First time run at a special issuance 3rd class medical/alcohol

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06Vanden Plas

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06Vanden Plas
I’ve read a boatload on the subject, but it is not clear to me if I will have to go the HIMS/testing/psychiatrist/neuropsychologist route. I have no fewer than 4 or 5 issues that require an SI, having not flown in over 25 years and wanting to go back to it at age 69.

Most are easy and I am assembling the required paperwork to take to a HIMS AME (just to be on the safe side): repaired atrial fibrillation; CPAP use for under-control positional apnea; hearing aids; pulmonary function test for asthma/mild COPD; and .... drumroll please ... alcohol.

My overarching question is, does anyone have a based-on-experience or from a professional medical perspective guess if I will have to go the full HIMS route. I took myself to rehab 11 years ago, did intensive outpatient for 18 months, did the AA 90-in-90 and continue to go to meetings twice a week, and whereever I travel internationally. I have letters from two doctors saying they’ve seen no evidence of relapse, one from my rehab counselor who remains a friend, and the usual letters from AA members saying what a wonderful sober person I am. I have no DUIs. I had a public intoxication arrest in college in 1968.

Can anyone give me a very educated response as to whether I will have to go the HIMS route? At my age, if that is the case, I might as well drop my dream of returning to flight and go the LSA or Sport pilot with a driver’s license route. All I want to do is get $100 hamburgers, or fly somewhere for the afternoon just for fun, though the recreational route with its restrictions doesn’t sound all that appealing.

Thanks in advance.
 
The best person to answer your question and provide guidance is Dr. Bruce Chien, www.aeromedicaldoc.com

Look for the "how to start" link on that page and follow the directions.

Plus, with all of your conditions, I would highly advise hiring him to review your case and collected documentation, and then plan on traveling to his office in Bolingbrook, IL, for the exam.

Doing so will increase your chances of success well over some random AME you found on Google.
 
Thanks. The guy who I'm tempted to use locally is an HIMS-certified person, but I'll look into the link you sent and this gent, whose name I have seen bandied about on this board as the go-to person for medical issues.
 
06Vanden Plas said:
At my age, if that is the case, I might as well drop my dream of returning to flight and go the LSA or Sport pilot with a driver’s license route. All I want to do is get $100 hamburgers, or fly somewhere for the afternoon just for fun, though the recreational route with its restrictions doesn’t sound all that appealing.
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Good advice above, but also try adjusting your thinking a bit. Going Sport Pilot is hardly “dropping your dream of returning to flight.”

For the $100 hamburgers and afternoon fun flights you want to do, Sport might be the perfect choice. As long as you’re good with day VFR and only one passenger, why hassle with the medical at all? And it’s not like LSAs aren’t capable planes. Many folks do long XCs in them.
 
Based on what Half Fast and Aggiemike said, it is critical you do not get denied for the Class III. That would lock you out of Sport Pilot. Do not apply until you are completely certain you will pass, and with your issues I fully endorse Aggie's recommendation to contact Dr. Chien.
 
Rushie said:
Based on what Half Fast and Aggiemike said, it is critical you do not get denied for the Class III. That would lock you out of Sport Pilot. Do not apply until you are completely certain you will pass, and with your issues I fully endorse Aggie's recommendation to contact Dr. Chien.
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I thank both Rushie and Half Fast for your observations. Day VFR is all I want. Sounds like good advice. The AME I was planning to go to is a HIMS person and I would suspect has experience at this, but I will definitely consider this gent outside Chicago. I’m in the DC area but an overnight to Chicago’s an easy deal. Thank you again.
 
06Vanden Plas said:
The AME I was planning to go to is a HIMS person
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That he is a HIMS AME is a good start for the alcohol part... but how is he on all of the other items that you have going on?

Keep in mind you want the right AME that will first start off with a consultation about your medical history, not start the exam and let the FAA figure it out.

The way Dr. Bruce does it (after you have hired him to manage your case) is
  1. to ask you what you got going on,
  2. provide you with the list of things to get from which which doctor,
  3. has you send those things to him for review,
  4. discuss if any changes/improvements to the documentation are warranted
  5. And only schedules the live exam once his is very confident that the FAA will grant your medical certificate.

With the list of items in your history, there will be many things to get, and you are likely to have more than one special issuance attached to the medical. The latter isn't a bad thing. It's just the FAA's way of acknowledging your conditions, and requiring you to follow the protocol to inform them you are still healthy enough to operate an aircraft.
 
AggieMike88 said:
I'm pretty sure we've known each other long enough for yas to call me Mike.
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Aww but if you're Aggie we can have the same nickname.:D Kidding, I don't like to be called Aggie either - I'm Rush. My handle on this forum is only Rushie because when I registered it wouldn't allow me to use less than six characters so, lacking enough imagination to come up with anything else, I just tacked on the "ie".

Edit: maybe it was five cuz I see people here with only five.

AggieMike88 said:
That he is a HIMS AME is a good start for the alcohol part... but how is he on all of the other items that you have going on?

Keep in mind you want the right AME that will first start off with a consultation about your medical history, not start the exam and let the FAA figure it out.

The way Dr. Bruce does it (after you have hired him to manage your case) is
  1. to ask you what you got going on,
  2. provide you with the list of things to get from which which doctor,
  3. has you send those things to him for review,
  4. discuss if any changes/improvements to the documentation are warranted
  5. And only schedules the live exam once his is very confident that the FAA will grant your medical certificate.

With the list of items in your history, there will be many things to get, and you are likely to have more than one special issuance attached to the medical. The latter isn't a bad thing. It's just the FAA's way of acknowledging your conditions, and requiring you to follow the protocol to inform them you are still healthy enough to operate an aircraft.
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OP, you don't have to fly to Dr. Bruce unless you follow through the live exam, you can have him look at your records preliminarily. (He charges for this but it's worth it.) If he thinks you will not be able to get certified then that saves you a trip. But if he thinks it can be done it will be well worth the trip.

I would not touch the MedExpress right now - step away from the keyboard. :DThe problem people run into is filling out the form and then taking the confirmation number to the AME and the AME then puts it in and goes "live" before knowing for certain you will be issued. Dr. Bruce won't do that to you.

If you can be issued that would be great because after that you can go BasicMed if I understand correctly. If you cannot be issued, but you do not apply and hence don't get denied, then you can go Sport Pilot. I should qualify this by saying you can go Sport Pilot if you qualify under those rules.
 
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with 11 years of sobriety etc ... it is possible the FAA will not require the HIMS route, especially for a 3rd class medical.
 
lbfjrmd said:
with 11 years of sobriety etc ... it is possible the FAA will not require the HIMS route, especially for a 3rd class medical.
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I wondered if that were the case but didn't want to say anything since I'm not an AME. I worried that COPD or cardiac arrhythmia would be a worse problem now than a remote history of alcohol abuse that appears to have been resolved.
 
Rushie said:
I wondered if that were the case but didn't want to say anything since I'm not an AME. I worried that COPD or cardiac arrhythmia would be a worse problem now than a remote history of alcohol abuse that appears to have been resolved.
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yes those are problematic, but are straight SI's. Alcohol will either be an admonishment letter ... or a full HIMS SI.
 
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lbfjrmd said:
yes those are problematic, but are straight SI's. Alcohol will either be an admonishment ... or a full HIMS SI.
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This depends on call. For any revenue avaitior, the FAA will generally insist on the HIMS route, even with 10 years.

For third class, if we can:
Corroborate 10 years of sobriety
Confirm it in the current state
And convince a HIMS psychiatrist that he understands what recovery really means, I have had these issued "as eligible", NO SI.
 
Rushie said:
Based on what Half Fast and Aggiemike said, it is critical you do not get denied for the Class III. That would lock you out of Sport Pilot. Do not apply until you are completely certain you will pass, and with your issues I fully endorse Aggie's recommendation to contact Dr. Chien.
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It would also lock you out of a BasicMed should that route be an option for your situation.
 
Thanks. I am aware of that. I am not eligible for Basic Med as I flew up until the early ‘90s but have not had a medical since. I have gone in and looked at the FAA questionnaire and it is not as daunting as I thought. I quit taking medications they don’t like months ago in preparation for making this attempt. I’m awaiting the last of a series of letters from various doctors saying i’m healthy, some negative test results and a few other supporting letters before making my decision. And, I’ve got plenty of time (10 more weeks based on the premise the FAA wants everything current within the 90 days before your application.) I may send the package off to the good Dr. Chien and get his take on it before making my decision. Thank you again.
 
06Vanden Plas said:
I may send the package off to the good Dr. Chien and get his take on it before making my decision.
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Good plan.

And it might be well worth the cost of the airplane ticket to have Dr. Bruce be the AME who does the examination. In addition to his expertise at helping airmen obtain and retain medicals, he is also known for his gracious hospitality and extremely interesting "No kidding, there I was..." stories
 
I may send the package off to the good Dr. Chien and get his take on it before making my decision.
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This should be in the PHAK as a good example of aeronautical decision making.
 
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