Help With Medical Problem Identified During Medical Exam

Wrong Peter,

A CFI is being paid to *instruct*, not to fly. To instruct and act as
PIC, one needs only a third-class medical. This is well established,
and in fact was on on my CFI Oral.

You are mistaken. if you don't believe me, give your FDSO a buzz.

Cheers,

Cap


"Peter Duniho" wrote in message ...
"Bill J" wrote in message
...
You DON'T need a second class to 'fly and instruct'. You can do any
instructing with a third class, or lots of instructing with no medical.

Not true. You need a 2nd class medical any time you are being paid to
exercise the privileges of your pilot certificate. If you are not acting as
PIC, you need no medical at all, but if you are, you need a 2nd class
medical (and a commercial pilot certificate, of course).

Pete

Bill J wrote in message ...
You DON'T need a second class to 'fly and instruct'. You can do any
instructing with a third class, or lots of instructing with no medical.


Yes, Bill, I know this well, since that was precisely what I was doing
I realize that what I wrote could be interpreted two ways. What I
intended it to say was 'luckily, I still had time remaining on my
third-class privileges, so that I could instruct using them. I was
just waiting for my second class prvilieges to be reinstated.

Cap


Captain Wubba wrote:



Hi. I recently went through a similar process, but for a medication
that was neither specifically approved nor disapproved for my
particular condition. I was approved, but it took 4 months. Luckily I
still had time remaining on the third-class privileges of my 'old'
medical...I was just waiting on my second class, so I could still fly
and instruct. Here is my advice, for what it is worth.

1. Contact the AOPA, as other have suggested. They were a Godsend with
me.

2. Ask your AME to refer the problem to the regional aeromedical
office first, not OK City. Regional is often much faster.

3. Get a letter from your primary care physician *specifically*
stating the following:
a. The underlying disorder is not incapacitating, nor does it increase
the liklihood of sudden incapacitation.
b. That you have been asymptomatic for the underlying disorder (if
true) for how long you have been.
c. Thet he knows of no issues regarding either the underlying disorder
or the treating medication that would make it unsafe in any way to
operate a car or aircraft.
d. That you suffer no side effects from the use of the medication, and
have not suffered any adverse reactions in how long.
e. That you have been stable on this medication for how long you have,
and that it has been effective in the treatment of your disorder.
f. That your physician has been treating you for however long he has
been.

4. If the FAA requests any reports from specialists, contact them
directly and advise them specifically of what the FAA is requesting.
Approve their response before they send it. I had one specialist make
this rambling complicated response that didn't address the specific
requests from the aeromedical office. had I not had a chance to
correct it, it may well have delayed my approval.

5. Keep copies of *everything*.

6. Read and understand FAR Part 67 well.

If you recently went to the AME, you almost certainly have not been
'denied'. You have probably been deferred. The folks I talked to at
the FAA aeromedical office told me the number one reason people do get
denied in the end is that the FAA does not receive the information it
needs. Doctors don't respond, or respond with the wrong kind of
information, or applicants just give up. If the regional flight
surgeon can't approve you, he'll defer you (in all liklihood) to OK
City. AT this point, after a couple of weeks, the AOPA can put a
'tracker' on your file. It seems to help it move along, and they can
advise you of the status and any problems that arise.

The guidelines for AMEs from the FAA itself indicates that being on a
non-approved medication is not automatically disqualifying.

And just a hard-earned piece of advice for next time. Ask around and
find out which AMEs in your area are more 'flexible' than others. Some
of these guys are hardcore jackasses...mine was. Some will work with
you and use common sense. Avoid the guys with a bad reputation...the
guy I went to is no longer on the referral list of either of the
flight schools at my airport. bad AMEs are like bad DEs...best to just
ignore tham and don't use them. Eventually they'll get the message
when they don't get any business.

But keep at it. I talked to a lot of people, including 3 different
AMEs during my process. Absent a few specific issues and medications,
the FAA Aeromedical office can be pretty flexible, and seems to
genuinely want to approve most applications.

Good luck,

Cap



"pjbphd" wrote in message news:9ZPZc.193012$sh.8999@fed1read06...

I'm taking flight lessons and was hoping to get my private pilot certificate
not too far down the line. Today I went in for my medical and was told by
the examiner I have a couple problems. Although I've been asymptomatic for
some time I'm on a medication that is not allowed by the FAA. When I went
to the physician who prescribed the medication (a non-pilot) he was shocked
that the FAA does not allow pilots to take it. Unfortunately he does not
recommend I discontinue its use. Nor is there an alternative medication
acceptable to the FAA.



Do I have any recourse other than discontinuing the medication even though
my physician recommends I stay on it or accepting that I won't be able to
fly. In other words is there any kind of appeal process provided I can get
the prescribing physician to state the medication does not impair my
abilities? This is particularly frustrating in that had I known the med was
not allowed, starting YESTERDAY I could have gone for a recreational pilots
certificate without a medical review, but now it's too late.



Any help will be appreciated.

I do not agree with most of the posters here. The FAA develops rules
based upon the pertinent facts and circumstances which are then
subjected to extensive review; they do not act capriciously. If one is
taking some med that is prohibited there may be some side effect which
may impair judgement or other function and that is why it is
prohibited. Someone mentioned Prossac as being dispensed like candy.
This is true. Prossac, is now a generic (read cheap) and is being
dispensed as a palliative for every possible situation (applicable or
not), freely. Prossac has side effects (suicidal tendencies for one)
that were "under reported" for a long time while it was still under
patent. Other meds may be the same.

Some over the counter meds are also hazardous and I believe prohibited.
Benadryl is a good example of this. If one is taking this med for
allegies on a regular basis one should not be flying because in
sustained doses it is a depressant and will certainly impair judgement
(I speak from personal expierience here).

Finally, I think the sport pilot rules eliminating the need for a
medical exam are not wise and will prove to be a taint on GA. People
who should not be flying solo for medical should not be flying solo.
In my opinion those folks should join a club and buddy up with an
unrestricted pilot or find a CFI(paid) to fly with.

Those are my 2cents.

Paul


pjbphd wrote:
I'm taking flight lessons and was hoping to get my private pilot
certificate
not too far down the line. Today I went in for my medical and was
told by
the examiner I have a couple problems. Although I've been
asymptomatic for
some time I'm on a medication that is not allowed by the FAA. When I
went
to the physician who prescribed the medication (a non-pilot) he was
shocked
that the FAA does not allow pilots to take it. Unfortunately he does
not
recommend I discontinue its use. Nor is there an alternative
medication
acceptable to the FAA.



Do I have any recourse other than discontinuing the medication even
though
my physician recommends I stay on it or accepting that I won't be
able to
fly. In other words is there any kind of appeal process provided I
can get
the prescribing physician to state the medication does not impair my
abilities? This is particularly frustrating in that had I known the
med was
not allowed, starting YESTERDAY I could have gone for a recreational
pilots
certificate without a medical review, but now it's too late.



Any help will be appreciated.




--
Too many spams have forced me to alter my email. If you wish to
email me
directly please send messages to pjbphd @ cox dot net

Well, in some over 40 years of flying, I might point out a few areas of
evolution in the medical area. Remember when color blindness was
a big deal? Then they relaxed the rules a bit. Remember when glasses
were a big deal? Then they relaxed the rules a bit. Remember jumping
up and down on one foot? Done that lately? How about the doc whispering
behind your back? In other words, when statistics are obvious, the
FAA has done some things. The non-medical may be one of those cases.

Statistics are available for non-medical pilots. Glider pilots do not have
to have medicals. They self-certify in that they agree not to fly they
shouldn't
be flying. As I understand it, the rate of accidents due to medical
conditions in glider pilots is not statistically different than in the
general
pilot population.

It seems quite obvious to me that medicals have been used as a weed-out
device more than a safety device.

There is an argument to be made that NO FAA medical may be healthier than a
medical. I have heard of pilots NOT going to their doctors because if they
did go to a doctor, it would need to be reported, and explained, on the
flight
physical.




wrote in message ...
I do not agree with most of the posters here. The FAA develops rules
based upon the pertinent facts and circumstances which are then
subjected to extensive review; they do not act capriciously. If one is
taking some med that is prohibited there may be some side effect which
may impair judgement or other function and that is why it is
prohibited. Someone mentioned Prossac as being dispensed like candy.
This is true. Prossac, is now a generic (read cheap) and is being
dispensed as a palliative for every possible situation (applicable or
not), freely. Prossac has side effects (suicidal tendencies for one)
that were "under reported" for a long time while it was still under
patent. Other meds may be the same.

Some over the counter meds are also hazardous and I believe prohibited.
Benadryl is a good example of this. If one is taking this med for
allegies on a regular basis one should not be flying because in
sustained doses it is a depressant and will certainly impair judgement
(I speak from personal expierience here).

Finally, I think the sport pilot rules eliminating the need for a
medical exam are not wise and will prove to be a taint on GA. People
who should not be flying solo for medical should not be flying solo.
In my opinion those folks should join a club and buddy up with an
unrestricted pilot or find a CFI(paid) to fly with.

Those are my 2cents.

Paul


pjbphd wrote:
I'm taking flight lessons and was hoping to get my private pilot
certificate
not too far down the line. Today I went in for my medical and was
told by
the examiner I have a couple problems. Although I've been
asymptomatic for
some time I'm on a medication that is not allowed by the FAA. When I
went
to the physician who prescribed the medication (a non-pilot) he was
shocked
that the FAA does not allow pilots to take it. Unfortunately he does
not
recommend I discontinue its use. Nor is there an alternative
medication
acceptable to the FAA.



Do I have any recourse other than discontinuing the medication even
though
my physician recommends I stay on it or accepting that I won't be
able to
fly. In other words is there any kind of appeal process provided I
can get
the prescribing physician to state the medication does not impair my
abilities? This is particularly frustrating in that had I known the
med was
not allowed, starting YESTERDAY I could have gone for a recreational
pilots
certificate without a medical review, but now it's too late.



Any help will be appreciated.




--
Too many spams have forced me to alter my email. If you wish to
email me
directly please send messages to pjbphd @ cox dot net

On 6 Sep 2004 06:46:08 -0700, "
wrote:

The FAA develops rules
based upon the pertinent facts and circumstances which are then
subjected to extensive review; they do not act capriciously.

Certainly not! What we know about the FAA, and what we fear most, is
that it does not act at all. No bureaucrat ever gets into trouble
because he declines an application. Nor does he get into trouble
because he adds a medication to the prohbited list. And the chances of
him taking it off the list, therefore, are exactly zero.

all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Expedition sailboat charters www.expeditionsail.com

On Mon, 6 Sep 2004 21:16:47 -0500, "dennis brown"
wrote:

Remember jumping
up and down on one foot? Done that lately? How about the doc whispering
behind your back?

Actually, I did the foot thing in my first two physicals, and the
whispering thing in the third, this past January.


all the best -- Dan Ford
email: (put Cubdriver in subject line)

The Warbird's Forum www.warbirdforum.com
Expedition sailboat charters www.expeditionsail.com

wrote in message
...
Finally, I think the sport pilot rules eliminating the need for a
medical exam are not wise and will prove to be a taint on GA. People
who should not be flying solo for medical should not be flying solo.

Well, the CAA here in the UK disagree with you. For a while now
they've had the NPPL which is a National PPL. This doesn't require
a medical, just a note from your doctor that you're fit to drive a
lorry (truck for you US people!).

http://www.caa.co.uk/srg/med/default.asp?page=873

"The reason for this change is because the CAA Medical Division
believes that an accurate knowledge of a pilot's medical history is
often more likely than a physical examination to predict the risk of
a future in-flight medical incapacitation. "

Under ICAO rules, for a full PPL which allows you to fly anywhere
in the world, you have to have a medical, that's why they keep the
requirement.

Paul

I've said it before here, with sport pilot out you MUST know if the meds
your taking etc are going to fail you or cause you trouble BEFORE going to
get your medical.

I believe EAA & AOPA have people who can help determine this (not 100% but
better than none)

Too late for this guy, but for the rest of us, better to be a sport pilot
than grounded.

ET - (not yet a student pilot)

On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Barry wrote:

In this same regard, the FAA has determined that a certificated flight
instructor on board an aircraft for the purpose of providing flight
instruction, who does not act as pilot in command or function as a
required flight crewmember, is not performing or exercising pilot
privileges that would require him or her to possess a valid medical
certificate under the FARs."

So can a CFI without a valid medical give flight training to a student
pilot who has a current medical, but not a private certificate? In this
case, is the student or the CFI acting as PIC? It looks like that's what
the answer hinges on. Does it make a difference whether the student is
pre- or post-solo?

-Dan

"Dan Youngquist" wrote in message
hell.org...
On Sat, 4 Sep 2004, Barry wrote:

In this same regard, the FAA has determined that a certificated flight
instructor on board an aircraft for the purpose of providing flight
instruction, who does not act as pilot in command or function as a
required flight crewmember, is not performing or exercising pilot
privileges that would require him or her to possess a valid medical
certificate under the FARs."

So can a CFI without a valid medical give flight training to a student
pilot who has a current medical, but not a private certificate? In this
case, is the student or the CFI acting as PIC? It looks like that's what
the answer hinges on. Does it make a difference whether the student is
pre- or post-solo?

-Dan

No, student ca not act as PIC with passenger (CFI).

Allen