Stents while on Basic Med

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Anon

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70-year-old Private Pilot.

Cardio Doc was concerned with a stress MRI done a few months ago and gave me the verbal "Duke" test (can you climb stairs, etc.). Passed with flying colors, and I even walk the beach a couple of times a week for an hour at a good pace without getting winded, but he still wanted to do a Heart Cath, which I got yesterday along with three stents (two 50%, and one 75%).

I've been Basic Med since it was founded and 3rd Class previously. Never had any cardio problems or strokes, etc., other than High Blood Pressure and Cholesterol for 30 years, both controlled with drugs and neither was ever a problem on the 3rd Class.

I'll be taking Effient (prasugrel) for a month and will then have a follow-up visit with the Cardio Doc. If all is well, do I need to get the FAA involved, or can I start flying/self-evaluating via Basic Med again?
 
Interesting Question for which I have no answer.
 
Anon said:
...he still wanted to do a Heart Cath, which I got yesterday along with three stents (two 50%, and one 75%).
...
If all is well, do I need to get the FAA involved, or can I start flying/self-evaluating via Basic Med again?
Click to expand...
From https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/basic_med
, under "Medical Conditions Requiring One Special Issuance Before Operating under BasicMed":
A cardiovascular condition, limited to a one-time special issuance for each diagnosis of the following:
Myocardial infarction;
Coronary heart disease that has required treatment;
Cardiac valve replacement; or
Heart replacement.
Click to expand...
 
GeorgeC said:
From https://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/airmen_certification/basic_med
, under "Medical Conditions Requiring One Special Issuance Before Operating under BasicMed":
Click to expand...
Op here...

Yes, I read that, but I interpreted that paragraph as a prerequisite to a move to BasicMed, and didn't clearly imply that it applied to one already on BasicMed.

If I am wrong and I must get an SI, do I get it through an AME as a standalone effort (the SI) or must I get [at least] a 3rd Class Physical, fail it, and get deferred? Is there somewhere I can read up on this?
 
yes and it's simpler than you think.
90 ds then:
Stress treadmill (i rec. Stress tm - echo, 2 chances to "win" on medicare). heart rate 135 at least 6 mints they prefer 9...get all 30 EKG tracings
lipids and HbA1c (get your risk factors under control)
after 90 day Cardiology Office visit.

Apply, then back to basic if all is well.
 
bbchien said:
yes and it's simpler than you think.
90 ds then:
Stress treadmill (i rec. Stress tm - echo, 2 chances to "win" on medicare). heart rate 135 at least 6 mints they prefer 9...get all 30 EKG tracings
lipids and HbA1c (get your risk factors under control)
after 90 day Cardiology Office visit.

Apply, then back to basic if all is well.
Click to expand...
OP here....

Thanks Bruce. That's great news - I don't have to sell my plane and take up boating :)
 
OP Here.

10/1/2024 Stents inserted

11/22/2024 Stress Test completed. Flying colors, 155 bpm for 9 minutes. Also have satisfactory data from 36 Cardio PT sessions.

01/21/2025 Met with AME to get my SI and 3rd Class. AME said OKC will contact me in 8-12 weeks and will tell me what paperwork/test results they’ll need me to send them.

03/31/2025 Eight weeks after AME. I tried calling OKC repeatedly at different times and days, for an update or to see if they had everything they need. At all times and days, I was either queued for a while then dropped, or not queued at all with, “We’re experiencing high call volumes and are unable to help you” type messages, with no opportunity to leave voice mail. I’ve tried on and off since with the same result.

Does this sound right? Am I actually in limbo indefinitely? Not even knowing if the FAA has the request from the AME?

Second question. I am very comfortable with my current health and the stress test results and flew with a CFI a couple of weeks ago to knock off the rust. I’m safe, and competent. What are the risks of using my previous BasicMed to fly while waiting indefinitely for the FAA to give me the SI?

This is very discouraging and not to go political but at this point, if DOGE were to burn the entire FAA down, I would smile, quit flying, and just go fishing.
 
They take about six months. DOGE does not Faze FAA.
Call your congresscritter AFTER and not B4 six months is over. If you call b4 then, all you get is "Massive backlog, proper process in place" and you get nothing more.
 
OP Here...

Thanks Bruce. I guess if they don't answer the phone in 6 months, I can drive to OKC and knock on their door.
 
The situation I am familiar with took about 9 months from the stent to getting the medical back. That was about 2019.
The AME would check periodically if they exceeded the expected timeline for a response, so they never needed to try to call the FAA directly.

Was flying sailplanes and Light Sport in the mean time.
Brian
 
OP, bear in mind that this will be a complete new 3rd class. If you previously had an SI for some other issue, or if you've recently developed some new condition that's okay on Basic Med but requires an SI for 3rd Class (like sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.), you'll have to jump through those hoops, too.

You didn't say what aircraft you fly, but you might consider Sport Pilot, especially if it gets some help from MOSAIC, as that would let you fly with only a driver's license. Sport Pilot is off the table, though, if you end up not getting the 3rd.
 
OP here.

Got my registered, signature required US Mail from the FAA on 5/28/2025. AME denied my 3rd class (deferred me) on 2/3/2025, so 114 days, or 16 weeks, or almost 4 months.

The letter was very specific as to what they want to see.
 
Half Fast said:
OP, bear in mind that this will be a complete new 3rd class. If you previously had an SI for some other issue, or if you've recently developed some new condition that's okay on Basic Med but requires an SI for 3rd Class (like sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.), you'll have to jump through those hoops, too.

You didn't say what aircraft you fly, but you might consider Sport Pilot, especially if it gets some help from MOSAIC, as that would let you fly with only a driver's license. Sport Pilot is off the table, though, if you end up not getting the 3rd.
Click to expand...
Thanks Half. Yes, I had prostate cancer (gone now) and some guts removed and got deferred on those too. The FAA letter lists the required tests/documentation for those too. Jumping through hoops indeed.
 
OP here...

Got my Special Issuance for a Third Class letter in the mail today from OKC, with reauthorization required every 12 months (cardiologist letter, A1c and lipid profile).

So total time:
10/01/2024 Stents installed.
02/03/2025 Visit with AME, with deferral to OKC.
04/23/2025 Registered letter from FAA stating what documentation they need me to send them.
09/03/2025 FAA (OKC) receives the package from me with all the data they needed.
01/15/2026 Received US Mail from OKC with conditional approval and Medical.

80 days from the AME deferral to when I received the package from OKC stating what data they needed.
134 days from them receiving the data from me, to receiving the approval letter from them. And this was during a one-month shutdown.

Not too bad, considering,
- I also included two other issues that got deferred at the same time, and had to collect and send data on them too:
-- Had a Sigmoid Colectomy to get rid of diverticulitis
-- Had a Prostatectomy to get rid of prostate cancer
The FAA approved both of these, and only requires the 12 month recertification for the stents.

Lessons learned:
- I was told I had to wait 90 days from stents to AME visit. Not true, you can do it immediately. This could have saved many months.
 
Followup said:
OP here...

Got my Special Issuance for a Third Class letter in the mail today from OKC, with reauthorization required every 12 months (cardiologist letter, A1c and lipid profile).

So total time:
10/01/2024 Stents installed.
02/03/2025 Visit with AME, with deferral to OKC.
04/23/2025 Registered letter from FAA stating what documentation they need me to send them.
09/03/2025 FAA (OKC) receives the package from me with all the data they needed.
01/15/2026 Received US Mail from OKC with conditional approval and Medical.

80 days from the AME deferral to when I received the package from OKC stating what data they needed.
134 days from them receiving the data from me, to receiving the approval letter from them. And this was during a one-month shutdown.

Not too bad, considering,
- I also included two other issues that got deferred at the same time, and had to collect and send data on them too:
-- Had a Sigmoid Colectomy to get rid of diverticulitis
-- Had a Prostatectomy to get rid of prostate cancer
The FAA approved both of these, and only requires the 12 month recertification for the stents.

Lessons learned:
- I was told I had to wait 90 days from stents to AME visit. Not true, you can do it immediately. This could have saved many months.
Click to expand...
What documentation did the FAA want for the prostatectomy? (Had mine last May, undetectable PSA since.)
I also have presumptive glaucoma, and had cataract surgery, so a lot of issues.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
What documentation did the FAA want for the prostatectomy? (Had mine last May, undetectable PSA since.)
I also have presumptive glaucoma, and had cataract surgery, so a lot of issues.
Click to expand...
Kenny Phillips said:
What documentation did the FAA want for the prostatectomy? (Had mine last May, undetectable PSA since.)
I also have presumptive glaucoma, and had cataract surgery, so a lot of issues.
Click to expand...
OP here... Gotta start posting under my real name if I want to include graphics.

Kenny, here's the paragraph from the FAA request letter. This was the only thing mentioning the prostate cancer.
p.jpg
I had my urologist build a package to include all that, along with three years of zero PSAs.
 
Now that I am flying on a special issuance, can I go BasicMed and not worry about jumping through the annual hoops?

1770399705296.png
 
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