Moving from Class III to Class II with SI?

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Matthew
Current situation:
Class III, >40 yrs old
SI for sleep apnea

Annually, in the Fall I see my PCP, get my annual CPAP report, get my annual status report, and then see my AME. On odd years I turn in that documentation and
get another annual renewal, and on even years I turn in that documentation plus I get a Class III exam and get everything renewed.

Here are the questions:

If I get a Class II, I’m assuming there’s a whole new exam involved. But what about my SI, and annual reports? Do I need a fresh annual machine report and status report from my PCP? Or is the SI 12 month period still alive? For example: I
say I get my Class III renewed in the Fall. Then I decide to get a Class II the following Summer. I’ll need a Class II exam, but my annual reports are now, say 6-9 months old. Will I need another set in order to start fresh with another SI? Will my new Class II only be good for the remaining 3-6 months? Or will I need to get a whole new 6 year SI authorization?
 
(cough)basicmed(cough)

I don’t know for sure, but I would suspect that your current report would still be valid but from a practical standpoint, you would want to sync them up again.

Is the SI good for 6 years? I figured it would renew with each flight physical.

To be honest, I am totally ignorant on this subject.
 
Greg Bockelman said:
(cough)basicmed(cough)

I don’t know for sure, but I would suspect that your current report would still be valid but from a practical standpoint, you would want to sync them up again.

Is the SI good for 6 years? I figured it would renew with each flight physical.

To be honest, I am totally ignorant on this subject.
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*cough*

The SI Authorization letter is good for 6 years - I think I still have 4 years left on it. But that letter says I need to renew the SI annually.

What I *think* happens - I get the SI renewed at my Class III or on the SI annual expiration month. Then if I do get a Class II, that SI is still in effect until it expires after 12 months and I need it renewed again. But then I'm staggered; the Class II needs renewing on one 12-month schedule and the SI would need renewing on a different 12 month schedule. So yeah, for sanity, I'd have to sync them up so I can get them both handled at the same time.
 
Lindberg said:
Just get a Class II this Fall. Why not?
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That's not a bad idea, it still reverts to Class III privileges after 12 months, doesn't it? (Too bad I didn't consider any of this until after I renewed that Class III.)

As far as I can tell, the only difference in the exam is the vision requirements.
 
Matthew said:
Because chicks dig it?


(Just considering options.)
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They dig BasicMed, too. Can’t answer on upgrading with a current SI but if you don’t keep a medical certificate active while on BasicMed, then applying for a new medical would be starting over with the initial issuance SI requirements.
 
TCABM said:
They dig BasicMed, too. Can’t answer on upgrading with a current SI but if you don’t keep a medical certificate active while on BasicMed, then applying for a new medical would be starting over with the initial issuance SI requirements.
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Thanks. I already checked into that scenario: going Basic Med, not maintaining the SI, then returning back to a medical. I think, as long as the 6 year authorization hasn’t expired I just need to re-meet the normal annual requirements to get back on track.
 
Matthew said:
I’m looking into getting my Commercial. Not likely I’ll ever use it, but I was trying to look at options.
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You may already know this, but you don’t need a class 2 medical to -GET- the Commercial. You only need it to -EXERCISE- it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I’m aware of “getting” vs “using/exercising”. I was trying to anticipate options in case I get an opportunity to use it.

Other than the long solo xc, I have all the prerequisites. Since I’m that close (still need written and maneuvers) I thought I might get it. After that, who knows?
 
I’m a fan of having only the medical you need for the operations you’re conducting.

There’s no secret decoder ring for what’s acceptable to the administrator for fairly straight forward medical applications. Established SIs and CACIs are straightforward.

I’m also a fan have consulting with the issuing AME before handing over the application to be opened in the system.
 
Matthew, you don't need a second class to take the commercial checkride, only qual enough to be PIC- and you have that.

The AME is supposed to call the FAA on a new exam, when you have the documentation for a verbal auth, for 2nd as your AASI is written for 3rd class. However know that the requriements for Class 1/2/3 for Sleep apnea are IDENTICAL. Just not an issue, here.
 
TCABM said:
I’m a fan of having only the medical you need for the operations you’re conducting.
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I'm a fan of having the medical you might want and qualify for now because who knows what will happen in the future. Sure you can get a commercial certificate without a second class, but unless you're just collecting certificates, why?

The first commercial gig I had required a commercial certificate only for insurance reasons, but having the cert opened up other opportunities. I wouldn't want to get a call for a cool opportunity and then have to worry about getting a second class.... But to each his own.
 
bbchien said:
Matthew, you don't need a second class to take the commercial checkride, only qual enough to be PIC- and you have that.

The AME is supposed to call the FAA on a new exam, when you have the documentation for a verbal auth, for 2nd as your AASI is written for 3rd class. However know that the requriements for Class 1/2/3 for Sleep apnea are IDENTICAL. Just not an issue, here.
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Thanks, yes, I'm aware there's no need for a class II for the checkride.

My question really was: if I do end up in a situation where I'll want/need a class II, what about the SI? It sounds like it's not much of an issue, it just needs to go through the system to be applied to the different class.

I took a closer look at the AASI letter: "...you have been granted an Authorization for Special Issuance of the enclosed third-class Airman Medical Certificate..."
 
Bruce Chien said:
The AME is supposed to call the FAA on a new exam, when you have the documentation for a verbal auth, for 2nd as your AASI is written for 3rd class. However know that the requriements for Class 1/2/3 for Sleep apnea are IDENTICAL. Just not an issue, here.
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Setup a new medical, with your new data (CPAP use since last issued, OSA recert sheet), and find an AME who will call the agency to get a verbal. You leave with a certificate, and the new auth will arrive and say {second} or {first} class as appropriate.
 
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bbchien said:
Setup a new medical, with your new data (CPAP use since last issued, OSA recert sheet), and find an AME who will call the agency to get a verbal. You leave with a certificate, and the new auth will arrive and say {second} or {first} class as appropriate.
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Is there a "stale" date on that Usage report, status report, and Recert sheet? If someone had just renewed on, say, Jan 1 with that info but then did a Class II medical a few months later, would all that still be valid or would it require another visit to the treating physician? It's sounding like it's pretty much going to be a fresh start, so all that would have to be done within some short timeframe prior to the exam.
 
Matt:

The use data has to be brought up to within 90 days prior to reapplication. So does the Recert sheet (signature date).
 
bbchien said:
Matt:

The use data has to be brought up to within 90 days prior to reapplication. So does the Recert sheet (signature date).
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Thanks. That's helpful for the scheduling logistics. Maybe it's never going to be necessary, maybe not, but now I know.
 
Oh and one more caveat. It has to be >90 days after your last issuance or the AME cannot print the certificate.
 
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bbchien said:
Oh and one more caveat. It has to be >90 days after your last issuance or the AME cannot print the certificate.
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Well, that pretty much means a new set of supporting documents.

My records folder is pretty thick. The government sure runs on paperwork.
 
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