Soaring on unapproved prescription drugs, and conditions, legal??

I just happened to have a random urinalysis and breath alcohol test today.
I get these wonderful whiz quizzes because I fly Part 135 charter. I asked
the technician if mouthwash or the Listerine tabs would register or give a
reading exceeding legal limits. She said maybe initially for the mouthwash,
but not on the second required test which would happen several minutes
later.

She also noted that several over the counter cold medicines contain lots of
alcohol and will give you an alcohol level that would cause someone to be
charged with drunk driving. So there is a completely legal drug that you
should not use if piloting any aircraft (airplane, glider, or ballon). The
package is clearly labeled, but many people ignore the warnings. They do
not believe that these "do not drive or operate machinery" warnings apply to
them. Would the think any differently if the warning said "pilot a glider?"

Here is the crux of the matter. The good judgement or skills of a pilot are
often inhibited by various over the counter and/or prescription drugs. Who
decides when someone is safe to fly? The pilot using the drugs? An
Aviation Medical Examiner? The pilot's personal doctor? An admittedly
confusing FAA rule interpretation as pontificated on by the RAS?

I don't know the answer. I do know that as a professional pilot, and a CFI
in both gliders and airplanes, I would not accept a glider student who had a
disorder that was specifically disqualifying with no chance of waiver for an
airplane pilot. If the condition was waiverable, then the hard decisions
have to be made after careful research and deliberation.

PK


"ADP" wrote in message
...
Boring is not the half of it.
Responding to you Chris is like responding to a wall.

Hmm....

dog·mat·ic [dawg máttik, dog máttik]
or dog·mat·i·cal [dawg máttik'l, dog máttik'l]
adj
1. expressing rigid opinions: prone to expressing strongly held beliefs
and
opinions


While I plead guilty to having strongly held beliefs, I fail to see where
my
replies
are dogmatic. In fact, I can't understand how this thread degenerated
into
making
assumptions about what lawyers and juries might or might not do.

The question was, can you soar while taking unapproved legal drugs?

The answer is that there are no unapproved legal drugs for glider pilots.

Ergo, you can soar while taking any or all legal drugs.

These are facts, not opinions.

Is it wise to fly while taking these drugs? I don't know and it is not
for
me to determine.
It is for the individual glider pilot to determine. Why is this fact so
difficult to comprehend.

Why is individual responsibility so frightening to so many? Perhaps you
are
all
hoping to spill hot coffee into your collective laps and have Mc Donalds
buy
you a new glider.

You state that you know many pilots who fly while incapacitated in some
way.
Does this not make you culpable for keeping this knowledge secret? Suppose
they have an accident?
According to all of the arm-chair lawyers on this group, you would be
crucified by a jury
should they learn that you had such knowledge.

I think we've wrung about all we can out of this thread.

So, in the interests of glider pilots everywhere,
fly safe and may you all find 10k thermals when you look for them.

Allan



"Chris OCallaghan" wrote in message
om...
Interesting, you couch you arguments very reasonably, then turn them
on their ear by going dogmatic. Yes, I know pilots who continue fly
even though they suffer from medical problems that put them and others
at risk. They are intelligent people who suffer the same psychological
problems we all face when presented with questions of mortality.
DENIAL. Not only do I know glider pilots who should give up the sport
for their own sakes as well as others, I know power pilots who seek
out medical examiners who are less than rigorous in pursuing their
responisbilities to the FAA and to the public.

them to make more reasonable, prudent decisions.