BaronPete

Hey everyone,

So I went for my first class medical this morning, and it didn't go exactly as I planned. I was aware that there would be questions regarding my past medical history, but I didn't think to bring proper documentation and the like due to this being my first medical.

At any rate, I took the high road and mentioned how when I was a senior in high school I was prescribed an anti-depressant for about 3 months. Upon seeing this, the doctor was very understanding, but said he would need to see medical documentation stating that this ailment was treated before he can release the deferment on my 1st class. The medical records themselves shouldn't be that hard to come across, though I may have to go back and see my pediatrician (was 17 at the time, am 21 now) because I can't recall me going back and him just saying "congratulations, you're not depressed anymore!"

Here's where the real question is. I'm going home from college this summer for the sole purpose of gaining my private pilot license. Now, a day away from heading home, this situation hits me. Provided I get all the paperwork in order, (I fully expect it to be ready to be sent off on Monday) what kind of wait should I be expecting to hear back from the FAA considering this medical incident was so short lived and nearly 4 years ago?? I never received counseling or have I had any mental related issues since.

My biggest worry is that it will take months and I won't be able to finish/start my private before school starts again in the Fall. I realize it is a case by case basis and that the FAA is slow as Christmas, but does anyone have any insight into my situation or hints to expedite the receipt of my medical?

Thanks!

BaronPete

milky

Sorry to hear about your situation. I will pass on a bit of advice for all others out there. My FAA Doc that is about to retire after 50 years of doing medicals told me: Don't ever volunteer anything. Don't lie, but do not mention anything that is not specifically asked. He described the waiver process to me and how the FAA flight surgeons in the bureaucracy are VERY unresponsive. He told me that he has had to wait months to almost a year to get a simple waiver for something that was well-documented and should not have been an issue.

Good luck.

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-Milky

BaronPete

I realize that we certainly shouldn't self incriminate when possible, but there was a specific prompt that mentioned "have you ever been diagnosed with depression or anxiety?" Check yes or no and explain. Seemed pretty black and white to me.

FlyJSH

In my own experience, it has taken between several weeks and several months. The FAA SAYS it doesn't take as long now as in the past, so hopefully things have improved. Get all the documentation you can, even stuff you don't think you need, and a letter specifically written by the doctor (specialists seem to carry more weight) saying you are okay to fly (there was a time when the phrase something like "xxx condition does not cause sudden incapacitation" seemed to help). In the future, try to find doctors/specialists who either are pilots, have delt with the FAA and/or the DOT. They often have a better handle on what to write.

After the paperwork is submitted, make a pest of yourself. Call the fine folks at Oklahoma City daily. Bug the heck out of them. And if they say, "It has gone to typing." that means another three weeks..... unless you BUG THEM AGAIN for a faxed copy in the mean time.

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rickair7777

You did the right thing in this case. While some folks have conveniently "forgotten" minor childhood ailments (like asthma/hayfever)which occured and were resolved in the distant past, depression is considered quite serious, and since it was recent there is a possibility that it might come to light if the FAA needs to review your records for some reason in the future.

If you didn't disclose it, and they found out later, you would lose all of your licenses, and possibly face federal felony charges. You would not want that hanging over your head for the rest of you career.

In the case of simple depression with a few months of SSRI-type drugs, the FAA will probably want this:

1) Documentation that you've been off the drugs for 6+ months.
2) A statement from the original doctor that the condition was resolved, and/or an evaluation from another Dr (probably a psychologist) stating that you are currently in good shape.

Once you have the documentation, your AME may be able to call the FAA and get permission to issue a third-class certificate immediately. If not, the paperwork will have to go to the FAA, and you may have to wait a couple of weeks. I would hope it would not take more than a month. You will probably get a letter from the FAA authorizing issuance of a medical in light of your past history: KEEP THIS LETTER FOREVER. If you change AME's in the future (due to moving, etc), any AME who is new to you will need to see this letter.

For future reference if you have a medical issue which may create hassles with the FAA, do these things BEFORE you contact the FAA or an AME:

- Contact an aviation medical consultant. These are ex-AME's who know all the ins-and-outs, but are obligated only to YOU as a patient. A current AME is obligated to the FAA, and can NOT respect your confidentiality. They can advise you on how to proceed and whether you need to ground yourself. I have used this one for myself and my students: http://www.aviationmedicine.com/

- Get treated by the appropriate civilian doctor. Do NOT assume that a non-AME can clear you to fly...they DO NOT understand the FAA requirements, and will probably just apply "safe-to-drive-a-car" standards. They may also think that you can simply hide things from the FAA due to confidentiality. I have had this happen (fortunately I knew better).

- Once treated, get all of your documents in order, and ONLY THEN go see the AME. In some cases you can simply go when your medical is due next, in more serious situations you will want to get cleared by an AME before you fly.

In your case, you do not actually need a Third class or student pilot cert to start training, but you will need it prior to soloing. You might want to go ahead and start training as scheduled and hope the FAA comes through...they probably will if you have been off the meds for 6 months and can convince a doctor that you are not depressed. If necessary, you can modify the training schedule to push all of your solo flying to the very end...not ideal, but it can be done.

BaronPete

Hey rick, I'll go ahead and fill in the gaps so you can get a better picture of what is going on.

When I was 15, I moved away from home to live in Mobile (about three hours from home) to attend the Alabama School of Math and Science. While a senior there, I started struggling with academics about the time that I went through the whole being dumped by your first love bit. Now alot of people who have trouble at school can get away from their issues at 3pm and go home and be with family, but not me. It was in my face 24/7 and my nearest family was 3+ hours away as I stated. Needless to say, my cage was rattled. My pediatricians response was to diagnose me with depression/anxiety and place me on wellbutrin. Things improved and I ended up graduating with flying colors. In spite of this, my pediatrician wanted me to continue taking the meds early into my collegiate career. I came off the meds in the middle of 2005 after having taken them for roughly 1.5 years. I have had no further trouble, am excelling in college, and has been 3+ years since I've been on medication.

Now for the doctor side of things. My pediatrician REFUSES to see me due to my being 21 years old now. At best, he said he can write me a letter stating why I was diagnosed and what was done about it, but I already have that information documented in my medical records, so it's useless. SO, I went to go see an adult physician, she asked me some questions, and ended up handing writing me a letter stating that in her opinion, I was fit to begin flight training due to the fact that I've been problem free for 3+ years as well as being medication free for 3+ years. I later discover that my adult doctor is ALSO an AME, so now I have two different AME's recommendation (The originial AME I saw in Auburn, and my adult physician/AME in my hometown). I placed in the mail: the letter from my local doctor and ALL of my childhood medical records. My AME in Auburn said "it's not a question of if you get your medical, but when" and that he would "go to bat for me". He said it looks like I have enough info to receive clearance, but we'd just have to wait and see.

Based on all that info, whatcha think?

Thanks!

BaronPete

rickair7777

I'm sure you'll get cleared with no problems. It's just a question of how much backlog do they have in OKC? I would hope just a couple of weeks, but some folks have seen it take months. Since your case is simple and the documentation speaks for itself, I would hope they could just sign it off asap.

If not, call and bug them politely.

BaronPete

Thanks so much for your encouraging words!! What's the main number there in OKC that has to do with medicals and clearances? I googled FAA, OKC, but it just seems to be their main number. I guess I could just get transferred?

Also, what would be a reasonable timeframe to start bugging them? 3 weeks? a month?

rickair7777

I don't have the number anymore. I'd say three weeks would be about right.

Your AME or local FSDO should have their number.

Pilotpip

AOPA can be a very reliable and informative source. They have a great aeromedical division that can help you understand the process and may know some ways to expidite the process.

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