@Ernie235 ...
@bbchien (Dr. Bruce) or
@lbfjrmd (Dr. Lou) are our two experts for Medical certification questions. Hopefully they will be by eventually to offer information.
At a minimum, I am going to guess that the FAA will want to see all of the documentation about your concussion. Things like a description of the event, how you were treated and by whom, what those docs had to say during hospital treatment and on your release, what if any treatment you received afterwards, and if there were any post treatment issues, even those that might have manifested weeks/months after this event.
Again, the doctors will provide the more comprehensive list.
For now, I'll leave some information about "owning your FAA Medical" in today's environment. Several things have changed while you were not flying, so knowing before going is even more important. And if you don't know, don't go to the "live" exam. Schedule a consultative appointment so you can ask the AME questions without jeopardizing your ability to fly under sport pilot rules.
- Before setting your appointment with the AME, thoroughly review all of the questions regarding medical history, doctor visits, medications, and law enforcement encounters. Keep in mind that the preamble is "Have You Ever In Your Life...". These questions can be found by googling for the current FAA Form 8500-8, or starting on Page 24 of the MedXpress User's Guide
- If any of these questions requires a yes answer, or you have had a bad run in with law enforcement, or you had taken medication for a psychiatric condition (including anxiety, depression, ADD/ADHD), do not proceed to the AME.
- You may have a live hand grenade in your medical past.
- And proceeding to the AME without being properly prepared is like pulling the pin.
- For the item you answered yes to, start researching what it is that the FAA wants to know about you and these conditions, medications, doctor visits.
- Only proceed to the AME once you have gathered 100% of any and all required documentation the FAA is going to want on these conditions, medications, doctor visits.
- Only proceed to the AME once you know 100% (and then some) that the AME will issue your certificate in the office and not deny or defer you.
- You want to avoid deferral and denial at all costs. These happen when the applicant is not properly prepared and "bombs" into the office not knowing that their history is going to cause problems.
- Deferral means that the AME cannot issue in the office and must send your application to Oklahoma City (FAA Central) to be decided on. Expect a reply of some form (issue, denial, or need more info) in about 12-16 weeks. (side note... some defferrals are unavoidable. So if this is going to be part of the process, make 200% sure you are submitting every scrap of information they are going to need to issue your medical. Do not submit if you are missing things)
- Denial means that something about your history is going to keep you from your dream of flight.... forever.
- If you have questions about your medical history or the process of the FAA approving your application,
- call the AME to setup a consultative office visit.
- You will be asked to pay his fee, but that's okay since you are taking up his time
- You may be asked to fill out the online MedXpress in advance.
- This is okay, however, after printing out the paper copy, grab scissors and remove the confirmation number that appears at the bottom of the form.
- While in consultative mode, in no circumstance will you surrender this confirmation number
- The confirmation number is needed to make the exam go "live". But going live means the AME can only issue, deny or defer. You are here to avoid denial and deferral.
- If after completing the consultative visit, the AME says he can issue you right then and there, now you can surrender the confirmation number.
- If after completing the consultative visit, the AME says your application would be deferred due to X, Y, and/or Z, discuss with him what it is you need to go obtain and bring back that will satisfy the FAA and allow the AME to issue your certificate.
If your situation is crazy messy or crazy difficult, do not proceed to the local AME. Seek out one of the very senior difficult case AME's such as Dr. Lou Fowler of Pensacola, FL, or Dr. Bruce Chien of Bolingbrook, IL,
www.aeromedicaldoc.com. Dr. Lou and Dr. Bruce (and AME's like them) are well known to manage the case before the FAA is told about it. And do it in a way so that when it is sent to the FAA, the chance of issuance is near 100%. And if there is a whiff of denial, the file will not be sent in.
