Pilot's with asthma
 

Just curious if anybody has had and dealings with asthma being a pilot.
I have had asthma all my life, mostly when i was younger but i do still carry an inhaler just incase. I know if i can get a class I i should be ok (which i have) but i was curious about the company physicals, any questions tests or hassles?


Thanks

Pretty complicated question. I'll tell you what I know, but I'm not an expert, and you will need to get professional medical and career advice.

Some airlines, especially smaller ones and regionals, don't perform a medical exam, they just photocopy your FAA medical. It has to be a first class to get hired at most or all airlines, but it can drop to 2nd class if you are a first officer.

Others will perform a very thorough medical exam (like all day long, or even several days) and apply minimum standards that are far above FAA mins. Assume that almost all foriegn carriers will do this, and some of the US carriers.

Let's look at several Pilots:

Pilot A: Medically perfect, 20/10 vision, never been injured, no bones broken, never hospitalized, no allergies, no prescriptions, perfect body fat ratio, blood pressure, etc. This guy would hold a clean FAA medical and could pass a NASA flight physical. He might be able to get hired at Cathay Pacific or other foriegn carriers. He could get hired at any US airline.

Pilot B: Normal Guy, 20/20 vision, has some history of medical problems and/or injuries, all of which have been taken care of in the past and are not currently present. Holds a clean FAA medical, and could get hired at most US airlines, but a few might reject him for his history.

Pilot C: Just like B, but has uncorrected vision worse than 20/20, say 20/200. His vision corrects to 20/20 or better with glasses. His FAA medical will state that he must wear corrective lenses while flying. He will have the same opportunities as B, except a few US airlines might want vision that is 20/100 or better uncorrected.

Pilot D: Has some minor but active medical problems, unresolved injury, or disability. He may be able to get an FAA 1st Class medical with either a "Special Issuance" or "Statement of Demonstrated Ability". This medical will likely not be accepted by many or possibly all US airlines. If he is trying to get a job, he is probably in real trouble. If he ALREADY has an airline job, he gets to keep his job.

Pilot E: Similar to D, but his problem is bad enough that he loses his 1st. class medical, and is allowed to hold a second class medical. If he is trying to get an airline job, he's scr*wed. If he already has an airline job, he will can stay, but will be demoted to first officer and will never be able to be an airline captain unless he can regain the 1st class. He can work as a non-airline commercial pilot, but will likely have trouble getting hired by some employers.

Pilot F: Serious problem (such as diabetes, cardiovascular, etc) that causes the loss of 1st and 2nd class medical. He cannot work as a commercial pilot, and if he loses his third class cannot even fly recreationally without another pilot.

You goal is to be pilot A, B, or C. You would really prefer not be D and have to deal with the special statements on your 1st. class medical. You need to get some professional advice BEFORE you apply for a medical...that way you can have the best shot at dealing with your issue and getting a CLEAN first class medical the first time. Check out these guys, they do that kind of consulting:

http://www.aviationmedicine.com/inde...useaction=home

I had asthma as a kid and still carry an inhaler, just in case. I reported it the first time I got a first class medical, jumped through some hoops, but got the first class with no waivers. I had to get a letter from my regular doctor just stating my asthma is not a factor and under control. I have been flying for a regional for the past 5+ years, with no problems, and every 6 months for my medical I just state no change as far as the asthma box. I have just passed a indepth medical with a Japanese carrier with no problems, there was a lung capacity test and I passed that fine. Just keep it on the downlow, and don't bring it up, but it should never be a problem causing you not to get hired. You can send me a message if you have any more questions, good luck.

Thanks abunch guys, i have been stressing alot about it lately. so words of advice help.

I never had a problem with it until a doctor prescribed me Advair as a preventative. Because of the new medication, I now require "status reports" to get my class I, but I have no waivers or anything on my medical. Just keep yourself in good shape and you should be fine.

Another thing is that some areas are worse than others for asthma. When looking for a job, try to stay near the coast or in the mountains. Generally, these places are better for asthma. I moved inland one time and thought I was going to lose my class one because of it. I moved as soon as I could and the problems stopped.

Swimming will help a lot as well.

Also, if you're close to the border...

I have asthma (allergy/sports induced) and I had no problems getting/keeping my Class I medical. No worries. I was just informed on my last post that it disqualifies you from flying military:( Boo that!

Lax

Hi, This post was very helpful for people like me who are contemplating to jump into this due to Asthma. However, I am planning to appear for these tests wit my doctor berfore I get any surprises..
But I do have one question: Do you ever reveal to the aviation doc that you have an asthma while being examined? Please help. Also I have a scars on my forehead due to a bike crash that happened ten years back. Will it affect my Class 1?

1. You have to check each box of conditions asked. Athsma is one of them. Then you must explain any conditions that you have checked: (look at 18.) http://www.leftseat.com/pdffiles/8500-8new.pdf

2. I don't think scars are an issue.

I told my doc and had no problems getting a class one. All I was prescribed at the time was albuterol. When another doc prescribed me to advair, I started needing "status reports" once a year. I'm the only person I know of that is prescribed to advair that has to do this.

Thanks flyerNy and Ubermich. But would the docs require
1) Medical record of my asthma and the scans of my forehead at the time of medical test?
2) Also I am appearing for a DGCA test. How different is FAA and DGCA?
3) When I had compared both, DGCA looks very stringent?
4) How do they perform a lung test?