My Flight Surgeon
Sr. Aviation Medical Examiner
Common errors airmen make in Special Issuance applications
Here are some “hot button” errors airmen commonly make that cause delays in medical certification when asked for additional information by the FAA (this information is from the Federal Air Surgeon):
1 When the AMCD (Aeromedical Certification Division) requests specific testing, they want the airman to provide the ones they specify, performed the way they request it. If their treating physician wants to deviate from their recommendations, it would do best by calling a “time out” and discussing this with your AME, the Regional Medical Office, or Medical Certification in Oklahoma City. The perfect example that comes to mind is exercise stress testing. The FAA wants applicants to discontinue their beta-blocker or other medications that can blunt the exercise response. Obviously, they should to do this under the guidance of their treating physician. The FAA emphasizes that the airman is to exercise for a minimum of nine minutes and at 100 per cent of their maximal heart rate. However, the FAA often contends with applicants whose physicians have ignored their specifications. They want these tests performed a specific way for an aeromedical reason. Failure to perform requested testing according to the FAA guidelines may result in them not accepting a waiver request or even denying medical certification.
2 Here are Web sites that are good aeromedical reference sources. The individuals that provide information to these sites generally work with the FAA and know their requirements.
• www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/ (especially, the online Guide for Aviation Medicine Examiners)
• www.AOPA.org
• www.EAA.org
• www.AviationMedicine.com
• www.LeftSeat.com
AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association) and EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) require that you to be a member to access their online medical advice. The airman should go to the Web site and print out the specifications for their particular medical condition and take them to their treating physician so as to inform the physician of what the FAA requires to make a waiver determination. The FAA makes every attempt to request only those evaluations and tests that they and their consultants determined provide the most benefit to make a certification decision.
3 Probably the most irksome thing that treating physicians do is to tell their airmen patients that they “can see no reason why you cannot pilot an aircraft” and should return to flying. The fact is that if physicians do not understand how high altitude affects the human body or know what the FAA requires of airmen with a particular medical condition, they should not say anything
4 When you are to provide the FAA with testing and medical evaluations, collect all the documentation and send it to them it in one packet. This goes with issue number one (above). Failure to do so will surely result in delayed decisions. Something that goes hand-in-hand with this is when the FAA request a “current” status report or test result. The FAA’s definition of current is an evaluation or test performed within the previous 90 days.
I thought this information would be of benefit to some and useful knowledge to many, especially CFI's when dealing with students questions.
Here are some “hot button” errors airmen commonly make that cause delays in medical certification when asked for additional information by the FAA (this information is from the Federal Air Surgeon):
1 When the AMCD (Aeromedical Certification Division) requests specific testing, they want the airman to provide the ones they specify, performed the way they request it. If their treating physician wants to deviate from their recommendations, it would do best by calling a “time out” and discussing this with your AME, the Regional Medical Office, or Medical Certification in Oklahoma City. The perfect example that comes to mind is exercise stress testing. The FAA wants applicants to discontinue their beta-blocker or other medications that can blunt the exercise response. Obviously, they should to do this under the guidance of their treating physician. The FAA emphasizes that the airman is to exercise for a minimum of nine minutes and at 100 per cent of their maximal heart rate. However, the FAA often contends with applicants whose physicians have ignored their specifications. They want these tests performed a specific way for an aeromedical reason. Failure to perform requested testing according to the FAA guidelines may result in them not accepting a waiver request or even denying medical certification.
2 Here are Web sites that are good aeromedical reference sources. The individuals that provide information to these sites generally work with the FAA and know their requirements.
• www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/avs/offices/aam/ (especially, the online Guide for Aviation Medicine Examiners)
• www.AOPA.org
• www.EAA.org
• www.AviationMedicine.com
• www.LeftSeat.com
AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots' Association) and EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) require that you to be a member to access their online medical advice. The airman should go to the Web site and print out the specifications for their particular medical condition and take them to their treating physician so as to inform the physician of what the FAA requires to make a waiver determination. The FAA makes every attempt to request only those evaluations and tests that they and their consultants determined provide the most benefit to make a certification decision.
3 Probably the most irksome thing that treating physicians do is to tell their airmen patients that they “can see no reason why you cannot pilot an aircraft” and should return to flying. The fact is that if physicians do not understand how high altitude affects the human body or know what the FAA requires of airmen with a particular medical condition, they should not say anything
4 When you are to provide the FAA with testing and medical evaluations, collect all the documentation and send it to them it in one packet. This goes with issue number one (above). Failure to do so will surely result in delayed decisions. Something that goes hand-in-hand with this is when the FAA request a “current” status report or test result. The FAA’s definition of current is an evaluation or test performed within the previous 90 days.
I thought this information would be of benefit to some and useful knowledge to many, especially CFI's when dealing with students questions.