Class 3 - Sober 13 Years - No DUIs

So I’ve come to realize that my last medical would have expired about a month AFTER the deadline in 2006 for basic med. Am I able to fly under basic med while I go through the deferment process?
 
wjohnso3 said:
Am I able to fly under basic med while I go through the deferment process?
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During the basic med "Free AOPA course" you sign a waiver that sends your Nat'l driver's databank record to the FAA. Then you get the attached, certified:

Simply, the agency thinks such is inappropriate, until ajudicated.

B.
 

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Not to be dense or difficult but it wasn’t denied, it was deferred.
 
IT WAS NOT ISSUED.

Well, put in for a basic while this is ongoing. You’ll see….how it works :(
wjohnso3 said:
Not to be dense or difficult but it wasn’t denied, it was deferred.
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Try not to be guilty of "oh it can't be, it can't be, so it isn't...and I assert I AM SOBER".
You can claim sobirety- can you substantiate it? Got drug tests that are to you random? FAA isn't going to take your word for it.

Problem with going to a direct test organization is getting testimony that they were "random to you", that exceptions were not issued and that the test program meets FAA stds.

Get with a HIMS AME. This list is published.
 
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So I got with HIMS AME before getting letter and sent in:

-3 glowing character witness statements
-Personal Statement
-Letter from sponsor stating we had complete 12 steps and continue to stay in contact
-Letter from CEO of treatment center saying I had completed program in 2010 and we have stayed in contact since
-Clean driving record
-Letter from HIMS AME saying they would sponsor me.

I never did get a letter and it has switched to "in review". I'm doubting they have everything they need but is it possible? Almost seem like this slowed everything down.
 
Shrink, Psych and Cog Tests are possible and likely follow up requests. Prolly all the most time sensitive, the stuff you already provided are likely time relevant enough to stand a delay.

Chuckleheads may also want random testing results…. They don’t care if your sober half as much as you being abstinent as proven by really crappy means to do so.
 
Expect a denial letter with the HIMS path option and requirements. It seems HIMS psych is always needed and usually neurocog but I only required psych. Your HIMS AME can start the required random urine tests now. I don't know how far CAMI is backlogged but it seems like it is quite a bit. I got a copy of my SI 3rd class medical in October '23 but my status on MedEx is still final review and I have not received the original in the mail yet. Take that for what it is worth.
 
4RNB said:
How?
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They can get the insurance codes. Lying and omitting and not getting gigged for it, has long gone since the O-administration. Don't be advising that pilots do that. the application sez, "Have you ever in your life....", not "can we find a record of...."
It NEVER goes away. As the OP is aware (has insight) sobriety is only asserted, not proven until it is substantiated.
 
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Well I’m 4 months in and still not a peep from the FAA. Contacted my senator and they have filed an inquiry… we’ll see.
 
So I went into "final review" today. Does this typically mean they have all the information they need or is there a chance they will still request more?
 
wjohnso3 said:
So I went into "final review" today. Does this typically mean they have all the information they need or is there a chance they will still request more?
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Maybe? My guess will be they'll give you the "we can't give you a 3rd class medical but you can apply through the HIMS program." That will kind of restart the clock and you'll have to find a HIMS AME, get on the FAA's bandwagon (with 13 years' sober, maybe "get your sheet signed" at AA meetings and a 12 random urinary analyses in 14 months, maybe the full battery from the HIMS neuropsychologist, then your AME can send your packet back to the FAA for more review).

I had 19 years sobriety, with a DUI, with AA attendance, when I applied for my 3rd class medical in July 2020. I got my HIMS 3rd class in late July 2021, 54 weeks later. I had to go through the HIMS process. Not fun, cost wasn't cheap, but after I got my HIMS 3rd class, I held out hope for getting an unrestricted 3rd class quickly. That wasn't to be, so I jumped to Basic Med after 18 months of holding the 3rd class SI.

Feel free to ping me via DM with any questions. The whole story of my 3rd-class medical timeline is available here: https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/com...sober-for-19-years-active-in-recovery.126871/
 
wjohnso3 said:
Same
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When I was kicked into HIMS and asked to do random monitoring, I simply googled "drug testing labs in [my city]." I found several, contacted one, told them what was up, what I needed, and they said "no problem. We've done this for other pilots, too." Because I had to do so many tests, they even dropped the overall price for me and had me on a random call list. They'd forward my results to my HIMS AME whenever I got called to pee in a cup.

The local lab I was is here. From what I've read here, they were pretty cheap, too: $75/**** event. In the grand scheme of aviation, pretty damn cheap.

You might be able to call your local municipality's drug court and find out where they send their monitorees.
 
Half Fast said:
Careful. Don't assume a 6-month cutoff. You have to let the medical certificate itself expire, and you have to continue to maintain the SI until that happens. See what the "not valid after" date on the certificate is. It might be longer than the SI validity. If you don't continue to fulfill the SI obligations while the medical certificate is valid, the FAA can revoke the certificate, thereby taking Basic Med off the table.

@Brad Z is POA's FAA insider and knows far more than I do about Basic Med. He can explain all this in greater detail.

And, yes, you can get Basic Med done while the Class 3 is still active. In fact, Dr Bruce advised me to get Basic immediately after I got my SI Class 3. The Basic Med doc will feel better about approving your application while the ink is still wet on your Class 3 and he knows the FAA certified you as healthy enough to fly just days before he does the Basic Med exam.
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Interesting. Could you have gone basic med as soon as the ink was dry on the SI and subsequently surrendered your medical certificate?
 
Clip4 said:
Interesting. Could you have gone basic med as soon as the ink was dry on the SI and subsequently surrendered your medical certificate?
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No. A surrendered certificate is the same as a revocation. The FAA processes a "surrender" by revoking the certificate. You have to let it expire on its own, and in some cases that means doing actions to keep the SI valid while waiting for the underlying medical to expire. Fortunately I had no such actions (my SI was for an autoimmune condition) and my medical was only valid for a year (actually 9 months by the time they issued it).
 
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