Sport license while waiting for a class 3

blueben

Filing Flight Plan
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blueben
I'm currently taking an SSRI which I plan to ramp down over the next couple of months. Based on some consultations with people more knowledgable than me I believe I will be able to pass a third class medical 60 days after the cessation of treatment (no prior incidents, <1yr of treatment, no tandem medication, etc.). Because of my optimism I have been pursuing a PPL (25 hours in!) but I expect I'll be able to solo sooner than I'll be able to get my third class medical. I think the medical will take ~6 months while I should be ready to solo in 1-2.

I am wondering now if it would be worthwhile to get a sport license in the interim and complete some solo hours based on that in an LSA while I wait to get my third class medical. That way I could be ready to get my PPL almost immediately after I get my medical and I could be having fun up in the air in the meantime. I assume it would be pretty easy to get the endorsement to fly in towered airspace given that's what I've been doing for my PPL. I guess this plan would depend on the availability of rental LSAs around me, but other than that are there significant blockers I haven't considered? Has anybody done this before?

The alternative would be getting all the other reqs out of the way (simulated IFR, nighttime, honing skills) and then just doing once-a-weeks with my instructor to wait out the clock. This wouldn't be a terrible option, but it would be nice to go up by myself instead.
 
I believe that I wouldn't need a special issuance based on the SSRI Decision path 1 flowchart on the FAA website. There it states that you can apply for a regular issuance after you've been off the treatment for more than 60 days with a favorable report from your doctor. The goal is to get a regular third class after cessation of treatment.
 
I believe that I wouldn't need a special issuance based on the SSRI Decision path 1 flowchart on the FAA website. There it states that you can apply for a regular issuance after you've been off the treatment for more than 60 days with a favorable report from your doctor. The goal is to get a regular third class after cessation of treatment.

If that's the case then I think your plan sounds great! I would schedule a consultation with the AME you intend yo use to make sure (s)he will issue a third class if you're otherwise medically qualified. I have heard more than one story where an AME deferred when they didn't need to...
 
I assume you have not yet applied for a medical?

To use sport pilot route as an interim, if you apply for a medical you have to "Have been found eligible for the issuance of at least a third-class airman medical certificate at the time of his or her most recent application"
 
Ya I don't plan on applying until I have all my ducks in a row and am pretty confident I would get a regular issuance. I expect that to be true in about 5-7 months.
The only downside to this plan would be if you are sure you'll get the 3rd class, apply for it, and get denied, then your sport pilot privs are, poof, gone.

Another alternative would be to train dual only until you're ready to pull the trigger on the medical.
 
Decison path 1 only works if there was
(1) no suicidality
(2) No prior episode in your life that required psychiatry support
(3) Best if only one psych med at at time
(4) duration of the episode is << 5 years (longer is "reasonably thought to be recurrent".

And no, if you've had any SSRI within the year, it's a special issuance.
 
And no, if you've had any SSRI within the year, it's a special issuance.

Confused because FAA website for SSRI Decision Path 1 states "After 60 days off SSRI with favorable report from treating physician of stable mood, Airman/FAA ATCS may apply for regular issuance"
 
Confused because FAA website for SSRI Decision Path 1 states "After 60 days off SSRI with favorable report from treating physician of stable mood, Airman/FAA ATCS may apply for regular issuance"
and he will, if successful, get a special issuance. 100% of the time. It says after all: "may apply for" but doesn't say "will recieve....".

That's like, "no mandatory wait for consideration class 3 for CAD stenting". That results in Medical denial based on "90 days is needed to be sure the stent isn't experincing fibro-hyperplastic closure, which was the original cause of the 90 days stipulation in the first place.

...And, I just love it when attorneys quote that to me. I reply, "call me after the denial".
 
In that case should I expect a denial or a deferral when I apply for the regular issuance (and then need to reapply for an SI)? I'm asking because my understanding is that I could continue to fly on the sport license if I received a deferral, but not if I received a denial. Or are those two things equivalent with regards to the sport license?
 
In that case should I expect a denial or a deferral when I apply for the regular issuance (and then need to reapply for an SI)? I'm asking because my understanding is that I could continue to fly on the sport license if I received a deferral, but not if I received a denial. Or are those two things equivalent with regards to the sport license?
As Geoffery said, you must "have been found eligible for the issuance of at least a third-class airman medical certificate at the time of his or her most recent application". If you're deferred, you weren't found eligible "at the time of" your application.
 
As Geoffery said, you must "have been found eligible for the issuance of at least a third-class airman medical certificate at the time of his or her most recent application". If you're deferred, you weren't found eligible "at the time of" your application.


If he’s deferred, the application is till in process and there isn’t any finding yet. “At the time” could be several months.
 
If he’s deferred, the application is till in process and there isn’t any finding yet. “At the time” could be several months.
And the wording of the reg indicates that when there has been an application, there has to have been a finding in order for the person to exercise sport-pilot privileges. So the absence of a negative finding is not by itself sufficient.
 
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