Simple complicated question

M

Mj55469

Filing Flight Plan
Joined
Jun 28, 2015
Messages
3
Display Name
Display name:
Mike
First thank you for taking the time to read this. I'll try to as brief as completeness will allow.

I obtained a third class medical in July 2011. It was differed due to a dwi I had received in 1990 and to the fact I was taking blood pressure medication, but after lots of documentation and dr visits the medical was issued.

I started my flight training, accumulated only 10hrs, and was forced to stop for financial reasons.

At that point life got the best of me and I attempted suicide (pills) in Oct 2012.
I was in voluntary inpatient treatment for 30 days after I was released from the hospital. I started tapering myself off the medications I had been on this year. I'm now free from all medications, including blood pressure, except for Ambien.

So my question is simply this, at this point, with my less than stellar history, is it even possible to try and continue my flight training? I'm not opposed to putting the effort in to the documentation if I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. However, if my previous mistakes have cost me this privilege, I'd rather just know upfront than jump hoops for the impossible.

Any AME recommendations who deal with difficult cases would be appreciated.
 
Possible to fly? Sure. Have you considered the Sport Pilot option?

Possible get a medical? Perhaps. Just don't go waltzing into an AME and get locked out of no-medical options.

Dr. Bruce Chien in Peoria is the typical recommendation from people hereabouts. http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com/
 
THE BEST without a doubt is Dr. Bruce Chien, AME. Contact him on his website www.aeromedicaldoc.com or in the Medical forum at AOPA.org. He does not hang out on this board.

He'll tell it to you straight, and you must be straight with him. If he thinks you have a shot at this, do what he says without fail and you will likely end up with your medical. I wish you luck with your flight training!

-Skip
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
Possible to fly? Sure. Have you considered the Sport Pilot option?

Possible get a medical? Perhaps. Just don't go waltzing into an AME and get locked out of no-medical options.

Dr. Bruce Chien in Peoria is the typical recommendation from people hereabouts. http://www.aeromedicaldoc.com/
Click to expand...

His deferred medical turned into a denial at some point. He can't do sport pilot until he fixes the medical issues and gets a third class.
 
retailguy said:
His deferred medical turned into a denial at some point. He can't do sport pilot until he fixes the medical issues and gets a third class.
Click to expand...

Uh...no...I didn't read that. I read that his deferred medical was finally issued.
 
retailguy said:
His deferred medical turned into a denial at some point. He can't do sport pilot until he fixes the medical issues and gets a third class.
Click to expand...

He was issued a third class subsequent to the deferral, which is probably expired by now, but never revoked; but which in any case is invalid for operations requiring a third-class medical per FAR 61:53(a), even if it hasn't expired. But because it was never revoked, he is still eligible for SP per FAR 61:53(b), assuming he can honestly self-certify to not having "any medical condition that would make [him] unable to operate the aircraft in a safe manner."

That eligibility instantly disappears, however, if Mike applies for a medical and is denied, deferred, or otherwise non-issued; so I'll join the chorus recommending a call to Dr. Bruce before attempting to get a medical, if that's what he wants to do.

Rich
 
I don't think you can get a medical while on Ambien, but as others mentioned, Dr Bruce will be the source of best information. The suicide attempt is another issue that will likely require considerable cost to get through, there have been a couple of high profile 'suicide by airplane' crashes that has left the FAA not very fond of the issue.

If you let the medical expire, you are still ok to fly as Sport Pilot in compatible aircraft as long as you and your doctor think it'll be ok. If you apply for a new medical and are denied, this option goes away. Considering your overall situation, if you want to fly, and aren't financially able to absorb over $10,000 TRYING (no assurance) to get your medical, I would give up on that route and pursue a non medical requiring route such as Sport Pilot, Glider, Ultralight (pt. 103), or Balloon.

If you really want to get in bigger planes, Dr Bruce will likely be your best route.
 
Henning said:
I don't think you can get a medical while on Ambien,
Click to expand...
If I recall correctly, Ambien became a (sometimes) permitted medication some years ago, requiring a physician status report about why and how it is being used, occasional use (1-2 times per week), and a 24-hour wait before flying.

AOPA has a lookup database for a lot of medications but I don't think of it as anything more than a heads-up.
 
midlifeflyer said:
If I recall correctly, Ambien became a (sometimes) permitted medication some years ago. ...
Click to expand...


But rather than guess, ASK Bruce FIRST -- before anything.
Don't pass GO --- Talk to Bruce
No exceptions
(And no hiding or couching anything [as a pre-warning] from him either)
 
oldShar said:
But rather than guess, ASK Bruce FIRST -- before anything.
Don't pass GO --- Talk to Bruce
No exceptions
(And no hiding or couching anything [as a pre-warning] from him either)
Click to expand...

Yep, you hold back from Bruce you're just screwing yourself.
 
Whatever you do, don't apply for another medical until you've spoken to Bruce and know that it's doable. Once you apply, if the medical is not issued for ANY reason, the SP option disappears (presumably along with whatever other DL-medical options may be in the works).

Rich
 
Last edited:
I would concur with others that speaking to an AME (outside of an actual FAA medical application) would be a good idea but your AME will not be able to issue you a medical either way, it will go to the FAA for a determination.

However my gut feeling is that with the earlier DUI that there is a very high probability that it will be denied. They gave you a break once which was squandered.
 
Do us all a favor and take up another sport. You rewared your first chance at getting a medical with a suicide attempt which mean you threw it away. :rolleyes2:
 
Last edited:
My thanks to the responders. The op may close this thread as they see fit.
 
Geico266 said:
Do us all a favor and take up another sport. You rewared your first chance at getting a medical with a suicide attempt which mean you threw it away. :rolleyes2:
Click to expand...

:confused: What, you think that getting a FAA medical is so precious that it should solve every other problem a person has? That being allowed to have one should be an honor that absolves one of every other issue?:dunno:
 
I don't think they close threads here except in cases of egregious violations of the rules of conduct.
 
Yaeh threads like this tend to go several pages around here...
 
The Ambien is small potatoes. The psych commitment is a big one. I had a close friend who was a CFI who had a suicide attempt. The certification issues were non-trivial. They won't even start evaluating you without the full PPP workup. That's a bunch of standard psychological tests (MMPI-2, Rorshach, etc...), followed by some that the FAA thinks is appropriate to your situation. Then you must have a board certified psychiatrist (that's an MD) write a report on you, which could take a bunch of visits to get enough evaluation. You could be talking about $10,000 (Henning ain't kidding, people are saying just the initial psych testing is running $2500 and that doesn't count the doctor time) worth of tests before you get to square one. In fact, given the substance abuse, it's probably going to need to be a HIMS AME.

Further, since you have a substance abuse history, the FAA is for sure ALSO going to look at that. Just because they decided to issue with the DUI as it was, doesn't mean they're not going to revisit that now there is further psychiatric and substance abuse problems. In fact, I suspect your SI is history.

Yep, Bruce who is a HIMS AME is probably the best place to start, but even he isn't likely to be able to handle all of this. He can however paint a more accurate picture to the road ahead.
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 365 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant.
Perhaps it would be better to start a new thread instead.
Back
Top