Originally Posted by
flyguy78
I am following up on the original post I started in February 2010. The FAA medical certification office in Oklahoma City has denied my medical twice. I wrote a reconsideration letter to an FAA Examiner requesting her to commit, in writing, what it will take for me to receive my flight medical. I even requested to go through a Substance Abuse Process in its entirety to see if that would get them to reconsider my current denial. They forwarded my file to the Federal Air Surgeon in Washington, DC. What are my options at this point? Will the Federal Air Surgeon reply in writing, a process to go through, such as counseling or a treatment program, so that I can receive my medical through the Special Issuance Program?
What they generally do for pilot or applicants that are outside of the 121/HIMS umbrella is this.
In the regulations it states that you need to have proof of two years of abstinence before the issuance of a medical. That means documented AA meetings and probably random drug and alcohol tests. That is the standard route for a part 91 pilot.
In the airline world we have what we call HIMS. Look it up, there is a lot of data out there on it. We have in the past let GA pilots in to this program, but that would be up to the Flight Surgeon. This guy they forwarded you to in DC is the guy that makes all of the decisions. The psyche testing etc is standard for a special issuance medical in the 121 world. It is then followed up by weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly visits to an array of people. In your case it is all out of pocket. It is expensive.
What I would do is find a AME that specializes in AODA medical re-certification. They are a conduit between most 121 applicants and the DC Flight Surgeon.
I know the 121 world stuff really well as I work in it, but the part 91 stuff is a world unto its own. No matter what their decision is, you did the correct thing by reporting all of this on your initial application for a medical certificate.
You many need to jump through a lot of hoops but if you are willing and realize that you may have not just an abuse diagnosis, but a dependence or addiction one, you may be successful in your endeavor. PM me with any questions you have. I may not be able to answer them, but I can try.
Best of luck.