AOPA. Do they really help?

[comanche]

After failing my medical for a 3d class because I have sleep apnea and was taking 3 prohibited medications, I underwent a Maintenance for wakefullness test which I passed and have not used those medications for the three month period the FAA requires. Received a very favorable status report and prognosis from my attending physician which I sent to the FAA with all of the other required documentation.

In the last few days I read an AOPA blurb indicating they were able to get a pilots medical restored in 10 minutes after the pilots health improved and he provided all of the required documentation to the FAA.

The article said the pilot rather frustrated with the speed in which the FAA operates called the medical assist branch at AOPA and through the efforts of a AOPA medical assist person was able to call the FAA and heve said pilots case bumped up to the first in line. That pilot was a professional photographer who made a portion of his living doing aerial photogrpahy. I too am a professional photographer and make a portion of my income doing aerial photography. I even provided AOPA with my studios website and the name of the pilot (also an AOPA member) who has been flying me since being grounded in July.

Armed with that information, I, optiistically called Medical Assist at AOPA asking if they would do the same thing for me. That is when reality set in and I was told, "That is a marketing manuver. We do not actually do that. I guess common sense should have applied, but since I have waited since July to return to flying and having read said article I kinda feel like the proverbial step child after getting that response from the organization I pay to lobby in my behalf. Naive? I guess so.

 

[nddons]

Hire Dr. Bruce. If you want to fly again, he's the man.

I'm sure he'll be along shortly.

 

[AggieMike88]

Hire Dr. Bruce. If you want to fly again, he's the man.

I'm sure he'll be along shortly.

Major plus one.

Dr. Bruce Chien is one of the best (and few) to resolve your situation.

He can be found at www.aeromedicaldoc.com. He is the type of AME you were hoping to find when you called AOPA. One that will rep your case to AMCD once all is to standards and get your SI and medical in your hands in as short of time as possible.

He will be here eventually, but you can always reach out to him first.

Contact Information:

Physical Address:*1320 Bird Blvd, Peoria, IL 61615
Phone: 309-689-5242*
Fax: 309-691-8973; 309-691-3452
Email: aeromedicaldoc@comcast.net*

 

[SCCutler]

I hate to just pile-on, but what the heck.

Dr. Chien has a commitment to assisting pilots to secure and maintain their medicals, in a manner which is fully consistent with sound medical practice and (at the same time) is efficiently handled. His successes speak for themselves - and some already have!

Give him a call!

 

[Geico266]

That would be a no.

Certainly not about Dr. Bruce, about AOPA being helpful.

 

[AdamZ]

Hire Dr. Bruce. If you want to fly again, he's the man.

I'm sure he'll be along shortly.

As for your question about AOPA, mmmm well I've recently had some issues with things they have done and my conclusion is this:

There is a lot of stuff AOPA does well and right and there are a lot of things that AOPA does that really ticks me off but in the long run as pilots we'd all be screwed without them.

 

[ClimbnSink]

That would be a no.

Certainly not about Dr. Bruce, about AOPA being helpful.

C'mon AOPA is our only voice, it is only 40 bucks, sometimes you get a hat, Wine club, and a free subscription to Turboprop Magazine.

 

[Gary F]

At one time they were helpful. Around 1999 I called the AOPA medical adviser about a member with a problem and I was given good guidance on what the FAA would want. He received a special issuance very quickly.

 

[murphey]

Hire Dr. Bruce. If you want to fly again, he's the man.

I'm sure he'll be along shortly.

Believe Dr Bruce.

Actually, before AOPA realized it could make more money charging for medical info, I called and received the correct information and description of the process needed when I had a vision problem. It took about 30 minutes of discussion and notes. I took the info to both my GP & the opthamalogist, had the recommended exams performed. So when I walked into the AME office all the paperwork was in order. A phone call to Seattle and later that day I had the Class 3.

The key is to know what paperwork & exams and the EXACT medical terminology to be used. Not your personal description. Not verbal assurances. You need exactly what the FAA wants to see on paper.

In all fairness, I did have back channel emails with Dr Bruce asking why my symptoms were getting the FAA in a hissy fit because no one else bothered to explain it to me.

And that is why Dr Bruce is The Man you want to talk to before you go any further. Do not talk to the FAA. Do not pass Go. Talk to Dr. Bruce.

 

[comanche]

It sounds like Dr. Bruce is the person to talk to. I may be too late. This morning I mailed my full packet off to the FAA.

My latest denial was for three medications I was taking and the FAA told me to wait 3 months without taking those pills. I did and sent in a doctors evaluation which was very positive. He also indicated that he has not prescribed these medicines for me in three months and that my situation: sleep apnea has improved that I have 100% compliance with the BI-Pap machine of over 8 hours nightly. That is what I told the AOPA about and was hoping for them to intercede for me as they did for the other person. Thats when I was told that was a marketing ploy and they they do not do that. Now, it just looks like I will have to be patient. Fat Chance.

 

[AggieMike88]

The key is to know what paperwork & exams and the EXACT medical terminology to be used. Not your personal description. Not verbal assurances. You need exactly what the FAA wants to see on paper.

You cannot say this any plainer. Do this and you will obtain success. Do this, and your application gets through the system much faster since the first level reviewer can just match the letter and lab data to the standard, quickly determine it meets the standard, and approve it. No need to kick it up to the extremely overloaded doctors.

Don't do this, and you risk severe delays and potential denials and requests for more information that should have been sent in the first place.

In all fairness, I did have back channel emails with Dr Bruce asking why my symptoms were getting the FAA in a hissy fit because no one else bothered to it.

And that is why Dr Bruce is The Man you want to talk to before you go any further. Do not talk to the FAA. Do not pass Go. Talk to Dr. Bruce.

I also took advantage of Dr. Bruce's generousity to answer email questions.

Because of Dr. B's guidance, I had everything gathered, organized and ready for my Sleep Apnea and Diabetes Type 2 SI's. My AME gave me a compliment that I was one of the first aimen in a long while that came to him for the initial exam and had exactly what was needed.

Get with Dr. Bruce, listen and follow his advice, and you're chances of issuance will rise by quite a bit.

 

[LearDriver]

A friend followed the advice given by AOPA and it took over a year to get his medical back. Had he handled it differently then he wouldn't have lost the medical at all. In either way the issue would have reported.

I have found that if you go to an ME that does a lot of airline pilots they are very sensitive to pilots losing the ability to hold a medical. If you go to a gp that only does a limited amount of medicals you can get yourself caught up in the system.

To answer the OP's question, No AOPA doesn't help. That is unless you are a turbine GA pilot. I feel that the entire organization has lost its relevance.

 

[flyingron]

AOPA gave me completely useless information the time I had medical issues.

 

[bbchien]

To the OP, I did take a call fairly recently from a photographer with a retinal problem. If it is you, I apologize for repeating myself, and if your situation is different, ignore all this: But everything in the case discussed everything depends on the ability of the opthalmologist to reverse the course of the underlying disease and for you to make vision standards. They are pretty hard on vision. If you can make vision standards on ONE eye, they will invite you to the waiver ride ("Monocular" vision), but THAT eye has ALWAYS got to make standards thereafter.

On to prohibited medications: Anxiety with vision if you are a photographer is pretty natural- but the meds and the psych diagnoses they are associated with are pretty deadly to medicals, too. At very least you need letters from the docs saying that they were prescribed for sleep and anxiety which were REACTIVE, e.g, the need for the medication has passed and no further need exists.

If the letters don't say EXACTLY that, you need a psychiatrist to review you history and to say JUST THAT. And if it doesn't say JUST that, you are in the weeds until we sort it out.

I'm just guessing here. If you are a different individual from the one I'm describing, please feel free to email me from the site- I have email turned on.

I sure wish you hadn't sent the package. If you have a current medical still, the agency will consider that you have reapplied and will act accordingly. I sure hope what you did is a maseltov..... sigh.

 

[Unregistered]

Dr.C, I am not the same photographer. I was denied for obstructive sleep apnea and for taking colonozapan edular and mirapix. Went cold turkey three months ago and padded a MWT sleeping 0 out of 4 periods. Also scored 3 out of 24 on the Epworth scale. The doc who is a certified sleep guy wrote. A very favorable report indicating I adapted very well to sleep therapy and the sleep machine reports a 92% compliance and I use this more than 8 hours nightly.

I will send you an email to discuss one med that was listed in the 12 month list of meds I received.

Thank you for your willingness to assist fellow pilots.

 

[comanche]

To the OP, I did take a call fairly recently from a photographer with a retinal problem. If it is you, I apologize for repeating myself, and if your situation is different, ignore all this: But everything in the case discussed everything depends on the ability of the opthalmologist to reverse the course of the underlying disease and for you to make vision standards. They are pretty hard on vision. If you can make vision standards on ONE eye, they will invite you to the waiver ride ("Monocular" vision), but THAT eye has ALWAYS got to make standards thereafter.

On to prohibited medications: Anxiety with vision if you are a photographer is pretty natural- but the meds and the psych diagnoses they are associated with are pretty deadly to medicals, too. At very least you need letters from the docs saying that they were prescribed for sleep and anxiety which were REACTIVE, e.g, the need for the medication has passed and no further need exists.

If the letters don't say EXACTLY that, you need a psychiatrist to review you history and to say JUST THAT. And if it doesn't say JUST that, you are in the weeds until we sort it out.

I'm just guessing here. If you are a different individual from the one I'm describing, please feel free to email me from the site- I have email turned on.

I sure wish you hadn't sent the package. If you have a current medical still, the agency will consider that you have reapplied and will act accordingly. I sure hope what you did is a maseltov..... sigh.

No, different photographer. Will send an email tomorrow with specifics,

Thank you for your efforts for fellow pilots.

 

[comanche]

To the OP, I did take a call fairly recently from a photographer with a retinal problem. If it is you, I apologize for repeating myself, and if your situation is different, ignore all this: But everything in the case discussed everything depends on the ability of the opthalmologist to reverse the course of the underlying disease and for you to make vision standards. They are pretty hard on vision. If you can make vision standards on ONE eye, they will invite you to the waiver ride ("Monocular" vision), but THAT eye has ALWAYS got to make standards thereafter.

On to prohibited medications: Anxiety with vision if you are a photographer is pretty natural- but the meds and the psych diagnoses they are associated with are pretty deadly to medicals, too. At very least you need letters from the docs saying that they were prescribed for sleep and anxiety which were REACTIVE, e.g, the need for the medication has passed and no further need exists.

If the letters don't say EXACTLY that, you need a psychiatrist to review you history and to say JUST THAT. And if it doesn't say JUST that, you are in the weeds until we sort it out.

I'm just guessing here. If you are a different individual from the one I'm describing, please feel free to email me from the site- I have email turned on.

I sure wish you hadn't sent the package. If you have a current medical still, the agency will consider that you have reapplied and will act accordingly. I sure hope what you did is a maseltov..... sigh.

No, different photographer. I was denied because of. Sleep apnea and some meds which I have three months of going cold turkey. Great report from my sleep doc. Will send an email tomorrow with specifics,

Thank you for your efforts for fellow pilots.