Problematic medical for potential new student?

Remember,
Alot of states will take your drivers license if you have periods of
passing out or seizure. I just wonder how many people admit this to their
states DMV's though? With sport pilot, it will be up to you to admit you can
not fly safely. By all means if you have a condition that would restrict
your driver's license in anyway, don't fly just to get around the FAA rules.
I would advise seeing a doctor and getting his opinion on your conditions ,
and what those conditions may or may not do during flight as well as
medications. I sure ain't a MD so I would not begin to tell you that you can
or can't fly. But I can say use common sense and make sure you are safe to
fly before you do It's only going to take one person having an accident
when they should have never been in the air in the first place and the
driver's license medical is going to go Bye Bye for everyone, IMHO.

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech

"Mortimer Schnerd, RN" wrote in message
m...
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