medical question

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

BTW Ron, I always thought your hair was RED with a strip around your skull. At least from the side.

red hair.jpg

[GAHorn]

BTW Ron, I always thought your hair was RED with a strip around your skull. At least from the side.

red hair.jpg

Connie makes him wear that RED hat to stay in keeping with her opinion that he is FAST ! ...really, really, FAST !

[johneeb]

BTW Ron, I always thought your hair was RED with a strip around your skull. At least from the side.

red hair.jpg

Connie makes him wear that RED hat to stay in keeping with her opinion that he is FAST ! ...really, really, FAST !

Ron get a green hat Connie will be alot happier!

[n3833v]

I just read that AOPA has submitted suggestions for FAA streamlining and one was that a private pilot would be able to use his driver license as the sport pilots do. I hope that comes true before I need to make these decisions.

John

[voorheesh]

I am going to be crucified for this opinion but here goes anyway: If you ask EAA, anyone who holds a valid drivers license meets the medical eligibility to fly under the sport pilot rule. If you ask CAMI (Civil Aviation Medical Institute) a "disqualifying condition" as pointed out by George prevents you from flying because it constitutes a condition that may affect your ability to safely operate an aircraft.
This issue reminds me of an old friend, Roger Sharron, a senior captain for Pan American World Airways based in San Francisco who, after retirement, continued to fly DeHaviland Chipmunks and his Cessna 170 well into his 80s. The last time I had lunch with Roger was at the Merced Fly In about 8 or 10 years ago and we discussed this subject. We can not fly forever. We agreed there is no way we would endanger another innocent person by insisting on flying if there was any question about our medical competency. Roger made the great point that he wanted to be the one to make that decision just the same way he made good decisions during a 40 plus year career as a professional pilot.
I have no problem with a pilot seeking a special issuance or working to fly if their condition allows it to be accomplished safely. Speaking for myself, if a day comes where a doctor tells me it would be safer for me to stay on the ground, I will give up flying without any question and spend whatever time I have left with fond memories of 40 plus years in the air.

[blueldr]

If you have a "Disqualifing condition" that should preclude your flying for the safety of others, should it not also preclude your driving an automobile in dense, fast traffic or on a residential street with children?

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

BL has a good point. It is not just flying.

To be perfectly honest I think the guidelines for what is disqualifying for a medical are pretty close for those pilots who operate by themselves in a single pilot cockpit for hire specially with passengers. That would be me flying a medevac helicopter but probably not an airline pilot or any other dual pilot cockpit.

The problem is our system is to absolute and of course cumbersome, expensive and time consuming to navigate. There is no reason for example that a person such as myself should be grounded waiting for a special to be reissued. Every year so far I'm tested to the hilt and my cardiologist announces there has been no change to my medical condition. Shouldn't an AME be able to concur there has been no change and issue a medical pending yet further review by OK City.

But that is not how it works. And then of course it is all or nothing. If I don't meet the requirements of a First Class, I'm not offered a Second or a Third Class if I might meet those requirements. I actually have to wait till I'm denied, then appeal that decision or formally request consideration for a lessor medical class in which case the review starts all over as I hadn't applied for anything at all. And now that the lowest class of medical is the Sport Pilot option or a drivers license the FAA shouldn't be able to deny that option. If denied a Third Class or higher you shouldn't be denied the option of flying under the Sport Pilot as long as you can get a drivers license which is the criteria.

Some reasonableness was brought to many who don't fly for hire with the Sport Pilot option. Is it reasonable to be able to fly a plane if you can drive a car putting many more people in danger. I thing so. Seems reasonable on the surface but as we look at it we realize that there aren't many medical reasons you can't legally drive a car. It is not a perfect system.

[SteveF]

Per Bruce:

Some reasonableness was brought to many who don't fly for hire with the Sport Pilot option. Is it reasonable to be able to fly a plane if you can drive a car putting many more people in danger. I thing so. Seems reasonable on the surface but as we look at it we realize that there aren't many medical reasons you can't legally drive a car. It is not a perfect system.

For me it is not having to prove I am in reasonable health each time I go for an FAA physical. No jumping through hoops to show that your health has not changed or a test you took was normal. I think George's AME has the right idea with the no change note but I think he is in the minority.

The worry is removed that some AME is going be over zealous and put me in a position where I have to get a special issued after a lengthy and costly process or give up flying. Making the move to Sport Pilot removes these issues and allows your own physician to help you decide how good or bad a particular ailment is after they read the results of tests they have prescribed for you.

You as an adult can decide if you are endangering anyone by continuing to fly. You can decide if it is time to stop flying long before you need to make the same decision about driving but it is your decision not one made by someone else for you.

[blueldr]

I stopped applying for a medical from the FAA simply because they always seemed to imply that I had some sort of a death
wish and was determined to take as many others with me as I could.
If I was physically able to continue working on and maintaining my own airplane I would have absolutely no qualms about flying without a medical.
My ongoing loss of physical mobility has made me reconsider even getting involved with the LSA program, since it has become a real chore just to walk out to my car in the driveway. It is pretty hard to even fly out to that $100 hamburger without having to walk some distance after the airplane is parked.
I wish I had known how tough it was going to be to get old. I might have taken better care of myself along the way.

[Metal Master]

Guys, since my pancreatic surgery--I am now diabetic taking insulin (both kinds). Not much because the pancreas is still working. I had to let my medical expire since I did not have clearance from the oncologist, but I have that now. Reading the FAA stuff, It seems like I need all kinds of crap which will take 6-9 months to get. Has anyone gone thru this willing to let me know what they did. I don't want to go in and get flagged then not be able to go sport pilot if necessary. Thanks in acvance! Ron

I have had a special issuance Medical for Insulin Dependant Diabetes since 1996. When I initially applied for it the FAA had just started allowing the issuance for those Diabetics who had to take Insulin.

In fact they changed some of the requirements the week my ME sent in the application. My medical was initially denied because I had to go get a Graduated EKG stress test which was not on the initial list of requirements.
One of the things that I think may be an issue for you is that I had to have two years of documented four Quarterly reports of my A1c ((Glycosylated hemoglobin) Hemoglobin to which glucose is bound. Glycosylated hemoglobin is tested to monitor the long-term control of diabetes mellitus). You having just become Diabetic this may be impossible for you to provide if the FAA require you to provide such. There should be a local FAA medical representative in your local region. Barb our local FAA medical rep in the Seattle office of the Northwest Region of the FAA has been very helpful for me in dealing with the yearly issuance of my Medical.
As I have been an insulin dependant Diabetic for 37 years, have had no hospitalization with my diabetes. Have never passed out from High or low blood sugar I find no reason I should not fly, as well the FAA never found that I needed to have a medical and was able to fly with a self certification as a glider Pilot since 1988. One of my close flying buddies was an FAA operations inspector and found no issue with it. Controlling Diabetes is very much like flying an airplane except that you never get off duty.