BasicMed - Done!

Did that myself; makes tons more sense than the silliness of a III Class. One thing I'd advise for anyone else - let your III Class expire first. I used my regular doc, and just added it on to a routine visit.
 
Sundancer said:
Did that myself; makes tons more sense than the silliness of a III Class. One thing I'd advise for anyone else - let your III Class expire first. I used my regular doc, and just added it on to a routine visit.
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Why would it make a difference if your 3rd class medical expired or not, aside from loosing the ability to act as PIC for some period?
 
Did the exam from the AME ,change when you went basic med?
 
Stingray Don said:
Same as the class 3. Pee in a cup, vision check, and physical. I’m just using it in place of my annual physical and sending it through insurance.
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Exactly the same for me except for the insurance part - my AME wouldn't submit it so I had to pay in full... all $120. ;)

I probably could have gotten it covered by insurance if I had used my PCP ($10 co-pay), but I would have needed a letter from an ophthalmologist ($30 co-pay) as my PCP couldn't do the ocular alignment and color vision tests. So I could probably have gotten it for $40 instead of $120, but the hassle of scheduling and seeing the ophtho deterred me. The cost of the AME exam has never been a big deal to me anyway - it was all the tests the FAA required for my SIs that drove me to Basic Med.
 
Belt and suspenders. . .If your III Class gets jammed up, you're hosed for Basic Med. If you have both at once, the III Class reporting obligation is in effect, as I understand it - I suppose if you start an oral med for blood sugar control, for example, and your III Class expires next month, stay on the ground, let it expire, and if your doc is fine with the med, no worries.
 
Sundancer said:
Belt and suspenders. . .If your III Class gets jammed up, you're hosed for Basic Med. If you have both at once, the III Class reporting obligation is in effect, as I understand it - I suppose if you start an oral med for blood sugar control, for example, and your III Class expires next month, stay on the ground, let it expire, and if your doc is fine with the med, no worries.
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Repeating the question in another way. What reporting obligations do you have while you have a 3rd class medical?
 
I went this route as well, it just seemed easier and I'm certainly glad it's an option now.
 
midliieflyer said:
Repeating the question in another way. What reporting obligations do you have while you have a 3rd class medical?
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Sorry, still in a power outage - no real convenient web access; absent looking Iooking it up, I recall reading that a good tactic was to let the III Class lapse - someone with web access could take a look - not sure what FAA requires (or doesn't) if something relevant to a III Class comes up (chemo, psychotropic med, heart issue) - I think a denied or revoked/suspended III Class leaves you ineligible for Basic Med.
 
Sundancer said:
I think a denied or revoked/suspended III Class leaves you ineligible for Basic Med.
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I'm curious about this.

My plan is to go Basic Med and have my AME do the examination.

What's the risk?

If I don't pass the examination I can't fly either way. There would be no denial, revocation, or suspension of a Third Class, but I would have knowledge of my unfitness to fly and must self-ground.

If this were the case, wouldn't I just resolve the medical issue and go back to the doc to sign off the examination? Or is there a possibility that the AME could say, "not only will I not sign your Basic Med examination, but I'm going to phone Oklahoma and yank your medical"?

Thankfully I have no current conditions to worry about, but I'd like to understand it.
 
I have no idea why anyone would recommend waiting until a 3rd class lapsed before doing BasicMed. Maybe cost savings, if you have the 3rd class, use it until it runs out, avoid the overlap?

There are no interactions between the two. The FAA knows nothing about your BasicMed other than (I think) that you did it. They don't see your paperwork, they don't talk to the doctor, nothing.
 
My class III was not valid after the 28th and I took the basic med on the 28th. Used my PCP and it will be covered under my insurance for my "free" annual physical. Wish it was simple Drivers License med but this was pretty much no hassle.
 
bflynn said:
I have no idea why anyone would recommend waiting until a 3rd class lapsed before doing BasicMed. Maybe cost savings, if you have the 3rd class, use it until it runs out, avoid the overlap?
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Probably so that the Basic Med exam would be valid as far as possible into the future. I can't think of any other reason.
 
Ravioli said:
If I don't pass the examination I can't fly either way. There would be no denial, revocation, or suspension of a Third Class, but I would have knowledge of my unfitness to fly and must self-ground.

If this were the case, wouldn't I just resolve the medical issue and go back to the doc to sign off the examination? Or is there a possibility that the AME could say, "not only will I not sign your Basic Med examination, but I'm going to phone Oklahoma and yank your medical"?
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The doctor can't yank your medical of course, but sure they could phone OKC. Hopefully you have a better relationship with your personal physician than that! (If a doctor told me they were going to do that, it would be the last time I saw them!)
 
Ravioli said:
I'm curious about this.

My plan is to go Basic Med and have my AME do the examination.

What's the risk?

If I don't pass the examination I can't fly either way. There would be no denial, revocation, or suspension of a Third Class, but I would have knowledge of my unfitness to fly and must self-ground.

If this were the case, wouldn't I just resolve the medical issue and go back to the doc to sign off the examination? Or is there a possibility that the AME could say, "not only will I not sign your Basic Med examination, but I'm going to phone Oklahoma and yank your medical"?

Thankfully I have no current conditions to worry about, but I'd like to understand it.
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Not an expert, and I don't play one on TV - I'm guessing if your Third Class is still valid, and you go to your AME for a BasicMed, and he finds something that would disqualify you for the Third Class you still hold, or something that would require a SI, you're may be out luck for BasicMed - you can't use BasicMed if a Third Class has been denied. I'm assuming an AME would have to drop the dime on you, assuming your Third Class was still valid. But I could be wrong.

The standard for BasicMed appears to be your doctor deciding it's safe enough for you to fly; nothing is particularly "automatically" disqualifying - it's your doctor's call; if you have a valid Third Class, it's the FAA's call, and FAA calls out specific meds and conditions that are disqualifying or require a SI. Having had a valid Third Class, no SI, I let it expire, went to my own (not a FAA AME) doctor, and knocked it out. No more AME visits . . .
 
Sundancer said:
Not an expert, and I don't play one on TV - I'm guessing if your Third Class is still valid, and you go to your AME for a BasicMed, and he finds something that would disqualify you for the Third Class you still hold, or something that would require a SI, you're may be out luck for BasicMed - you can't use BasicMed if a Third Class has been denied. I'm assuming an AME would have to drop the dime on you, assuming your Third Class was still valid. But I could be wrong./QUOTE]

So, your guess is that the doc would not only choose to not sign off the basicmed exam, but also seek to suspend or revoke the existing Third?

What's the basis for your guess?

We often see on this forum that people with ANY questions of their medical status should seek a consult with an AME before doing their "according to Medxpress" visit. Do you find that advice suspect as well?
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I don't think so? I'm not sure what the FAA requires of an AME, knowing you have an active Third Class, but now have an issue that would jeopardize it? Maybe just tell you you're hosed for a Third Class, but he/she would sign a BasicMed? I guess it'd depend on the doctor, and the particular issue. Some things they don't have any choice on, when it comes to a Third Class, like particular meds or ailments, but maybe your doc would be willing to sign off on the BasicMed when he/she couldn't do so for a Thurd Class
 
Sundancer said:
I'm guessing if your Third Class is still valid, and you go to your AME for a BasicMed, and he finds something that would disqualify you for the Third Class you still hold, or something that would require a SI, you're may be out luck for BasicMed - you can't use BasicMed if a Third Class has been denied.
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This doesn't sound right at all. How could an AME cause a denial of a Third Class if you don't fill out the FAA MedXPress form and present it to the AME as an application for a Third Class?
 
NoHeat said:
This doesn't sound right at all. How could an AME cause a denial of a Third Class if you don't fill out the FAA MedXPress form and present it to the AME as an application for a Third Class?
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Agreed. He could cause a revocation, or start the process leading to revocation, but he couldn't cause a denial if you didn't fill out a MedXPress.
 
Sundancer said:
I don't think so? I'm not sure what the FAA requires of an AME, knowing you have an active Third Class, but now have an issue that would jeopardize it? Maybe just tell you you're hosed for a Third Class, but he/she would sign a BasicMed? I guess it'd depend on the doctor, and the particular issue. Some things they don't have any choice on, when it comes to a Third Class, like particular meds or ailments, but maybe your doc would be willing to sign off on the BasicMed when he/she couldn't do so for a Thurd Class
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Right. My AME knew he would have to defer me to OKC if I applied for a 3rd class, but knew enough about my case to be quite comfortable with signing me off for BasicMed. He actually encouraged me to go ahead with the 3rd class application, thinking I would eventually get it; I was the one who decided it wasn't worth the time, money, and risk to my future flying.
 
In terms of being "turned in" by an AME, I suppose that depends on the AME. Like everything else, there are all types out there.

Personally, I wouldn't want to place an AME in the position of having to choose between obligations to me as a patient and any perceived obligations to the FAA.
 
midlifeflyer said:
In terms of being "turned in" by an AME, I suppose that depends on the AME. Like everything else, there are all types out there.

Personally, I wouldn't want to place an AME in the position of having to choose between obligations to me as a patient and any perceived obligations to the FAA.
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Nor would I. But I can only think of a couple of scenarios where an AME could actually be placed in such a bind, and they both involve the airman saying he will continue to fly on a 3rd class despite having a clearly disqualifying condition (either one of the Big 15, or being on an SI and having an adverse change in health status that would require reporting). If I have an active 3rd class cert and go to an AME for Basic Med and he thinks he has to report me because I had skin cancer and self-grounded but didn't report it myself, well, I would end the exam right there and go somewhere else.
 
azure said:
Nor would I. But I can only think of a couple of scenarios where an AME could actually be placed in such a bind, and they both involve the airman saying he will continue to fly on a 3rd class despite having a clearly disqualifying condition (either one of the Big 15, or being on an SI and having an adverse change in health status that would require reporting). If I have an active 3rd class cert and go to an AME for Basic Med and he thinks he has to report me because I had skin cancer and self-grounded but didn't report it myself, well, I would end the exam right there and go somewhere else.
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I'd rather avoid being in a position in which I had to end it. How would that stop him from reporting it?
 
midlifeflyer said:
I'd rather avoid being in a position in which I had to end it. How would that stop him from reporting it?
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Well, point taken. But short of not going to any AME, even for Basic Med, with a condition that is disqualifying for your current 3rd class, how would you avoid being in that position?

Sure, you can vet your prospective AME as intensively as you want. Talk to umpteen pilots who have used him, Talk at length with him before revealing any details about your medical history. But you won't know for sure until you're in that position.
 
azure said:
Well, point taken. But short of not going to any AME, even for Basic Med, with a condition that is disqualifying for your current 3rd class, how would you avoid being in that position?
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Exactly! That's why:
  1. I won't go to an AME for BasicMed and never made my AME my PCP.
  2. I would not go to an AME while I had a current 3rd Class unless I had a reportable change of condition under a Special Issuance.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Exactly! That's why:
  1. I won't go to an AME for BasicMed and never made my AME my PCP.
  2. I would not go to an AME while I had a current 3rd Class unless I had a reportable change of condition under a Special Issuance.
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To each their own, but my road to Basic Med would have been a bit rockier if I had followed that rule. :(

Yes, I probably would have been able to get it, but I would have needed an ophthalmologist to do the color testing and ocular alignment, since my PCP didn't have the equipment.

But beyond that, what makes you so certain your PCP won't report your disqualifying condition to the FAA? We've heard of physicians who think it their duty to do that -- and I knew one personally, some years ago now, but won't relate the details here -- who felt that way. The only way to be sure that won't happen is to never tell your PCP that you fly.

I prefer a less paranoid approach. Heck, I could always be afraid someone at the airport saw my last bounced landing and is going to rat me out in hopes of landing me a 44709 ride. Most likely wouldn't go that far, but might earn me a grilling or two by an ASI. No way I can be sure that won't happen. Life is too short to worry about unlikely consequences like that. I prefer to take "reasonable measures" -- i.e. limited vetting -- and talk to the AME pre-exam and rely on my gut to tell me if the AME is "that type".

Since the AME I ultimately used was encouraging me to try for the 3rd class, I really doubt I ever had much to worry about.
 
NoHeat said:
This doesn't sound right at all. How could an AME cause a denial of a Third Class if you don't fill out the FAA MedXPress form and present it to the AME as an application for a Third Class?
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Actually, I was referring to a situation in which you already have a current Third Class, before your visit to a AME for BasicMed - clearly, not applicable if you don't use an AME for BasicMed.
 
azure said:
But beyond that, what makes you so certain your PCP won't report your disqualifying condition to the FAA? We've heard of physicians who think it their duty to do that -- and I knew one personally, some years ago now, but won't relate the details here -- who felt that way. The only way to be sure that won't happen is to never tell your PCP that you fly.

I prefer a less paranoid approach.
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Sorry I have to chuckle at that.

Those pretty unusual situations notwithstanding, I think worrying that your personal physician who has HIPAA and other privacy obligations to you will report you to the FAA on his or her own initiative is just a weeeeee less paranoid than thinking the same of a physician who actually has an obligation to the FAA, and, even in the case of BasicMed, is seeing you solely for that purpose.

As you say, to each his own.
 
midlifeflyer said:
Sorry I have to chuckle at that.

Those pretty unusual situations notwithstanding, I think worrying that your personal physician who has HIPAA and other privacy obligations to you will report you to the FAA on his or her own initiative is just a weeeeee less paranoid than thinking the same of a physician who actually has an obligation to the FAA, and, even in the case of BasicMed, is seeing you solely for that purpose.

As you say, to each his own.
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Seriously Mark, the AME knows his obligation to the FAA. The ordinary doctor doesn't. He knows only that there are situations where his obligations to public safety override HIPAA privacy rights. The trouble is that there are doctors who don't know where the boundary lies, and think they are doing a public service by betraying a patient when there is actually no public safety issue at all.

As I said, this isn't a hypothetical with me - I had to deal with such a doctor once. I really don't want to get into the details but yes, they really exist and they can bite you at times when you are in no position to make a credible argument. That said, I do NOT advise paranoia, just the opposite. But be aware that revealing to a personal physician that you are a pilot does put you in a vulnerable position, if you don't know that doctor well.
 
azure said:
Seriously Mark, the AME knows his obligation to the FAA. The ordinary doctor doesn't. He knows only that there are situations where his obligations to public safety override HIPAA privacy rights. The trouble is that there are doctors who don't know where the boundary lies, and think they are doing a public service by betraying a patient when there is actually no public safety issue at all.

As I said, this isn't a hypothetical with me - I had to deal with such a doctor once. I really don't want to get into the details but yes, they really exist and they can bite you at times when you are in no position to make a credible argument. That said, I do NOT advise paranoia, just the opposite. But be aware that revealing to a personal physician that you are a pilot does put you in a vulnerable position, if you don't know that doctor well.
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I don't disagree jerks exist in every profession. My childhood physician became my former physician the very first time I went for a physical after I started college. And I certainly don't blame you for feeling the way you do based on person experience.

But my personal physician turning me in is just not something I worry about.
 
I'm under the impression that once a medical certificate expires, it can't be revoked. If that's true, then that would be a reason to wait for it to expire before taking a BasicMed exam. That way, if you did happen to encounter a doc who thought it his duty to contact the FAA about you, you wouldn't have a revocation or denial to prevent you from either exercising sport pilot privileges, or qualifying under BasicMed in the future.
 
Sundancer said:
Actually, I was referring to a situation in which you already have a current Third Class, before your visit to a AME for BasicMed - clearly, not applicable if you don't use an AME for BasicMed.
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So you meant “revoked” instead of “denied”? That makes more sense.
 
midlifeflyer said:
I don't disagree jerks exist in every profession. My childhood physician became my former physician the very first time I went for a physical after I started college. And I certainly don't blame you for feeling the way you do based on person experience.

But my personal physician turning me in is just not something I worry about.
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Sounds like there is a story there too -- and no, I'm not asking for details!

But no, I don't actually worry about it either. I just take longer now, let the relationship with a new doctor develop to the point where trust exists going both ways, before I tell him or her that I'm a pilot. My current PCP is cool - I have no worries whatsoever about him. It's the institutional physician who only knows you in passing that I would be most concerned about.

Need to know basis only -- if they don't need to know, don't tell them.
 
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