My class 3 medical just came through, thanks largely to the efforts of Dr. Bruce Chien!
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Now I have the ability to upgrade from my Sport ticket to PPL, and I can go Basic Med and never futz with this again. If the Basic Med legislation hadn't passed I never would have bothered, as the cost and effort of going through all this every two years wouldn't make sense.
I wasn't faced with the difficulties of some - no DUI, no ADD, no history of drug abuse, etc. But it was still difficult and complicated and would have cratered without Dr. Bruce. I have autoimmune liver disease, which required an SI. On top of that, I have a few other complications such as hypertension, hypothyroid, and a history of skin cancers. I also had three procedures recently to repair a torn eardrum.
All that meant multiple visits to various doctors, exams, lab work, audiology tests, compiling histories and letters and reports,... By the time we were done the paper pile was something over 400 pages (the dermatology records alone were about 140 pages). If I'd tried to do all that by myself there is no chance I wouldn't have screwed it up somewhere. Dr. Bruce's knowledge and expertise was invaluable.
Had this gone south I would have lost even my Sport Pilot privileges. Without Bruce I would never have taken the chance, but he made sure it would go through before we ever pushed the button.
We need to find a way to get Dr. Chien nominated for the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He is a tremendous asset for airmen, and the so-called "fee" he charges is a joke considering the time he puts in, even without considering the value of his knowledge. If he were trying to make money, he'd probably do better by putting a tips jar on his desk.
Bruce, thank you.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Now I have the ability to upgrade from my Sport ticket to PPL, and I can go Basic Med and never futz with this again. If the Basic Med legislation hadn't passed I never would have bothered, as the cost and effort of going through all this every two years wouldn't make sense.
I wasn't faced with the difficulties of some - no DUI, no ADD, no history of drug abuse, etc. But it was still difficult and complicated and would have cratered without Dr. Bruce. I have autoimmune liver disease, which required an SI. On top of that, I have a few other complications such as hypertension, hypothyroid, and a history of skin cancers. I also had three procedures recently to repair a torn eardrum.
All that meant multiple visits to various doctors, exams, lab work, audiology tests, compiling histories and letters and reports,... By the time we were done the paper pile was something over 400 pages (the dermatology records alone were about 140 pages). If I'd tried to do all that by myself there is no chance I wouldn't have screwed it up somewhere. Dr. Bruce's knowledge and expertise was invaluable.
Had this gone south I would have lost even my Sport Pilot privileges. Without Bruce I would never have taken the chance, but he made sure it would go through before we ever pushed the button.
We need to find a way to get Dr. Chien nominated for the National Aviation Hall of Fame. He is a tremendous asset for airmen, and the so-called "fee" he charges is a joke considering the time he puts in, even without considering the value of his knowledge. If he were trying to make money, he'd probably do better by putting a tips jar on his desk.
Bruce, thank you.
