Question about medical process

D

DugLSP

Guest
I have just started working toward a Light Sport certification. I started with just my driver's license and have received my temporary cert. I have decided that, even though a medical is not required, that it's the right thing to do.

Does it muck up the student training and Light Sport certification process if I have the medical now vs waiting until after I complete my training and receive my LS cert? I don't want to confuse anyone by adding data that's not expected (or required).

Thank you for your input.

Doug
 
You could end up shooting yourself in the foot. If you get denied, your DL option is off the table.

If you are getting a sport cert this makes no sense to me.
 
I'm probably with @exncsurfer on this one.

If the reasons you chose to be Sport Pilot included flying with your DL you may want to leave it be.
If it was because of the type of flying you're thinking of or the slightly lower training requirements that may also be the case.

You may want to do a consult with an AME to determine if the the Third Class is within your reach. If there is no reason not to based on your history and current condition, than do it and you can be in basic med from there out.

My VERY LIMITED understanding is that flying LSA on your DL has less requirements than BasicMed. So there is that to think about.

In the end, if you know you'll never want to move up to PPL, leave it as is. If you might want to, it MIGHT make sense to train up for and medical up for PPL now.
 
I'm not involved in this in any way, but as others have suggested, go for a consult and remove the personal identification from the form so the AME can't file it.
 
Ravioli said:
I'm probably with @exncsurfer on this one.
If it was because of the type of flying you're thinking of or the slightly lower training requirements that may also be the case.
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The training delta between PPL and Sport Pilot is almost indistinct. Sport is not required to take a night cross country or night landings and cannot fly at night. Also a Sport must get seperate log book endorsement for radio and speeds above 80 ktas.

If someone wants to fly above 10k feet MSL, fly a certified plane like a Cessna 172 or 182 or wants to fly at night and can pass a 3rd class medical at least once then getting a PPL is a must.

Flying Sport on a DL is entirely self-assessment (no doctor signoff).
 
Thank you all for your input. I think I'll give the consult option a try. If I fail, I'll pull myself out of the cockpit. I'm not on any meds that are disapproved so I should be able to pass the medical.

Sport and PPL take essentially the same tests. SP is 20 hours vs 40 but it appears that most people actually need 30 to learn what is, essentially, the same set of skills as for PPL. We do shorter cross country flights and no nights. I don't see myself ever going for PPL. (Fighter jock, sure but I think that I'm DQ'd at age 63...) The SP fits what I want to do. If I change my mind, then I'm pretty well set up to move up.

My thoughts on the medical are philosophical. I'm in the air with other people. If I can't pass a 3rd class physical, what the heck am I doing sharing space with others??? If we flew in an entirely different airspace, maybe I could see a justification for no medical. Side note, my CFI is working with a couple of SP students who have difficulty getting into and out of the cockpit. I don't ever want to be someone who is a danger to others in the air because of a health condition.

Thank you all again for your input.

ps: sorry about the name change, I originally posted as an unregistered user then joined the forum. Still named Doug...
 
There is really no physical exam that can ensure that you are safe to fly, and the 3rd class exam is unlikely to uncover many conditions that would make you unsafe to fly. The 3rd class exam is a fairly minimal exam that relies more on history than exam findings to identify conditions the FAA considers disqualifying for private pilot privileges (many of which are an extreme reach for having any aeromedical relevance at all). If you have no medical history of any kind, then you're just wasting your time getting an AME exam if you never intend to go beyond LS. IMO if you want to know if you are safe to fly, you are better off getting a very thorough physical with the PCP of your choice. Even then, you could pass out or keel over at the controls from something that causes no symptoms, or medical signs, until it's too late. That's just the way it is, unfortunately.
 
azure said:
There is really no physical exam that can ensure that you are safe to fly, ... That's just the way it is, unfortunately.
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I appreciate your description and insight. Kind of makes you wonder why the reverse setup isn't the case; if a 3rd class medical has no real value, why make anyone take it?

Thank you.
 
Doug F said:
I appreciate your description and insight. Kind of makes you wonder why the reverse setup isn't the case; if a 3rd class medical has no real value, why make anyone take it?

Thank you.
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The answer, sadly, lies more in the realm of law and politics (and as some have it, insurance) than medical wisdom. The whole subject has been discussed here many times over the years. Sometimes the discussions generate more heat (or entertainment, depending on where you sit ;)) than light, but taken together, they've been quite informative. If you're interested, stick around and search the archives.
 
azure said:
... If you're interested, stick around and search the archives.
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Been poking around for the last half hour or so. I'm less than 10 hours into my SP training and am finding many of the posts here informative. Flying is way outside of my scope of experiences and the posts here are helping me get a sense of how pilots think about issues and the art of flying. I'll be sticking around for a bit!
 
I'll just chime in here to be sure to clarify some of the good advice already given.

- If you intend to fly SP, and have no real desire for 4-place certified aircraft, night flight, instrument etc. Then simply stick with SP and your driver's license.

- Once you apply for ANY medical, you have opened up the process and ANY denial means you loose your SP as well as any chance at PPL without going through a potentially expensive and lengthy process.

- The FAA medical process involves your ENTIRE history with a lot of "Have you EVER had... Have you EVER been arrested... etc.". Simply having been incorrectly diagnosed with something 10 years ago might lead to a LONG and $$$ process.

- If you want a CONSULT with an AME make sure it is just that, a consult. Expect to pay cash and do NOT fill out any FAA forms.

- Personally, if I was thinking SP and at 10 hours, I'd go ahead and finish up SP and get about 50+ hours behind me and then decide if I wanted to do any of those things that require PPL.

FYI the new basic med does require that you have passed at least a class III medical at least once in the last 10 years. So if, after consulting with an AME and digging thorough your own medical history, you (and more importantly the AME) are SURE you would be a "shall issue" then maybe go for it, because after that you can go basic med with just your personal Dr. for ever after.

When I started this journey 2 years ago, I too was confused and thought "why wouldn't I just want to get a medical". But it is quite a bit more complex a decision than that. Turns out that the plane I want to fly I need a PPL, so I am going that route. But I thought I would be a slam dunk for the medical (Im healthy, no drugs, no medications, etc). But that whole "have you EVER" stuff nailed me to the wall and it took me a year and $$$$ to get it done. If the plane I want was LS, I'd have gone SP.
 
jbrinker said:
I'll just chime in here to be sure to clarify some of the good advice already given.

- If you intend to fly SP, and have no real desire for 4-place certified aircraft, night flight, instrument etc. Then simply stick with SP and your driver's license.... But that whole "have you EVER" stuff nailed me to the wall and it took me a year and $$$$ to get it done. If the plane I want was LS, I'd have gone SP.
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That is great information. At 62, there could be any number of things 'I have ever...' that could bite me; not drugs or jail but just dumb 'hard earned life skills'.

Thanks for the perspective.
 
Doug F said:
If I can't pass a 3rd class physical, what the heck am I doing sharing space with others???
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If you have some actual medical condition that actually makes it unsafe for you to act as PIC in a Champ, then you sure as heck don't belong behind the wheel of an automobile.
 
The right thing to do is get an annual check up with a GP/family doctor, and don't take a chance on an FFA PPL medical until you need it. The annual GP checkup may be covered by your med insurance -- and it will be as accurate as the FAA one concerning your fitness to fly.
 
tinerj said:
..may be covered by your med insurance...
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Not with my deductible! My former employer went to a high deductible plan a few years ago and that carried over when I retired and kept it via COBRA.

Good advice on the GP. I'll re-read the FAA medical guidelines and see if I can find anything that looks like an issue.
 
agree with all who say avoid 3rd class if you don't need it......I had great insurance back in the 90's and was in great shape, with a bit of high blood pressure.....the AME's apparently wanted to make sure the BMW payments got made for their buddies.....was sent for a full treadmill EKG extravaganza with an RN standing by to grab me as I sailed off the treadmill. If you're in triathlon shape you can go 12 minutes on the treadmill, I made it 8 and prob could have stretched to 9. I look back on that as the joke it was at the time, I was in great shape. Avoid falling into the hands of the med profession if you can avoid it.
 
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