Has anybody been through the SSRI protocol and received a special issuance? All items were sent to Washington DC about a week ago for review. Wondering about how long I'm looking at until I hear from them.

Seeking a first class so I can finally start applying to regionals.

Thanks!!

 

While the rule allowing SSRI's was implemented with good intentions, the ink was barely dry when the germanwings incident occurred.

Since then, the FAA has (somewhat understandably) been very slow to approve folks under that rule. Last I heard the number of approved pilots could be counted on the fingers of one hand, and I don't know if any were 1C.

The best path to certification appears to be to use SSRI's to get healthy and then learn to stay that way with lifestyle and perhaps cognitive therapy... it's easy to get certified if you're healthy and off SSRI's.

If you're looking at aviation as a primary career, ie you need the money, then planning to fly long term with SSRI's sounds risky. There may have been a germanwings type incident in the US recently, and that might cause the FAA to become even more restrictive.

I would suggest a professional aeromedical consulting service to help you with the process, although a good AME who really cares could probably accomplish the same.

 

My original post wasn't very detailed, so here's some more information.

How much experience do you have in this area? I've been working with 5 (seriously, 5) highly experienced aviation medical professionals for the last 18 months who have been way more than optimistic on this than what you're saying. The SSRI protocol details specific, exact standards that need to be met in order to be issued a certification. It was approved and deployed in 2010 and the Germanwings crash happened in 2015, with at least 50 pilots being certified in those 5 years, so the ink wasn't necessarily "barely dry."

I'm not looking for advice on the general process of SSRI certification, I've been working on that, "crossing T's and dotting all I's" for the last 18 months. Washington DC has everything. I'm just wondering if anyone has any insight into the processing time. Insight meaning, has been through the experience, has been involved with FAA medical, knows someone who has

 

Last I heard the FAA had approved only 200 Special Issuances for SSRIs EVER out of approximately 600,000 active pilots. That’s .003%.

Ever.

Of those SIs, there were about 50 special issuances for the approximately 160,000 airmen holding ATPs. That’s still about .003%.
Ever.

https://www.leftseat.com/psychiatric...certification/

If you don’t find those percentages depressing you may have been misdiagnosed. Either that or your SSRI is REALLY working well.

 

Thats because its a long, arduous process that cost me over $10,000 to make sure my case was airtight, removing ALL liability from the FAA. Most people either 1. don't report it and continue flying, 2. do report, get deferred, and get off the SSRI or 3. Do what I did, focused on my health and found a great SSRI that works wonders for my seritonin deficiency.

Option 3 requires up to 2 years of wait time, a lot of money, and a lot of patience that most people aren't willing to deal with, if they have a choice. I just decided it was worthwhile to take a break from flying and focus on it.

Since I've been so thorough, I think I have a really, really good shot. Hopefully, it doesn't take a year for them to review.

 

PM sent. Filler.

 

My experience is limited to close second hand but thats more than most folks have. I offer free advice for what it's worth, but I have no ulterior motive or financial incentive. Sorry if I can't in good conscience tell you what you'd prefer to hear. Hopefully things have changed for the better and you can report back to confirm that.

 

I never protested your answer for not being "what I prefer to hear." Go back and read the original question, which was pretty specific in nature. I asked about timeline for already submitted materials to Washington D.C. to be reviewed. I was not asking for someone to take a stab at answering whether I had a chance at a pilot career or not. I already know what I'm dealing with. At any rate, I'll update the community on my status when I do eventually hear back.

 

Rickair,
Ink barely dry? FAA had been issuing medicals to people taking SSRI's for 5 years when Germanwings happened.

A very good friend of mine has a special issuance for SSRI and his took 5 weeks to get a decision from Washington. It would have been quicker but he had to get some extra paperwork from his primary physician.

 

To anyone interested, I received word from the FAA federal flight surgeon office yesterday that my Special Issuance First Class was issued. The FAA registry was updated shortly after to reflect this. The regional office emailed me a copy of the certificate and authorization letter as well, a nice gesture.

To be clear, to anyone going through the process of obtaining a SI, it is a BIG hassle. But if you patiently stick with it, you will prevail.

The "Germanwings incident" is not a factor here in cases where SSRI is used for mild to moderate depression and/or anxiety. By all means, be open and transparent with the FAA with this. Your willingness to comply WILL be looked at favorably.

Please, please PM me if you are looking for more information about this process. I cannot provide medical or legal counsel, but I can provide information about how the FAA process works, times you can expect, etc. so that you can be confident in the steps you are taking to obtain your certification.

Attitude is everything. Show willingness to work with them, be patient, and they will work with you.