Too Old?

Dudley Henriques writes:

Charging $100 to fill out a form is a gross over charge
and the only reason they can get away with it is because you HAVE to
have it.

Then again, if the doctor fills out the form and signs it for a pilot, and the
pilot later dies in flight, the doctor gets sued, even if the cause of death
had nothing to do with the doctor's evaluation. So it works both ways.

writes:

Are you familiar with the terms "Supremacy Clause" and "Federal Preemption"?

The mayor of Chicago seemed to have no problem with supremacy or preemption.
He destroyed an airport overnight and nothing happened, proving that anyone
can get away with it.

"Chris J" wrote in message
...
Had to jump in on this one too. I have a good friend at my airport, Jon
Weiss, who is currently 89 depending on which day you ask him. He retired
from American when the new on the 707's hadn't worn off yet! He has a
pace maker and still has a medical, is a CFI (still does BFR's and
tailwheel checkouts), and an IA. He's at the airport every day or so and
still flies at least every couple of weeks. Just finished restoring a
Fairchild 22 he's owned since the early 50's. Got bored after that and
bought a cub that needed some TLC. He has a Super Cub, Fairchild 22, J-3,
and a Beech Travel Air. I fly with him occasionally and he's still got
it. Last year while flying a Champ for a friend of ours who wasn't
tailwheel current, the engine locked up between airports. He put it in a
pretty short field without a scratch. I'd fly with him anywhere, any
time.
Hell I'm 35 and would be happy to have his energy and enthusiasm most
days! He isn't gonna win a marathon, but he still drives, flies, and works
on his own airplanes, and all competently as I see it. I could drop dead
just as easily as he could. If you're still able in mind and body, and
doing it on a personal, not for hire basis, I say keep em flying!
And a few months ago, he renewed the lease on his hangar. He said he
didn't want to take any chances, so he signed a 25 year lease!! Hell, he
may make it!
CJ

Basically, he has a life; the and the safety-nuts and banners-of-everything
don't.

Peter

You're wrong again, and obviously know nothing about the medical process or
the practice of medicine.

You obviously know nothing about the process, since you have never had a
medical and never will. Go look up special issuance.

Dudley:

The OP is not at the mercy of a physician in the group- he simply could go
elsewhere to get his FCIII exam performed. However, it sounds like he needs
a complete new physical, a review of the records, and a submission via
computer on a regular basis for the special issuance.

Unfortunately, this all takes a fair amount of time. Performing the required
tests, especially Class II, requires an EKG, hearing test, vision screening,
etc, and between the equipment and time required this adds up to a lot of
expense. Then, you, or a paid assistant, has to log onto the FAA computer
and submit all of this stuff.

A special issuance requires an extensive review of records, along with
dictation of a letter (that has to be done by a paid transcriptionist) and
then submission to the FAA.

Most docs actually barely break even or lose money doing this service for
pilots.

So, yes, it's expensive, but so are a lot of other aspects of flying. I
personally would rather have someone identify a potential problem and
address the issue, rather than keep on flying until something breaks, just
as if my mechanic found some potential problem that would ultimately save
money or my life down the line.



"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
news
John Godwin wrote:
Dudley Henriques wrote in
:
Make sure we're on the same page with the above. I might not have
stated this as accurately as I should have,
What I'm saying doesn't conflict with the Pass= fly regardless of
age. It simply RECOGNIZES that at a certain point while following
the "plan", a pilot WILL reach a specific point in time where the
medical can no longer be passed. In other words, Fail= no longer
fly. What I'm saying is simply that even my "plan" so to speak,
ends up with basically what we have now :-)) You fly until you
can't pass the physical then no more. The same issue remains. The
"rub" is that no matter what is done, the end of the road seems
unchanged. There can very well be a point where the pilot passes
the physical at some ripe old age, then has that heart attack in
the air during the periods between physicals.
This is the basis for what I have envisioned as a "plan" to
shorten the period between physicals as a pilot ages.

My situation is one of cost. I can easily pass the FAA Medical (even at
my age) but have decided not to try after passing my last one.

I have a Special Issuance wherein the FAA required documentation from
each of my two physicians. My Medical Group charges nearly $100 per
"official" letter and then there's the AME fee. I felt that a little
under $300 each year was a tad much at this time so it may well be that
it's time to hang up the spurs or do other flying alternatives.
That's a CRIME. I'm VERY sorry this is happening to you. I never quite
know what to do or say when I see things like this happening to a pilot.
We're at the mercy of these damn doctors and they know it. You could
complain, but many times that simply ends up in an endless loop that goes
nowhere. Charging $100 to fill out a form is a gross over charge and the
only reason they can get away with it is because you HAVE to have it.
This doctor could easily have been a lawyer!


--
Dudley Henriques

Mxsmanic wrote:
Dudley Henriques writes:

Charging $100 to fill out a form is a gross over charge
and the only reason they can get away with it is because you HAVE to
have it.

Then again, if the doctor fills out the form and signs it for a pilot, and the
pilot later dies in flight, the doctor gets sued, even if the cause of death
had nothing to do with the doctor's evaluation. So it works both ways.

Can you cite one single case where that has ever happened to an AME?

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"John Godwin" wrote

I have a Special Issuance wherein the FAA required documentation from
each of my two physicians. My Medical Group charges nearly $100 per
"official" letter and then there's the AME fee. I felt that a little
under $300 each year was a tad much at this time so it may well be
that it's time to hang up the spurs or do other flying alternatives.

Go find you a sexy little experimental homebuilt that fits in the Light
Sport class.

No more medicals!
--
Jim in NC


I'm hoping when my time comes, to find a sexy little female copilot.

"Lonnie" @_#~#@.^net wrote in message
...

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

"John Godwin" wrote

I have a Special Issuance wherein the FAA required documentation from
each of my two physicians. My Medical Group charges nearly $100 per
"official" letter and then there's the AME fee. I felt that a little
under $300 each year was a tad much at this time so it may well be
that it's time to hang up the spurs or do other flying alternatives.

Go find you a sexy little experimental homebuilt that fits in the Light
Sport class.

No more medicals!
--
Jim in NC


I'm hoping when my time comes, to find a sexy little female copilot.

First you'll have to finish puberty and obtain a credit card. Good luck,
Okie.

"Lonnie" @_#~#@.^net wrote in :


"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
"Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe" The Sea Hawk @See My Sig.com writes:

Yes. Not sure, but he is retired from air shows. Yes - he got a
medical in
Austrailia and continued with air shows for a while (just not in the
US). The FAA finally conceeded to restoring his medical after a
round through the courts.

"If they can do it to Bob Hoover, they can do it to anyone."

On what basis did they deny his medical in the U.S.?

Google is your only friend, go argue with it.

And that's one more than you have, Maxie.



Bertie