100% Permanent & Total

Punchy

Filing Flight Plan
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Punchy
Hi folks. New member from Fort Worth here. I retired from the military a couple yrs ago and I’m looking to start flight school. Before I try to get a medical cert I figured I’d see whether anyone has experienced the FAA issuing a Special Issuance for a vet who’s been given a 100% P&T rating.

No sense getting my hopes up before they’re dashed on the rocks.
 
Hi folks. New member from Fort Worth here. I retired from the military a couple yrs ago and I’m looking to start flight school. Before I try to get a medical cert I figured I’d see whether anyone has experienced the FAA issuing a Special Issuance for a vet who’s been given a 100% P&T rating.

No sense getting my hopes up before they’re dashed on the rocks.

It all depends on what you got the rating for. There are 100%ers with first class medicals flying for the airlines.

Before, you go too far, I would get my disability paperwork together and contact one of the AMEs that hang around here and ask them to look at your case. Some service related disabilities can add up to a 100% rating yet none of the individual items causes the FAA to bat an eye. Others are things that can be overcome and some are true show-stoppers. So, it all depends.
 
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Thanks weilke. I’ll keep trolling the threads for stuff in my situation. I’ve looked through the FAA’s AME guides too. Just looking to get confirmation from real people.

For me, 70% was for PTSD, but I’ve been fine since being on 100mg Zoloft for more than 24 mo. 50% is for OSA, but I’ve slept fine with a CPAP for years (working on getting my AHI consistently below 5; over 12 months it might average btw 5-6).

Everything else was just 10% joint pains.
 
For me, 70% was for PTSD, but I’ve been fine since being on 100mg Zoloft for more than 24 mo. 50% is for OSA, but I’ve slept fine with a CPAP for years (working on getting my AHI consistently below 5; over 12 months it might average btw 5-6).

Everything else was just 10% joint pains.

The FAA doesn't care about joint pains as long as you can safely manipulate the controls. The OSA is one of the ones that 'can be overcome' with a 'special issuance' conditional to an analysis of your compliance data (as downloaded off the machine).
The PTSD is going to be your biggest obstacle to overcome. There are a few discussions here over the years on what is and what isn't certifiable. I may be wrong, but I believe you would have to be stable off-meds. You can be in counseling, but you have be free of actual symptoms of PTSD.
 
Here’s a good place to start regarding the PTSD/SSRI: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...an_Information_SSRI_Initial_Certification.pdf

You will need an AME who is well versed in the certification process for difficult cases. You will need every but of paper generated from your VA C&P exam(s) for everything that was looked at. If your .mil records have information related to the PTSD, you’ll need all the paper associated with that, too. You’ll need any other paper from counseling or treatment that came out of the diagnosis.

For OSA, you’ll need this done: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...m/ame/guide/media/OSAInitialStatusSummary.pdf

You’ll also need paper from you machine to evidence what’s written in the form above. DoD and/or VA paper for the sleep study resulting in the OSA diagnosis will be needed.

Not every medical history is certifiable by the FAA; before you sit down with an AME for you exam to go live you will need to know with as much certainty as possible that your record is certifiable as the process is very expensive.

If you aren’t very certain of certification AND you and your primary doctor believe you’re healthy enough to fly, then go Sport Pilot. If you submit, denied, and your history deemed unable to certify, you will not later have the option of choosing Sport Pilot.

Oh yeah, the FAA will want to know about certain things that you had ever in your life. This is kind of like doing your security clearance, but instead of the last five or ten years or since turning 18, it’s HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE HAD….

Good luck, be deliberate, and seek a very experience AME to consult with you before starting the process.
 
@Punchy … Howdy from Denton, TX!! I’m a CFI who teaches out of the airport near Roanoke (52F). Feel free to add me to your list of instructors and resources.
 
If you want a recommendation to a good AME who will do consultation visits and take the time to discuss what’s needed to get your medical certificate done with minimum pain and suffering, I know of one in Arlington (Dr. Sambell) and one in Frisco (Dr. Kramer).
 
If you want a recommendation to a good AME who will do consultation visits and take the time to discuss what’s needed to get your medical certificate done with minimum pain and suffering, I know of one in Arlington (Dr. Sambell) and one in Frisco (Dr. Kramer).
Ever heard of Dr. Beaty in FW? He’s an actual HIMS AME.
 
If you’re looking for people that have walked the same path ahead of you check out this site:

https://www.rtag.org/

it is primarily focused on people headed towards career aviation but it’s much more. Very much worth your time. They also have an active private group on Facebook that you can join.
 
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