I got back from Peoria early Wednesday morning with a third class medical in hand, smile on face, and gratitude in heart. This process started several months ago when I was facing a difficult medical renewal. I contacted Dr. Bruce, who was very prompt and informative in his (many) responses. He'd seen my type of situation before. It was clear to me that I could go to the local AME and face a lengthy deferral or worse... or, I could follow Dr. Bruce's instructions and get it done right. It took awhile, but finally I had the necessary tests and documents and we scheduled the exam.
I live out in the sticks, so getting to Peoria wasn't quick or easy. Even using airlines, my total travel time was 9 hours to get to PIA and 8 hours to get back (CRJs and ERJs, oh my). But it was 100% worth it! The exam went well, and now I too can say that Dr. Bruce is a great guy in person. It's always a pleasure to meet neat people through aviation, and spending some time with him was a real highlight for me. Our schedules even allowed us to go flying, which was unexpected and a wonderful experience! My trip was a whirlwind 36 hours that turned out to be a lot of fun for just being a medical renewal.
All this to say-- if you're facing anything other than a routine medical, do your homework! In an ideal world, every AME would be on the ball and know what's necessary to get it done. In the real world, most of them just punt and your application sits in Oklahoma City limbo. I know one who doesn't, and it's worth the effort to get to Peoria to see him.
Thank you so much Dr. Bruce!
I live out in the sticks, so getting to Peoria wasn't quick or easy. Even using airlines, my total travel time was 9 hours to get to PIA and 8 hours to get back (CRJs and ERJs, oh my). But it was 100% worth it! The exam went well, and now I too can say that Dr. Bruce is a great guy in person. It's always a pleasure to meet neat people through aviation, and spending some time with him was a real highlight for me. Our schedules even allowed us to go flying, which was unexpected and a wonderful experience! My trip was a whirlwind 36 hours that turned out to be a lot of fun for just being a medical renewal.
All this to say-- if you're facing anything other than a routine medical, do your homework! In an ideal world, every AME would be on the ball and know what's necessary to get it done. In the real world, most of them just punt and your application sits in Oklahoma City limbo. I know one who doesn't, and it's worth the effort to get to Peoria to see him.
Thank you so much Dr. Bruce!