth, the GMC is running a series of roadshows to promote its belief. 2 The first meeting took place on 27 May at the Royal College of Physicians, London. In its revalidation guidance documents for doctors the GMC says that one good professional comparison is with airline pilots. 3 This comparison is helpful. Imagine two airlines, whose pilots’ revalidation arrangements are on the following bases: x Airline A—flight simulator skills tests, including rarely met but crucial challenges; a thorough medical examination x Airline B—informal personal development plans, agreed privately with a colleague, maybe of their choice; cabin crew and passenger surveys of the gentleness of their landings and the clarity of their communications; a self declaration of sobriety, health, and honesty. For the sake of argument, let us assume that one in every 15 pilots is shown by research to have at some point in their career an alcohol or other substance abuse problem. 4 5 Which airline would you travel with?