Type 1 medical journey

M

m0ondogy

Filing Flight Plan
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May 2, 2026
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M0ondogy
Hello all.

I've posted in this medical forum before, but can't seem to find my old user name or post, so I'm making this post as a recap.

In 2019 I took a discovery flight out of FDK. That was my home then. Pilot told me I'll have a rough road ahead being a type 1 diabetic and having to pass my medical. Luckily AOPA is located in Frederick, and they were decent enough to let me walk in and talk to someone without being a member. Helps that he recalled me from the local ale house trivia nights. We were on rival teams that traded victories. Small world eh?

Long story short, I was aiming for basic med.

Covid came and went and so did my moves from MD to FL to LA.

I was talking here and there with AMEs across the southern states to see what kind of numbers, test, and other things like that would be needed. I even saw one locally. A here gerentologist who did AME. He was not a good resource for a challenging case like mine. His suggestion? Chart everything, have all my specialist appts less that 3 months apart (aka see my endocrinologist every 2.75 months) and have them state clearly and in plain language my diabetes was under control and not a cause of medical concern with current treatment.

This is now done. I see her again next week.

I'm thinking of stopping, though.

Mosaic and it's sport pilot class is hard to pass up. The still potential of full rejection exist with class 3/basic med.

The main trade off for my mission will be the loss of night flight and potential extra passengers.

For you numbers nerds.
A1C = 5.9. Std Div. = 0.3
Low sugar range (less than 90) = 2% for 3 days.
Extreme low sugar range (less than 70%) = 0.3% for 3 days.
...extreme low is a sub percentage of low.

Number source for A1C is quarterly doc visits, and the sugar range is from dexcom app and open source Tidepool web client.

No real question just looking to start a discussion on the Mosaic option vs Basic med with potential rejection
 
Main mission is fun with some trips out to the family lake house (5 hours by car), inlaw visits (8 hours by car), and work site visits (3 to 6 hours by car).

Really, those trips will be less common than for fun flights.
 
m0ondogy said:
Main mission is fun with some trips out to the family lake house (5 hours by car), inlaw visits (8 hours by car), and work site visits (3 to 6 hours by car).

Really, those trips will be less common than for fun flights.
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MOSAIC is your friend. If I fail to recapture my medical, I'm grounded. If I didn't have certain goals, I'd stick with MOSAIC rules (as I'm flying under now.)
 
Kenny Phillips said:
MOSAIC is your friend. If I fail to recapture my medical, I'm grounded. If I didn't have certain goals, I'd stick with MOSAIC rules (as I'm flying under now.)
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That's my gut instinct. Just trying to accept the fact that I cannot fly at night nor take the whole family on a flight.

How often does that actually happen? That's what I'm weighing.

...

Side comment, let me dig up some of the AME emails from years back. I did manage to find one who sent me a guideline that tends to be accepted by the FAA for blood sugar levels. Things like time in range, CGM requirements, and complications history (eyes, kidneys, seizures and the like). I'll post those once I find them.

I used them as my goals for the past 5 years and have been notably more healthier as a result in general health on top of diabetic health.
 
m0ondogy said:
That's my gut instinct. Just trying to accept the fact that I cannot fly at night nor take the whole family on a flight.

How often does that actually happen? That's what I'm weighing.

...

Side comment, let me dig up some of the AME emails from years back. I did manage to find one who sent me a guideline that tends to be accepted by the FAA for blood sugar levels. Things like time in range, CGM requirements, and complications history (eyes, kidneys, seizures and the like). I'll post those once I find them.

I used them as my goals for the past 5 years and have been notably more healthier as a result in general health on top of diabetic health.
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Certainly you can hire an instructor for such flights.
 
To the O.P: On the POA user panel, turn on "sig. lines" and send me an email through the website.
Lotsa squares to fill; it can be done (I've done it maybe 40 times now). But they are very very precise.
 
Kenny Phillips said:
Certainly you can hire an instructor for such flights.
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Interesting thought. Never crossed my mind. Worth considering. Thanks.
bbchien said:
To the O.P: On the POA user panel, turn on "sig. lines" and send me an email through the website.
Lotsa squares to fill; it can be done (I've done it maybe 40 times now). But they are very very precise.
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Seams like you are an excellent source. I'll be reaching out like you suggested. Thanks!
 
OP, I'm one of the 40 or so with T1DM for whom Dr. Chien originated my third-class certification. Mine was in the pre-CGM era, so was a bit different requirements than currently. But really, it's mostly the stuff you should be doing anyway, and not particularly difficult, just a lot of documentation done to FAA standards. In my case, when Basic Med became available I went that route and never looked back. If you wish to preserve the ability to fly at night or with the family, I'd recommend you consider obtaining a one-time third class SI, then continue under Basic Med, assuming you have no other issues which would preclude BM.

Here's the link from the FAA's AME guide, which tell you everything required: https://www.faa.gov/ame_guide/dec_cons/disease_prot/itdm
 
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