Duuuuuuuuuuude...
You need to forget any other BNA AME other than Capt./Dr. C.R. Smith. Captain/Dr. Smith is a retired American Airlines B747 Captain who also happens to be a Vanderbilt University trained Opthomologist(SP?). Dr. Charlie Smith
knows how important your First Class is and I have personally seen him bend over backwards to help a pilot either get their medical back or help to keep it. I have been seeing Dr. Smith since I was 16, over 20 years now, and his price is fair. While he is giving you a thorough 15 minute checkup, his wife or daughter is working on your paperwork.
First Class medicals are all he does and his office is more like an aviation museum. Often, retired and current pilots just come by to hang out and Dr. Smith has been inducted in the TN Aviation Hall of Fame. One time I was there, an ATA pilot had jumpseated in from Hawaii just to see Dr. Smith.
Dr. Fridell's office on the other hand (at least the only time I went there), was a place where sick people went and pilots went occasionally. Since my First Class was about to expire and Dr. Smith was all booked up, I decided to give Dr. Fridell a try. To say the least, I was given a very thorough physical by the nurse, and I sweatted it all the way through (And I was in my 20's!). She had me jumping on one foot doing some kind of heart rate test which I don't think is even part of the requirement. Actually, I don't remember actually meeting the doctor (I'm sure must have), since I was quite tired and traumatized from the most thorough flight physical since my DODMRB Flight Physical
. Hey, I passed and I truly felt that I had earned it! Never again will I allow someone who is not a pilot to hold my career in her or his hands.. At least a private pilot or recreational pilot even..
Bottom line, if you are interested in getting a thorough, elimination-type flight physical from a non-pilot nurse who seems to be writing down every little thing in the Magna Carta notes that she is taking and has no idea how important that medical is (and can't understand why you might be a little nervous with your career in the balance.... "Oh, he looked nervous.., Better write that down in his record
..), then go there....
But if you want an enjoyable experience where you can meet, network, and even learn from other pilots, and be given a physical by a retired airline pilot who actually understands that pilots blood pressure goes up during their physicals (since we have so much to lose), then look no further than Dr. Smith. When he retires (he's in his early 70's now), a lot of pilots will having a hard time finding another AME that you can actually learn about flying from.
Good Luck,
B727DRVR
PS- Nothing personal Dr. F., but your nurse could have been a drill Seargent in USMC Paris Island...LOL.
AIRLINE
03-26-2024
