1st class medical and heart surgery
Hey all,
Soooo, a couple of questions regarding the title of this post. I am a regional pilot and recently had to have emergency heart surgery. My aorta had to be replaced. This came out of the blue and there were no warning signs before this happened. In any case, I am currently recovering- this happened about 2 months ago. My most recent medical was in March. Does my medical automatically become invalid? I mean, I think I would have to go to an AME to get a physical and disclose my surgery which at that point would make me ineligible to hold a medical, but what about right now? Not that I would be flying again any time soon anyways, but just curious, because I have talked about this with some friends and we had different opinions about the answer...
I know that getting a medical back after heart surgery is going to be a big deal, but not really sure about my situation. I did not have a heart attack or bypass surgery etc... this was a straight up artery replacement, not to mention that I am now on blood pressure medication. So, getting back a first class, is that an impossibility or something that is feasible? My flight instructor developed a heart issue and still does not have a medical so.... Just trying to get a feel for what I might be up against.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.