DUI for pilots
 

I have a friend who is working on her flight training. She had just recently soloed, when she was pulled over and got a DUI. She blew in the upper bracket of offenses. Subsequently the FAA has revoked her ability to get a medical. She isn't really interested in being a Professional Pilot, but is more interested in the fun and recreation of flying. Is there any way she can appeal this or does she have to sit and wait? I suppose she is eligible to apply for a new medical in 2 years. Thanks for any input.

It's good that she doesn't want to be a pro...she would be at a serious disadvantage.

Assuming she doesn't have a history of multiple DUI's or documented substance abuse, she should be able to her medical back soon. She needs to discuss it with the AME to find out what she needs to do.

It's unusual for the FAA to pull your medical on one offense...it must have been a doozy.

I'm not sure what "revoked her ability to get a medical" means but if you mean the FAA revoked her medical or refused to issue a certificate in response to her medical application, the FAA's revocation or denial of a medical certificate has an appellate process through the NTSB which should have been described in the papers she received from the FAA that advised her of the revocation or refusal.

The process is a bit different for a revocation than for a denial. The appeal of a medical certificate revocation is similar to the process for any FAA certificate revocation (both within the FAA and with the NTSB) while the process for appealing denial of a certificate has a different flow. Even the timelines are different.

I don't know how much time has passed, but if she interested in doing something. It's a good idea to get some professional advice now.

We had this whole thread on changes in how the FAA looked at DUIs.

http://www.airlinepilotforums.com/ma...ui-policy.html