So, here's the question...do I go ahead and go in for the Class III
medical exam, which will result in a referral to the FAA and risk a
denial? Or shall I just shoot for flying within the Sport Pilot rules
and regs and use my drivers license as my medical. My understanding is
that this would be legal, becuase As long as I don't currently have a
condition that would preclude me from flying, the dirvers license is
all I need. I'm not worried about the restrictions of the sport pilot
(2 passnegers, restricted aircraft, day flying only, etc.), but If I
could get my class III that would be nice, so that I woudn;t have to
even think about the restrictions.

Any thoughts, opinions, experiences or comments would be welcome!

Thanks

ndrkk

This is exactly what I did and it's easy/legal. In Aug. 2000 I came down
with an inner ear problem that was misdiagnosed as a mild form of
something called Meniere's disease (the astronaut Alan Shepard had
this). It has finally turned out that I don't have that, since my
symptomology was all wrong. No one is really sure what the problem was,
but a couple of the specialists I went to think that instead I had
either an infection of some kind or a toxic episode. I'm largely
recovered now with only very slight symptoms remaining.

In any case, the paper trail from all this is 2NM thick, 100NM wide and
1000NM long with all kinds of tests and doctors and everything running
around in it all......

However, I had simply let my medical expire at the time and never went
back to renew it (since I'd grounded myself anyway for about the first
year).

So I'm now legally flying under the Sport Pilot rule with my DL. My
aircraft is an experimental that fits well within the SP LSA limitations
so there isn't any need for the class III.

In my case, all it took was a BFR from a local CFI and I'm good to go
(well I do need a tailwheel endorsement, since my airplane is a Kolb
Firestar II, which is a taildragger. So that's next).

We have a couple locals who are in similar situations and are planning
to the same thing.....

LS
N646F