Dr. Bruce Chien is a good man!

dtuuri

dtuuri

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dtuuri
Two weeks ago today at this time I walked into Dr. Bruce Chien's office in Peoria for a Third Class exam. I'd met him on the AOPA forum a few years ago and traded comments on everything from aerodynamics to veganism. When I began a thread there describing my experience with coronary artery disease ("Well, that was interesting") he offered free advice via emails, PMs and even phone calls, but we had never met face to face.

Based on a very nominal fee for reviewing my catheterization report three years ago, in spite of my own cardiologist's "approval" to return to flying status, he advised that my condition would be denied and I would lose Sport Pilot privileges. So, I didn't. Last October, two years later and out of the blue, he called me to tell me new ground had been broken by another airman elsewhere and that I could now take a chance. So, I did. I had a stress test done at the Cleveland Clinic, a current cardiovascular examination by my cardiologist, a lab workup and drove eight hours to see Dr. Bruce for my exam. Now I officially have a class 3 medical. :)

Dr. Bruce Chien is an amazingly smart guy in a lot of varied disciplines. He doesn't suffer wasted time very well though. "Get to the point and keep moving forward" seems to be his modus operandi. No grass grows under his feet. No lollygagging around him either, somebody's waiting for his time in the other room, so to speak. I found him to be a most pleasant fellow, eager to help, committed to excellence and generous with advice. Very competent and affordable. Of course, most of you already know this, right? :)

dtuuri
 
We can only hope he keeps going for a very very long time.
 
Good story.. that's quite a thing for him to do, and must mean the world to you! Nothing like walking in to that office knowing that you have all your ducks in a row, and walking out with a medical and a smile. He is a good man.

It really is too bad that non-AME doctors are so clueless about pilot medical requirements. So many of them would say "Yep, you'll be fine to fly" and send you off to your doom with the AME. Maybe that speaks to how ridiculous the FAA medical requirements are. :dunno:
 
I would never take the advice of a non AME doctor when it comes to my career. That would be very ridiculous of me.
 
Glad he could help you,he is sorely missed on this board.
 
To be fair, there's a lot of cluelessness out there. Pilots, flight instructors, even AMEs. When I first walked in for a medical, I thought the biggest thing was being healthy. Turns out the biggest thing is medical history. There's so much I've learned online that I had no idea about as a student pilot.
 
What about your med renewals? I reckon you're over 40, so do you have to jump through hoops every 24 mos or will it be easy now that it's been approved once?
 
evapilotaz said:
Will he be around a long time? He isn't 80yrs old or older ;) is he?
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Ha, ha. He looked pretty young to me despite the gray hair. I figr he got that from POA participation. :rofl: What you're really asking is whether you can count on him to bail you out when you get your heart disease (everybody's got it who eats a Western diet) symptoms. My advice is to only eat plants and take up roller skating--like I did. :) I just did it too late. :sad:

dtuuri
 
jimmyjack said:
What about your med renewals? I reckon you're over 40, so do you have to jump through hoops every 24 mos or will it be easy now that it's been approved once?
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Good question! Although the third class is good for two years the SI letter requires another nuclear stress test after the first for it to remain valid. I don't know that I want to go through that again, all the radiation and such.

Frankly, what I want is a second class and that, apparently, requires a cath. Medically, there's no need for the risk, since my lifestyle changes have stopped the progression of the disease and repaired the endothelium inside my coronary arteries to the point Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn would probably say I'm "heart attack proof". I'd like to think, in view of cutting edge (and not-so-recent) research, like TMAO's connection to heart disease, the FAA will finally come into the 21st century and accept the clinical evidence of my lifestyle changes as proof I'm a better risk than those my same age who haven't made them and are therefore the proverbial, yet FAA-certifiable, "ticking time-bombs".

dtuuri
 
I'm a huge fan of Dr. Bruce. I also had a very positive experience with him.
 
Another vote her for Dr. Bruce. My medical is not terribly complicated, but knowing that the AME handling it knows exactly how to document and handle my issue is worth the extra effort and expense of the trip to Peoria's Mt Hawley airport (3MY). Two years ago was my first trip there. I drove up 9 hours or so to get back my medical after having let it lapse. Last week I was able to fly 4 hours to 3MY and walk right into his office at the airport to renew my medical before it expired.

The only complaint I have about the trip was flying directly into the sun and arriving home at sunset. The last two hours or so were rough! I'm glad I was up at 6,500 ft and had flight following to help me out.
 
Another thumbs-up for Dr. Bruce. He got me from Dx to SI in less than three months, with crystal-clear guidance on what he needed and when he needed it. Totally worth the roundtrip from SoCal to Peoria when you know you'll be in competent hands.
 
My only complaint is he doesn't charge enough for services. My fee was ridiculously low considering the gravity of the outcome.

Sure, it's nice that most of us can afford higher fees, and I'm not advocating someone raise their prices, but a consult and trip through the aeromed maze by Dr Bruce is the bargain of the century for pilots.
 
Yet another thumbs up for the good doctor. He's the best. Too bad he is not on the board here anymore. But I know how to get a hold of him.....:D
 
evapilotaz said:
I hope I never need him for anything. Mid 40's here an I excersise daily.
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IMHO, exercise won't work. You'll just be fit when you get yours, like Jim Fixx. You can't run away from heart disease, but you can eat your heart out of it on a plant-based diet.

dtuuri
 
dtuuri said:
My advice is to only eat plants and take up roller skating--like I did. :) dtuuri
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This actually explains a lot to me about you....;)

I mean that all in good fun.

A sincere congratulations for returning legally to the sky.

Dr. Bruce is my hero, and a well deserved one he is.
 
I am trying to get my dad to work with him. He was a CFI but hasn't flown in 30 years or held a medical in 20.

Since then he has had one heart attack and two double by-pass open heart surgeries. He is also on a CPAP. While preparing he got in touch with EAA but they were not much help so he went on ahead and did it.The FAA had issue with a sleeping pill that he has not had in quite some time and rejected it. He appealed with a Dr. letter and they rejected again.

So now his only choice is to go for a special issuance. I would bet Dr. Chien could get it for him but sadly dad probably won't pursue it.
 
docmirror said:
My only complaint is he doesn't charge enough for services. My fee was ridiculously low considering the gravity of the outcome.

Sure, it's nice that most of us can afford higher fees, and I'm not advocating someone raise their prices, but a consult and trip through the aeromed maze by Dr Bruce is the bargain of the century for pilots.
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+1. He once had me donate something like $50 to a favored charity (he told me which one) for some consult time and I emailed him the receipt! IME he's done a lot more for aviation than most people realize.
 
asgcpa said:
Yet another thumbs up for the good doctor. He's the best. Too bad he is not on the board here anymore. But I know how to get a hold of him.....:D
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Yes. Yes. Yes. And me, too!! :D

I've noticed that he does occasionally peek in here over at PoA.

Bruce - the offer of a great BBQ dinner and Texas hospitality still stands anytime you are down this way!!
 
I'm certainly grateful for his help in preserving sport pilot privileges, and letting me know what needs to be resolved for me to become FAA-certified again.
 
dtuuri said:
My advice is to only eat plants and take up roller skating--like I did. :)
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retailguy said:
This actually explains a lot to me about you....;)
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I see what you mean. At the rink, everybody must fly a left-hand pattern unless otherwise specified. There's NO cutting across the middle! The controller clears the pattern for formation flying, like circle waltzes, special dances and aerobatic maneuvers like flea-hops, overhead breaks, etc. Overhead breaks are to be avoided if at all possible--we take longer to heal as we get older. :redface:

Now I feel like boogying! Cow-cow style!

dtuuri
 
docmirror said:
My only complaint is he doesn't charge enough for services. My fee was ridiculously low considering the gravity of the outcome.

Sure, it's nice that most of us can afford higher fees, and I'm not advocating someone raise their prices, but a consult and trip through the aeromed maze by Dr Bruce is the bargain of the century for pilots.
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Exactly this. I am currently operating on sport pilot and I was considering getting my 3rd class. My local AME said that the FAA would likely ask for some paperwork but it wouldn't be an issue.

At this point I decided to consult with Dr Bruce and the amount of time he has dedicated to my case has been amazing and he has charged less than what I would normally pay for a standard appointment with my PCP. Thankfully he pointed out the pitfalls in the submit and follow up with the FAA's requests as the "additional paperwork" request will be the result of some fairly expensive testing and is not worth for me to pursue at this time.

Had i followed the first AME advice I would be stuck with a denial and be forced to pay out of pocket in order to get back to flying, and worst of all it would have been all unexpected as the first AME made it sound like it was going to be a documentation request, not additional testing.

I really cant speak highly enough about Dr. Bruce after this experience and the insane value that his services provide.
 
Kiddo's Driver said:
Get him on this site. CPAP is my issue. It is totally doable. Know the rules and play by the rules and you are fine. Dr. Bruce knows the rules.
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I was diagnosed with OSA, and am on CPAP therapy (works great for me - 100% compliance) and plan on seeing Dr. Bruce after I move back to Colorado next year and start my training.

I could try to find a local AME, but I've read so many positive things about Dr. Bruce, and also had a couple email exchanges with him before I sought a sleep study, that I think I'm going to rely on him exclusively for my third-class medical needs. Even though he's in another state, I'd rather deal with somebody who really knows his stuff and all the rules, even if it means traveling to see him.
 
I need to find a new AME. The guy I went to for several years was a real pilots advocate. He didn't have the feds phone numbers on speed dial, he had then memorized.

Unfortunately he passed away last month at 88 years young. One thing I liked about him was that his office was at the airport. I didn't have to sit in a room full of sick people while waiting to see him.
 
Zeldman said:
I need to find a new AME. The guy I went to for several years was a real pilots advocate. He didn't have the feds phone numbers on speed dial, he had then memorized.

Unfortunately he passed away last month at 88 years young. One thing I liked about him was that his office was at the airport. I didn't have to sit in a room full of sick people while waiting to see him.
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Dr. Bruce is your new guy then. Can't say enough
 
I commented on this board when I was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer back in 2008. I got a call at home from Bruce with suggestions on what to do with respect to the FAA. Obviously, the "suggestions" were gold. The man is a prince and is greatly missed on this board. Fortunately, I also log onto the Red board now and then, and he is still there.
 
I met Dr. Bruce for the first time at Gaston's. What a passionate gentleman. His dedication and focus on keeping us flying knows no bounds. He pushes the envelope in his quest to define and clarify FAA regs. He is truly an asset to the aviation community.
 
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