I am trying to wrap my head around why you did not seek help through the union and HIMS. This sounds on the surface to be exactly what HIMS was created for. That would have avoided resigning your seniority number.

 

Hey home', I can dig it. Know ain't gonna lay no mo' big rap up on you, man!

 

Did you talk to a rep? APC is a **** pile of demons.

 

Yeah same. There is clearly more not said in his post than was actually said.

It's a long hill to climb, but a lot longer by yourself. I think you are getting too wrapped up in coming back early and what going to a ULCC or regional feels like instead of accepting reality. You probably aren't going to get on with another major anytime soon without a very long period of stability. If you want to come back, that's probably the path just because they are actually desperate to fill seats right now.

Good luck.

 

If you can manage the problem yourself, without any direct medical intervention, you might not have to report it since there's no paper trail or diagnosis. AA and the like are anonymous for a reason, and probably don't constitute medical care. Obviously get professional help if you need it.

You might need to ask an aviation lawyer if you should report the problem on your medical application... you might not need to.

If there's no FAA paper trail, you could simply tell a prospective employer that you had serious family issues to deal with. If they press, just say it was marriage related, and it's now resolved. It's your personal stuff, and close enough to the truth.

Even if there is a paper trail, they don't need to know medical details and typically won't ask. I'd probably stick with the family/marriage explanation.

***Caution: The medical form asks "have you ever had...". So lack of formal diagnosis does not strictly get you off the hook. But there's probably a difference between "had a problem", "suspected you might have had a problem", "worried that I might develop a problem"

If it's just between you, yourself, and the fencepost nobody will ever know. But obviously the wife knows... if that relationship goes south at some point in the future, she'd be holding a pretty big deal over your head if she were to drop a dime. Unfortunately that has happened before, and the FAA can shoot first and let you appeal to a Kangaroo Court. Which is why I'd suggest talking to a lawyer.

 

In light of the fact that there's no paper trail, he might have actually made the best move.

HIMS would be expensive and time consuming, plus the FAA gets a vote at the end. He might be able to resolve it all faster on his own under the circumstances.

And in 2023, it's not like you can't just get another airline job any time you want to...

But for anybody else in this boat, I would still talk to the union HIMS person, before doing anything drastic.

 

"I know a guy" who did the HIMS route at SWA pre-covid. He was back on the job re-doing initial after almost exactly one year. Different circumstances I know and it may not be applicable, just pointing out that SWA has a history of facilitating that particular route if you say the right words and fill the right squares.

Bailing out and coming back without a documented reason... That could easily raise red flags with HR no different than a big gap in flying or a period where no recurring checkrides were recorded. It just begs the question and they'll be obligated to find out what happened, regardless of what was officially disclosed by the applicant.

An off the record talk with a SWAPA HIMS expert might provide some clarity, dunno if they're allowed to spend the time with someone who left and is looking to come back though.

 

Opiates seem perfectly acceptable nowadays. Why is there a stigma associated with a prescribed pain reducer?

 

If used properly, there isn’t. Problem is opiates are easily abused and addictive.

 

Yeah! Watch the documentary/docudrama about Oxy and it's introduction into southwest Virginia/West Virginia. Very Shocking and Sad.
I have a lot of family in the medical field and that stuff scares me. A lot. A family member spent time in that area during their medical training and actually had to adjust their patient care due to the large amount of abuse endemic to the region.
That class of medication is nothing to play with.