Recent content by Wheresmychute

So, require the applicant see a board-certified psychiatrist. A lot of these issues are not huge. Most of them result from FAA inefficiency, like still using physical mail, requiring cogscreens, etc... The accept/failure rate is actually really decent. It just takes forever to get there. The...

Yes, I guess that is an issue, however, there should be plenty of data on SSRI usage in general. Its a bit of a conundrum because its hard to study pilots who fly on SSRI's when pilots are afraid to take SSRI's because the FAA doesn't want them to. I think you do not need to specifically study...

Yea he should not have done it, and in my last comment I stated that people shouldn't be suggesting he hide it. But that's beside the point. The point is these outrageous hoops would only deter someone from seeking treatment. After all, you don't have to report self-medicating with alcohol...

This isn't some weird punishment. If the FAA was punishing him he would be fined or in jail, or he would lose his license. These hoops are not the "consequences of his actions," if he did nothing wrong and simply developed some other minor medical issue he would still have to jump through them...

I sadly cannot provide links, but here are two sources: "Mental Health in Commercial Aviation - Depression & Anxiety of Pilots," Maurice DeHoff and Stephen Cusick Stating in the abstract, " Ultimately, removing the stigma of mental health in the greater population and improving the...

I believe many pilots can be safe to fly, even with things like anxiety. Instead of years of effort being required to get an SI, the FAA needs to find an efficient way to figure out if pilots are safe to fly. And then communicate clearly what is needed to go down that pathway. Right now for...

That is kind of what I was getting at. I think others here hit the nail on the head pretty well, its the process itself, not the results, that need to change. I don't think people are expecting the FAA to look at severe cases and try to get them to fly. But the process to a yes/no answer should...

Either way, even that is on the extreme end. Right now the FAA grounds anyone even with mild anxiety, unless they show signs of change in that direction procedures for psychosis are not even in the conversation.

It can be concerning you're right, that is why it's important to allow the pilot to seek treatment. Panic attacks can be debilitating but possible to hide, so the FAA blocking treatment for them is only creating risks. As for psychosis, that's where it's a tough question. Panic attacks can be a...

This is the important point I think. Treatment is so important to any medical condition, especially mental. Right now, the FAA is pretty much telling pilots to ignore any issues they could have. Its one thing to be psychotic as you say, but some airline pilot having panic attacks or heart...