Guy Elden Jr wrote:
I just spoke with someone at AOPA about the status of my medical
appliation with the FAA, which unfortunately was deferred to Oklahoma
City when I went in for my 3rd class evaluation in March (2005). I can
understand why there is such a backlog right now due to staffing issues
and the fact that at least one of the staff physicians there was called
up to Iraq, but it's going on 4 months now since my exam, and still no
medical.

One thing I learned which I think is just downright hilarious is the
fact that when I do get my medical (and there is no reason I won't, the
condition I had to get deferred for is very common and benign), it will
be valid as of the date of the exam, not as of the date of issuance.
Now for me, being under 40, and only needing a 3rd class certificate,
it's not really a big deal. What about the airline captain who needs a
1st class certificate every 6 months, and gets deferred for the first
time for a similar benign condition? He's out at least 4 months because
our wonderful government can't appropriate money where it's needed, and
the sad thing is, that delay is only growing... pretty soon it'll be
possible to apply for a medical and receive a certificate in the mail
from the FAA which is invalid upon receipt!

Been there . . . done that . . . (almost).

I'm a student pilot. I took my medical examination in July 2004 and
started flight training that August. I just got my third-class medical
on June 23 and it's valid until July 31. That gave me a little over
month to collect information from 2-3 doctors, submit it all to my AME,
and hope that it's good enough for him to cerify. Now that one of my
doctors is out on vacation untuil July 26 and that the other doctor
wants to do a test which can't be scheduled earlier than August 11, I'm
out of luck. The earliest I'll get my medical back is mid-August, and
that assumes that the AME can sign me off. If it has to go back to OK,
then I'm looking at November before I can solo again (round-trip with
the FAA has averaged about three months for me).

Really messes up my flight training, which was already messed up becuase
I had to wait 11 months to get my medical. Let's just say I've got a
lot of dual practice in the pattern.

Being a student pilot means learning lots of things, and the thing I
learned from this is next year, start 4 months early!n :^)

-- Bryan