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StraightnLevel
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Thanks - that's helpful. Seems like a small price to pay in order to get it right the first time.Go to the MedExpress and read through all the questions. If you answer YES to anything in section 18 or you have had doctor visits or list drugs in that section, it would behoove you to print it out (without the confirmation number) and get a consult.
How risky is it to go straight in to the AME exam and hope everything's OK without having seen a regular doc in more than a year?
Would it make sense to try to talk the doc into a paid consult appointment first, to avoid any surprises giving me an official denial?
If not, does finding something new on the initial attempt block me out permanently, or is there a relatively painless way to work around it?
No, and I never have been.For starters, are you on any meds?
You will not get tested for anything you haven't been tested for in the past. The FAA exam is less invasive than most annual physicals. There's no blood test, and urine only for sugar. But they do test vision and hearing.No, and I never have been.
Did complete lipid and metabolic panels just over a year ago and everything is nominal, except blood chloride (slightly low - 94).
My concern is, bluntly, that at my age (59) stuff starts to show up for many people. Since I haven't been through the class 3 med exam process before, I can't assess the risk of being tested for something I've never been tested for in the past, and therefore being rejected for something that might have been easily taken care of ahead of time.
I was mentoring a college kid, freshman maybe, maybe 15 years ago. He was about to solo and was on his way to the AME. He said, “I should be OK. I was on Adderall for a little while in junior high, but I stopped taking it after a month or so, it should be no big deal.”…
It's generally the stuff people think is "no big deal" that screws them.
Literally, none of that matters for a Class 3 medical.No, and I never have been.
Did complete lipid and metabolic panels just over a year ago and everything is nominal, except blood chloride (slightly low - 94)..
Aside from what’s asked about in the paperwork side, you’re going to get a vision check, to include color blindness, blood pressure check (if you’re under 140/80, you’re fine), you’ll pee in a cup, and have a conversation to see if you can hear.…My concern is, bluntly, that at my age (59) stuff starts to show up for many people...
I think you omitted a "not" there.But doing consults indicates the opposite. To me, at least.
Very helpful - thanks.Literally, none of that matters for a Class 3 medical.
The FAA isn’t examining you as much as they are examining your medical records history. That’s why you list provider visits and reasons for the past three years, and diagnoses for certain items since birth.
The consult is to find the paperwork stuff needed, especially if you’ve had a DUI.
If you have no reportable medical history since birth, no worries on that part.
Aside from what’s asked about in the paperwork side, you’re going to get a vision check, to include color blindness, blood pressure check (if you’re under 140/80, you’re fine), you’ll pee in a cup, and have a conversation to see if you can hear.
You can see what the standards are at the link below.
I'd prefer to over-prepare and waste time up front than to fail for a simple omission or lack of attention to detail.,
FixedI think you omitted a "not" there.
Paul
Between 14 CFR 67.307, the MedXpress User Guide and the AME decision criteria and AME Guide, the answers are all available to you.…Perhaps I'm being too type-A, but that's sort of baked into my personality. I'd prefer to over-prepare and waste time up front than to fail for a simple omission or lack of attention to detail.,
Cost isn't really as much of an issue for me as the risk of burning a bunch of time unnecessarily.I'd maybe look at it from the other ("what if?") perspective. If you went straight to an AME for certification and got deferred, would you be willing to go through the potentially expensive hoops to satisfy the FAA and maybe get a Special Issuance?
Every visit to an AME is a potential risk with respect to certification, which is why some 75,000 current pilots have switched to Basic Med. Personally, I'd just take the advice given above to go through the MedExpress questions thoroughly and get your yearly check-up with your own doc, highlighting the elements on a standard Class 3 exam to him.
I’d guess that most denials result from history rather than exams.Cost isn't really as much of an issue for me as the risk of burning a bunch of time unnecessarily.
All of that being said, what I've read here gives me a lot more confidence. I was concerned that there might be tests that were out of the normal baseline health tracking, and it sounds like class 3 doesn't require any of that.
This. Other than BP and maybe blood sugar, nothing immediately comes to mind that would be "discovered" on a class 3 exam that an airman wouldn't already know about. And those two should be known to anyone getting regular physicals (which, unfortunately, excludes a bunch of pilots). But there's plenty of stuff like childhood ADHD, migraines, controlled diabetes, etc. that an airman might not realize the FAA thinks is a Big Deal.I’d guess that most denials result from history rather than exams.
Thanks to all who have responded here. This has been very helpful and encouraging.
One final question: Any recommendations for an AME in the Houston area, in case the one I selected isn't willing to do a consult?
Probably not going to have any issues at all. But it does sound like it’s going to lower his stress level about the whole “unknowns” thing, so that’s a plus.Is a consult really necessary for this guy? As long as he is being truthful, no substance issues, no heart or mental issues, no BP issues at the docs office (white coat hbp), no dui's or other arrests. No military or veteran disability. He should be a slam dunk.
Yes, the SCCA medical clearance is more involved than the FAA physical exam. As mentioned, it is the MedExpress history that can get you. If you can honestly answer no to all the questions (save vision and hearing that can be corrected) you will be fine.It sounds like the SCCA full comp medical is more comprehensive than a FAA Class 3 (particularly in vision screening), though SCCA doesn't ask as many history questions and leaves more discretion to the individual doctor.
Honestly, the more I read these responses, the more confident I am that it's not going to be an issue.