Preserving your medical
1. Professional pilot inherently healthy
2. Health monitored regularly
3. Wants to keep career
a. May pursue a good health maintenance program
b. Respects FAA exam
c. Does not respect FAA exam
d. Xs fingers they will pass every time
4. Has time and money for health program
5. Has vast resources to educate
6. Has union/organization back-up
7. Has "clout" to change working/health environment
Philosophy of pilot health monitoring
1. Responsible pilot doesn't want to fly if not healthy
2. You need a monitoring system
3. FAA provides that system for public safety
Flight surgeon vs. AME
Wrap-up
1. Feeling good is not a true indicator of your health
2. FAA uses AME as their monitoring tools
3. Varying AME knowledge can jeopardize your health needlessly
4. Concern for sickness can be less than concern about FAA finding out
5. You may seek an AME that won't rock the boat
6. You are the best controller of your health.
Disqualifying medical factors
FAR 61.57 - You can't fly if you don't meet the criteria for your medical certificate or you are on medication which affects your faculties
Part 67 is for the doctor but Part 61 is for pilots
Use sound judgment
Mandatory Denials of your certificate
1. Diabetes mellitus requiring medication
2. Angina pectoris
3. Alcohol or drug dependence
4. Alchohol or drug abuse
5. Epilepsy
6. Loss of consciousness without satisfactory explanation
7. Heart attack
8. Coronary heart disease
9. Heart valve replacement
10. Permanent heart pacemaker
11. Heart transplant
12. Psychosis
13. Bipolar disorder
14. Personality disorder with inappropriate behavior
15. Temporary loss of CNS function without satisfactory explanation
Key points
-All of these items can interfere with safe flying
--Possible recurrence is an unacceptable risk
---No further symptoms is poor indicator of potential risk
----The absence of further disorder can get you back to flying
-----If you have a problem, no report has to be made if you stop flying
------You can always be reconsidered for a certificate!
The certificate process
Must go to AME
All applications sent to FAA
Fill out form honestly
Eyes should be thoroughly checked
Glaucoma is OK if treated and vision still 20/20
Hearing should be well monitored
The point is to catch problem before a disqualifying loss occurs
Urine is tested for:
Drugs - Obvious
Sugar - Diabetes
Albumin - Kidney disease
Limitations - Glasses the most prevalent
Waivers - Actually waiving requirements of Part 67
Specific health problems and flying
High Blood Pressure
Can damage arteries and heart
Influences on blood pressure
emotions
fear
environment
position
posture
temperature
time of day
comments by the doctor
This list only a fraction of the reasons blood pressure may be elevated
Several readings should be taken over a period of time
Other medical reasons could be causing blood pressure to rise
kidney dysfunction
dietary abuse
arteries narrowing
Your system may have a blow-out if not corrected
Treatment with medication is a second strike against you
Possible treatments
1. NO SMOKING
2. Reduce salt intake
3. Maintain an ideal weight
4. Avoid caffeine
5. Avoid alcohol in greater than moderate amounts
6. Exercise
Do it now before a problem comes up
Diabetes
Your body doesn't use or metabolize sugar as it should as an essential fuel
If not controllable through a diet you are a large safety risk
If sugar is in your urine - additional tests are required to rule out diabetes
2 tests
1. Fasting blood sugar
2. Glucose tolerance
Be sure to follow strict "glucose tolerance test loading diet" if given this test
Different doctors may give differing opinions
Bottom line - try to control it with diet before medication
Coronary Heart Disease
Reason for disqualification is quite apparent
Things to monitor:
cholesterol
triglycerides
fat levels in blood
smoking
weight
exercise
Vision
Hearing
FAA really only concerned with 500- 3000Hz range
Loss of higher frequencies may be symptom of high noise exposure
EKGs required at age 35 and then annually after 40
Working with your AME
1. Know and understand the certification process
2. Find a good AME active in flying community
3. Judge AME by your own experience, not gossip
4. Tell AME you will ground yourself and not to report to the FAA
5. Be sure to explore control measures other than long term medication
6. Show your doctor FAA requirements if needed and contact another AME or FAA flight surgeon if possible
7. Practice good health maintenance
THE NOVEMBER OSCAR INCIDENT
Problems began at a Chinese restaurant
Whole crew ate
Co-pilot and Flight engineer nearly doubled over in pain on trip back to England from Bahrain
Weather in London 0/0
Co-pilot not cat II or cat III qualified
Call to BA ops. took care of that
Co - pilot never even asked and in fact was in the cabin with diarrhea
Head winds lowered the jumbos fuel status
Old 747 with old auto-pilot
Approach was hurried
Vectored onto shorter than normal approach
Late clearance because another aircraft was on the runway
Auto-pilot was chasing the localizer
Missed was slow and bottomed out at 75 '