You never know what will happen to a pilot in flight with his medical conditions. I am working with a private party who specializes in this sort of thing and he cant really give me definitive answers either; just educated opinion and guidance. A separate authorization request is required for each record released to any third party (physician, insurance company, employer, etc.) It was OK to fly without government harassment. My driving record is perfect, but I have been wondering if the FAA will reject my certificate because of an assault charge that happened five years ago back when I was in highschool. I love flying and if I had to give it up, I know I would feel like part of me, and who I am, has been lost. I dont know if all pilots lie during medicals, but I do know of one who did. You would be surprised how many complaints FSDOs receive for folks reporting their family members. Makes no logical sense. That cost me about six months of flying. Heres more information on the FAAs battery of neuropsychological testing: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/ame/guide/dec_cons/disease_prot/adhd/. I was just having so much fun and I didnt realize just how difficult it was going to be. FAA gets told one version of the story. Requesting Medical Records. If the FAA finds out that you failed to disclose something that you should have disclosed, not only does it mean that you can lose your license, but you may also face a hefty fine or even criminal prosecution. Note, denial is different from deferral. If I dont tell him would the FAA find out if I never had another attack? I have to do the same stuff to go ice diving. If this is a recurrent problem, getting a class 3 medical can be difficult. R: Sleep Apnea. One of the greatest fears among aspiring and qualified pilots is not being issued or losing their medical certificate. Regardless of whether or not you would get caught, a better question to ask is why would you try to get away with it? It is a good thing that there are no sport airplanes to rent in your location. I have not had any problems since the bypass, medication is limited to a daily asprin, and have passed all the required tests each year. Every child at some point decides to spin around and around until they are dizzy and fall down. Taint worth messing up folks. They are actually almost the same as for Third Class. Ultimately, a FAA medical denial for ADHD is almost never the end of the road for an airman. Such a persons private physician(s) might not think so, but those physician(s) have no say in the matter. He issued my medical with a waiver. The FAA will then require more detailed medical information before they can determine if you qualify for a medical certificate. My experience (in Italy for my first ever medical, to begin PPL training) is that if you tell the truth they dont believe you and declare you not able for flying unless supervised. Deaply sorry it was a dumb statement. In reality, all pilots (no matter what their license) self-certify their fitness to fly every time they fly. However, if you do get caught, at best you will lose your license. NO. My ex lied and never mentioned it. Free health screenings, nope, wont do those, might turn up something (whether correctly or incorrectly) that could end up costing me a fortune to deal with. Many of the changes result in the easing or clarifying the rules for AMEs to follow. Bicycle accident deaths 700 The Third Class is an absolute joke. The AME might be required to defer your Medical Certificate, but you will be 3-4 months ahead by having the AME submit your medical information along with the 8500-8 rather than waiting for the FAA to ask for the information. The most recent was a year and a half ago. Most of us fly for recreation and a burning fire within to fly, and the Sport program can be just the ticket. I got my license back about 10 years ago. If you have a medical issue, may god be with you as you try to figure out exactly what you have to do (e.g. Anonomous, You want to be an ATP, you have two pilots. Before every flight (sometimes several per day) I self qualify myself THAT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY AS PIC!!! Usually, that period of time is 60 days. I dont care who you are if you tell me that you have never been diagnosed with anything then you are the liar. FAA Current Detailed Clinical Progress Notes. With a small investment of time and energy, in the beginning, it is possible to keep flying with most medical conditions as long as they are well controlled. Some of the disqualifying conditions are definitely going to keep someone from getting a medical certificate, but these are illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. :). Ruin a life a move on. It is so easy for those not flying professionally to prescribe stricter rules for those that do. Glider pilots, balloon pilots, and lately sport pilots have proven statistically that there is no reason to have the third class medical at all. should also be aware that the FAA now routinely cross-references your VA disability rating when determining your eligibility for a medical certificate. Thus, agencies such as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Federal Bureau of Identification (FBI), for example, will most likely still be able to see your expunged records. See my other comment about getting a SODA. If the FAA ever decides to search to see if he is taking any prescription medications (which they dont do often, but they have the ability to do), they will most likely pull his medical permanently for falsification. The FAAs denial letter may look daunting, but time and time again, airmen with a history of ADHD are being issued medical certification following the appropriate presentation of the airmens fitness for flight. There are are more decisions that have to be made while driving than flying. He showed no regard for the safety of others, nor did he feel guilty about lying, just relieved he passed. The FAA gives final denial to only 0.01% of applications. Just curious, as I am considering it and wondering about others experiences. Perhaps most problematic is that these medications are disqualifying in and of themselves. Its possible that a pilot could fill out a MedXpress form to the best of their knowledge and still leave something off that could be revealed in an investigation. @Brian B. Ive no choice but be truthfull,but I am sure Ive flown with other pilots who are afraid of admitting or just dont admit that they are not fit to fly themselves or their passengers safely.Does that ache youve been noticing or even worse ignoring mean something? My wife bought me some flight lessons for my birthday. Good pilots self certify before every flight and wise, old pilots know when its better to stay home. I agreemost pilots at least fail to mention things. Again, Im not arguing against the need for medical certification, but the process needs some serious streamlining. First class medical exams can cost up to $200. Id had apnea for several years, napped daily once or twice. So, instead of less regulation, we need more and along with that comes enforcement. your PIC in the Cockpit might have the most serious medical condition, but will never no it thats why the federal government made the HIPPA law. Speaking as a pilot, I think that there should be a way to maintain certification for those of us flying recreationally without having to see an AME every 2 years. Hmmm Wiley Post was one of the great Aviators flue around the world was he Illeagle??? The only way around this is to pay for all of your medical care yourself and not use insurance. Find another AME. One will get a license. Sorry for apparently differing from the crowd on this, but I think people are nuts if they are lying. In other words, your health is in your hands. 2. Willy post had only one eye should he have been grounded.??? Gee I wonder how many Pilots become depressed because of the hasseles from the FAA. (No misprint.) I dont feel it would be correct to try to hide a condition from these people. But, to the uninformed, it has an appearance of diligence. While not endorsing that, it is understandable at the emotional level. The 1320 pound (600 Kg) limit is based on the European standard, I think. Funny thing is the murmur is gone but Ill never have my life back If you lie on your medical form Best of luck. A trip to the pulmonologist to see if you have sleep apnea and subsequent CPAP will make you lose the ticket for a long time until you have jumped through very lengthy and expensive FAA hoops. Please type or print legibly and remember to sign and date the request. I am 55. The cost of the medical exam will vary by location and examiner as well as the type of exam given. How long is a 2nd class medical good for over 40? It explains a lot of stuff that seems ridiculous, like have you ever been unconscious. Its mode of travel, the air, makes it a lot more divertable than stuck to a road, and should make it safer, Especially as opposed to the majority of motor home drivers, that are in their later stages of life, howling down the freeway at 70 miles per hour in bumper to bumper traffic. Also my flight instructor was telling me that he knew an applicant who lied about his criminal history for shoplifting and two to three months later the FAA found out and pulled his medical currently and he did not hear back for any clearance to fly again so these are great examples why not lie. You can mail or fax your request for aircraft records or Request Copies of Aircraft Records online. That isnt good leadership. In my case I have never lied, but if Im at risk of loosing my license for a medical condition that is under control I might do that also. A. A highly experienced AME, also a 747/DC-10 Captain for a major airline, once told me that crewmembers lose consciousness in the seat about half a dozen times every year. whether, in their life, have they been diagnosed with, had, or presently have a history of ADHD. What Dickie did was tell on someone for lying. However, if you do get caught, at best you will lose your license. So, easing up on the medical requirements would be based on real world situations. Global misunderstands that Procedure codes, diagnosis codes and pharmacy codes were denied protections under to ACA of 2010. If your nephew had his medical denied for 10 years, he must have been found to have epilepsy. There are two schools of thought on this issue: 'If you wanna fly, you gotta lie' versus 'honesty is always the best policy.' If you have vision with only one eye, you can get a Statement of Demonstrated Ability (SODA) by taking a Medical Flight Test. It's safer to allow people to self-disclose and get help, rather than non-disclosure and possibly flying impaired. Is the medical for safety or for what other purpose? Some pilots are terrified of the FAA's power to revoke their flying privileges and, accordingly, bend or ignore the rules. They leave that up to you, but just make sure you read their minds so that your interpretation matches theirs that they dont tell you. From open heart surgery and stroke to PTSD and diabetes, it is possible to qualify for an FAA medical certificate with more conditions than most pilots suspect. What the FAA is looking for are patterns of behavior that suggest pathological conditions that may lead to gross negligence or unsafe decisions regarding flying. PLEASE HELP BINGO! You are there to take away joy and livelihood. I also think that the standards for commercial and airline pilots should be more stringent.. An exam for a third class medical certificate with a student pilot certificate can cost between $75 and $150. Should I expect the FAA to understand my circumstance if theyre going to pull a pilots ticket for marital counseling? Everyone should say they have been dizzy. Find a Senior AME in your area, call and ask to speak to the AME about your problem. With $ 20.00 USD anything is possible down there and then just let the FAA go through hoops to find my one in a million medicals just to disqualify and pull my medicalwhich is fake after allwill give them and me something to do till I can think of some other ways to pass the time with the all mighty FAA. I can get it back, but I have to go through a fairly extensive bureaucratic morass to recover it, then jump through extra hoops over the years to keep it. You just never know, and even a thorough and honest medical will never catch anything. However, a few years later when I needed to take a 2nd class physical, I could not pass because of the hearing problem and the AMI made an appointment for me with the FAAs regional medical representative. I lost my 2012 medical cert in Istanbul, and make the mistake of sending the FAA form requesting a duplicate. Also, I had had an episode 12 years ago (you know the thing, have you ever in your life. that I listed on that attachment and it hasnt been an issue since. Because of the Medical, no physician is my friend and neither are their nurses because they can enter accurate or inaccurate information into your record either one of which will condemn you. You get caught lying on a medical, they'll do a lot more than just bust your balls. And, apparently, if and applicant for a first medical certificate with student certificate has had epilepsy, he/she can be deferred even if seizure-free for more than 10 years. My AME is like a brother to me and a damn good doc to boot Lamentably, if I have something which could be a liability to me on my next medical, I can not ask my AME/best friend about my problem, and discuss it with him. At worse, you may face a hefty fine or even criminal prosecution. The simple fact is that the FAA generally trusts pilots. Please type or print legibly and remember to sign and date the request. Pilots aged 50 and older also have an intermediate visual standard measured at 32 of 20/40 or better in each eye separately. For those who fly for a living, YOU are the natural enemy doctor. Type 2 diabetes, with oral medication, receiving a special issuance every year, until this last one, when the FAA generously determined my AME could recertify me, annually, for five years. Yeah thought so. Should that person be allowed to self-certified medically and carry as many as 5 passengers? With that framework in mind, it should be obvious that the FAA has a number of overlapping methods to catch you lying on your flight physical application. . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); All information found on medmg.org is intended for informational and educational purposes only. He petitioned the FAA to remove his special issuance for that disorder and supplied a letter from his treating physician, and the special issuance requirement went away. Information on the certificate will be populated from data that has been entered into the electronic form. Coronary heart disease that has been treated or, if untreated, that has been symptomatic or clinically significant, Disturbance of consciousness without satisfactory explanation of the cause, A personality disorder that is severe enough to have repeatedly manifested itself by overt acts, Transient loss of control of nervous system function(s) without a satisfactory explanation of the cause. Given how stress, marriage pressures, work distractions, fatigue and the hopelessly useless pee in cops cut, phony eye exam work, the self certification (which good pilots do anyway) and lack of medical accident experience with LSA, the fat, useless, overpaid FAA administrators should just go away in favor of drivers license. My AME is my regular Doctor. Also, if you are too young for that, they can check other insurance companies and, apparently, a company, McKesson I believe, that gathers and compiles statistical data from and for insurance companies. Probably, we certainly arent as full of ourselves as I was when I was a young man. Some justify white lies by rationalizing they would just be wasting everyones time and effort by disclosing minor issues. It is none of their business. Id probably be in better shape if I *wasnt* a pilot since Id feel free to take advantage of those things, whereas now theyre just traps, ways to lose the ability to fly. Such disorders might be genetic. The AME certified you as ok to fly, now the feds second guess him. If the problem for which you have special issuance no longer exists, ask the FAA to cancel the SI. This is nothing but government bureaucracy. But, I dont think my level of forthcoming on the application was typical. :-) However, since I do really like flying, it does make one avoid looking too hard for problems. Look at that, all 4 of them had a diagnosis from the VA. More than anything, this should be pressing the FAA to adjust how they look at mental illness and flying. If I tell the AME about this will I not get my cert that day? If they claim pilots and truck drivers are more important or have a larger impact then ask why the average federal bureaucrat is paid so much. The med examination wasnt any different from the third class but the vision requirements are different. Google "Operation Safe Pilot." In a blatant violation of the privacy act of 1974 as amended, the FAA, DOT Inspector General, and SSA Inspector General, conducted an illegal database match looking for common personally identifying information (names and/or social security numbers) in the FAA medical certificate database and the SSA Title 2 and Title 16 disability databases of 45,000 Northern . People who are actually depressed long term are not really at risk of doing things like this if they were, they wouldnt be here to start with. Regardless of whether they lie or not, the system seems to be working there seem to be very few (if any) crashes or incidents related to pilot incapacitation that they FAA/NTSB can point to a problem that should have come in a medical. Back when I was an F/O we flew in airplanes with single head radios. Doesnt this seem grossly out of proportion? Oh yeah did I mention that I live in an isolated community and that the next mediocre doc is a good four hour drive away? We are equally desiring of our freedom, but because we are a small group, the bureaucracy can get away with it. The hypocrisy at the FAA hurts general aviation in lots of ways. From the archives: how valuable are check rides? First, if youve not taken a disqualifying medication for greater than 90 days, you can potentially argue to the FAA that your underlying diagnosis was not accurate to begin with. Try walking in my shoes and you will not agree with that statement. AOPA and FAA have not really been a lot of help. 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