Problematic medical for potential new student?

Sylvain wrote:
HOWEVER, before doing that, you might want to also talk about
a knowledgeable folks (AOPA again) about the option of going
for the sport pilot certificate instead (if I understand correctly,
as long as you have not been denied a medical and hold a driving
license you are fine, but as soon as you have been denied the
medical, then you have to go through the whole thing of getting
waivers and all that);

what do you guys think?


Let your conscience be your guide. I had a medical examiner tell me the bottom
line with the FAA is that they're trying to prevent a pilot from becoming
incapacitated while at the controls. Is that likely to happen to you? If so,
you should forget the whole thing and just pay an instructor for dual if you
feel the itch to fly.

If you honestly think you're intact enough that you wouldn't be a danger to
yourself or others then I'd be very circumspect in my dealings with the FAA.
There has been some excellent advice already offered suggesting you lay it all
out for a medical examiner BEFORE you fill out any paperwork. He ought to know
what he can get through and what he can't.

I went through a 15 year dry spell courtesy of the FAA and their glorious
medical department. I'd been tentatively hired by USAirways Express as a pilot
and went in to get my 1st class medical renewed (I'd previously gotten one so I
could take the ATP written). As I had passed the triggering age, I was required
to submit to an EKG while hooked up through a modem to Oklahoma City. Although
my doc didn't see anything strange, the FAA did and requested that I submit to a
treadmill stress test a few months after I'd applied for the 1st class. Those
things are expensive.. a couple of thousand dollars.

In the meanwhile, the airline job fell through, my air cargo company went belly
up and I applied to nursing school. Since flying was no longer my primary
activity, I blew off the FAA. They in turn sent me a nastygram stating until I
got a clear treadmill, I was not to fly. Well, alrighty....

I graduated, became a nurse, got fat, developed diabetes and sleep apnea... I
was falling apart.

Fast forward from 1990 to 2003: I was being worked up for a laproscopic gastric
bypass. The anesthesiologist wanted me to have an EKG since I hadn't had one in
years. It showed I'd had a probably heart attack. Funny, you'd think I'd
remember wuch an event but truly I didn't. He sent me to a cardiologist who did
a dobutamine stress test. It said I'd had a probable heart attack. I was then
sent for a heart cath and was mentally prepared for the insertion of a stent.
Forget flying... my gastric bypass was at risk at this point.

I had the heart cath. It showed that 1) I am allergic to Betadine and 2) my
coronary arteries were as clear as the day I was born. All previous indications
were false positives.

I had the gastric bypass, followed the next year by a hip replacement. My
diabetes (which was always controlled by oral medication) dried up. My high
blood pressure dropped. My cholesterol level dropped. My weight plummeted. My
sleep apnea went away. In other words, I waws back in good health. I take no
medication today.

I dragged every bit of documentation to my medical examiner and he punched it
through. I walked out that same day with a brand new third class medical. Next
year I may try for another second class... maybe I won't. But at least I'm
flying again, no thanks to the feds.

The cost of my cardiac workup was a little over $10,000. How many folks have
that to throw around? Particularly cargo pilots?

Frankly, I think if you WANT to fly, you need two doctors: one for your FAA
physical and the other for everything else. The two gentlemen should never
meet. Your primary care physician doesn't need to know about your flying.

OTOH, if you're flying for a living and want to retire, you only need one
physician. You can tell him *all* your problems.

The bottom line: take the train if you think you're a risk. If not, be cautious
in any dealings with the FAA, unless you have money to burn.



--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE