Good Evening all,

I am getting ready to go in and get my FAA Class I Medical so I can start applying to several of the majors. I had a concussion and Post Concussion Syndrome (persistent headaches for 2-3 months) when I was in the 8th grade. No issues at all since. I’m a military pilot with ~3000 hours in various multi-engine heavies and had the Air Force clear me with no need for additional discussion on the concussion. Is there anything I need to do / watch out for when filling out the 8500-8 on MedExpress? I was going to provide a brief description on the question asking about headaches. Am I in store for a long and painful process?

Check your PMs.

It probably won't even be an issue. AMEs permitted to give Class 1s are pretty up on this stuff, but if you go to your military medical facility you probably have your original UPT, DODMERB, or Academy physical with a big stamp on it by the Air Force Surgeon General's Office. If you want to be absolutely sure, just bring that along.

There has long been a sort of incestuous relationship with Federal Air Surgeons coming out of the military Aeromedical Residencies. It's entirely possible the guy currently making the call for the FAA signed off your DODMERB physical to begin with, or at least very likely knows the guy who did.

Explained LOC, especially decades earlier, is not a big deal though, especially since you subsequently worked in an aviation environment for years without problems.

I'm curious - was this an actual diagnosed concussion - from a medical professional?