First time 3rd Class Medical deferred to OKC

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Parikh

Filing Flight Plan
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Jun 14, 2017
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Rajul
I started the private pilot license program with enthusiasm. Ground school was a chore but completed it. Looking back, it would have been better if I took this online because my teacher sucked and wouldn't provide us powerpoint copies and told us nothing about what to do after we completed the class. I digress on this.

After looking up that I need to get a 3rd class medical I scheduled an appointment. The AME did not tell me I had to complete a FAA medical xpress before I came, so I completed it at his office. I have high blood pressure and my application was defreered to OKC because I didn't provide him with a letter from my doctor stating that it was under control before I had my exam. I was not offered the opportunity to provide this and he said I'll hear back from the FAA in 8-12 weeks and they will request this information. Then he said they will respond back to me in another 8-12 weeks. I'm not even 30 and am in good health. This is BS.

Should I have been offered the opportunity to provide this information before he submitted? Is there any way to speed up the FAA reviewing my information.

Basically I'm fed up with this whole process. The process is so convoluted and every trainer/teacher/AME I've encountered is arrogant. I'm not even sure I want to continue because it's like walking on eggshells asking any questions. Most private pilots I've met are very nice and helpful, it's just those people who are supposed to be providing education suck. Newsflash, you were a student pilot once. I hope they lose their businesses because they're such aholes.

Someone please tell me it gets better.
 
I'm on meds for high blood pressure and my ame just checked my bp in the office and verified it was under the limit. No doctor note needed. I'm not sure why he needed to defer you.
 
Parikh, it sounds like you went to the AME with high blood pressure readings. I don't know if you are on medication or not, but if you knew this, you should have checked your blood pressure before going into the AME. At this point, you might want to reach out to Dr. Bruce Chien to see if he has suggestions for you.

Unfortunately now that you've registered on IACRA and have a medical passed to OKC for review, you have to follow this process. Otherwise I would have recommended (if you knew of the high blood pressure issue) to go with Sport Pilot program and add Private Pilot once the BP was under control.

Good luck... just hang tight and maybe get Dr. Bruce's input since you're on this track now.
 
i get the frustration, but this goes into preflight planning. plan ahead for your medical, what are the next steps, what hazards might i encounter, any way to avoid them?

same as if you're planning a flight, it's a good habit to get your brain into.

i'm genuinely sorry you're having a frustrating time, i'd be mad too, but perhaps there is a positive lesson as well
 
Unfortunately, there is very little information about the process and possible pitfalls in thr FAA medical process. You've been caught in the tangled web and all any of us can do is offer sympathy and recommend contacting Dr Chien at aeromedicaldoc.com
 
MIFlyer said:
i get the frustration, but this goes into preflight planning. plan ahead for your medical, what are the next steps, what hazards might i encounter, any way to avoid them?

same as if you're planning a flight, it's a good habit to get your brain into.

i'm genuinely sorry you're having a frustrating time, i'd be mad too, but perhaps there is a positive lesson as well
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How can anyone do any planning re: the FAA if they don't know what's involved? If you are starting froms scratch, how is anyone supposed to know about thr FAA, AOPA, flight school assistance, etc? A good school and/or CFI can provide direction but without any knowledge, you're toast, the the OP is the latest casualty.
 
What a peach.

www.faa.gov has all of the information one needs and it is fairly intuitive. You just have to work through it logically and if you have trouble doing that then you can ask for assistance from a CFI at the flight school you have chosen to use. There is no reason an intelligent person cannot work through it.

So let's take a short walk through faa.gov for the medical issue.
1. Go to www.faa.gov
2. Click on the "Licenses & Certificates" tab
3. Click on "Medical Certification"
4. Click on "How to obtain a Medical Certificate"
5. Read the following on that page:
To obtain a medical certificate you must be examined by an FAA-designated Aviation Medical Examiner (AME). As the airman you should follow these steps to apply for and obtain your medical certificate:
At your scheduled appointment, the AME will complete your medical examination and the remainder of the FAA application form. If you meet the required medical standards, the AME will issue you a medical certificate.

The step to use MedXPress is clearly before the step to schedule with the AME. There is also a FAQ section to assist in one's understanding of the process.

And this statement here is ridiculous:
Parikh said:
Basically I'm fed up with this whole process. The process is so convoluted and every trainer/teacher/AME I've encountered is arrogant. I'm not even sure I want to continue because it's like walking on eggshells asking any questions. Most private pilots I've met are very nice and helpful, it's just those people who are supposed to be providing education suck. Newsflash, you were a student pilot once. I hope they lose their businesses because they're such aholes.
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The process is not convoluted, in fact it is rather simple if you take the time to educate yourself. Also, I find it very difficult to believe that every trainer/teacher/AME he encountered is arrogant. Of course, most likely it was just his one teacher and one AME that did not cater to him and now he wants to mischaracterize everyone involved in the process as well as the process itself.

He even complains about not being given PowerPoint slides. I would imagine all of the info on the slides was also in whichever private pilot ground school book the course was using so OP had the information if he chose to read the book. There is no obligation for the instructor to either print slides or provide a copy of his presentation. Read the book!

As to the ground school instructor not providing information on what to do after completing the course, I wonder if the instructor just did not include it in the course material as I do not believe it is written test material or if he refused to provide it to the class when asked. My money is on the former. I bet he was not even asked.

This is another great example of someone pointing fingers at everyone else for his own failings rather than assuming personal responsibility.

OP, you ask if it gets better. Yes it does but only if you make the effort rather than relying on others to spoon feed you.
 
Parikh, try not to get discouraged. I went through the same BS. My flight school was nice enough, and had good intentions, but were not terribly helpful. I fell into the same trap, and ended up with a really lousy AME. (Even the FAA said such AMEs were a problem for them.) I had to leap over more hurdles than you can possibly imagine. (I'd list them all, but...) Granted, I had a few borderline things wrong with me, (including high blood pressure that had been controlled by meds for more than a decade) but it seemed like everywhere I turned, there was another FAA trap lying in wait for me to step in. (And step in them I did.) It took me 4 months to get my medical! (It didn't help that the government shut down for a month a week after I applied.) But I trained anyway. By the time I soloed, all I had left to do was my solo cross country, and to build solo hours.

It's a messed up system, and it's not going to get any better. If you want to fly, these are the hoops you have to jump through. For some, it's easier, of others, harder. I'm in my third year of having my PPL and I am quite happy that I stuck it out. If you truly love to fly, you will be able to get through it.
 
EppyGA said:
A little research would have prevented a lot of frustration.
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Sure, but if the flight training industry is relying on newcomers to know what to look for and where to look, then it's no wonder that new pilot numbers are underwhelming. The possibility of this kind of pitfall is NOT obvious to people who haven't experienced it in other areas of life.
 
MassPilot said:
I'm on meds for high blood pressure and my ame just checked my bp in the office and verified it was under the limit. No doctor note needed. I'm not sure why he needed to defer you.
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Did you not have to provide the doctors note on your first renewal after been diagnosed with high BP, my brother did.
 
A couple things: Once you start the medical with the AME, it will either be issued or deferred. It could also be denied, but I don't know if the AME does that or if the AME defers and lets OKC do that. The AME won't start the process and then place it on hold so you can get back to your doc for status reports. You are expected to have that already when you show up. Now you get to hurry up and wait. You aren't the first and won't be the last. My first medical was deferred, too.

The AME guide for hypertension (download the worksheets):

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...pp_process/exam_tech/item36/amd/hypertension/

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...m/ame/guide/app_process/exam_tech/item55/amd/
 
murphey said:
How can anyone do any planning re: the FAA if they don't know what's involved? If you are starting froms scratch, how is anyone supposed to know about thr FAA, AOPA, flight school assistance, etc? A good school and/or CFI can provide direction but without any knowledge, you're toast, the the OP is the latest casualty.
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I'm not trying to be holier than thou, but that's what POA and other forums are for. I started here and knew everything i would need to do to walk out of the AME office with my SI.

We can rail that a user shouldn't have to do that much due diligence, but the fact is, in many things in life, they really should check it out ahead of time.
 
MIFlyer said:
I'm not trying to be holier than thou, but that's what POA and other forums are for. I started here and knew everything i would need to do to walk out of the AME office with my SI.

We can rail that a user shouldn't have to do that much due diligence, but the fact is, in many things in life, they really should check it out ahead of time.
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It really, really helps, if your CFI gives you a head's up. The CFI doesn't need to know the details of your medical, that's your business, but a simple comment of "You are going to have to report your medical history, your DUIs, your prescriptions, anything that you think is minor and not worth mentioning is something that FAA might hang you on. Here's a link to the FAA medical website so you can see what you are getting yourself into", can save a lot of headaches. This is a far cry from the CFI's that say, "if you have a pulse and can fog a mirror you will pass."

I used the AOPA forum and got the answers ahead of time. That's the trick for first-timers, you have to know you will pass before you start, but you have to find out on your own how to do that.
 
paflyer said:
The flight school failed this guy.
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Plain simple truth. Instead of helping a newbie thru the system, this school just took his money and threw him to the wolves. You'd think schools would want to help their customers make it all the way to the PP ride, but who knows? Now this guy (rightfully so) will sit on the sidelines, not fly, and wait for the medical to sort out. And in the mean time, he should be shopping for a better school and/or instructor.

My instructor was an old crotchety retired ATC guy and had been flying since the invention of sliced bread. He was sometimes hard to deal with, but he also knew the system inside out and gave me great advice all through training. He didn't need the money, didn't need the airtime, just liked helping folks into the air.
 
Matthew said:
It really, really helps, if your CFI gives you a head's up. The CFI doesn't need to know the details of your medical, that's your business, but a simple comment of "You are going to have to report your medical history, your DUIs, your prescriptions, anything that you think is minor and not worth mentioning is something that FAA might hang you on. Here's a link to the FAA medical website so you can see what you are getting yourself into", can save a lot of headaches. This is a far cry from the CFI's that say, "if you have a pulse and can fog a mirror you will pass."

I used the AOPA forum and got the answers ahead of time. That's the trick for first-timers, you have to know you will pass before you start, but you have to find out on your own how to do that.
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Check with the CFI/flight school for a list of pilot-friendly AMEs. After reviewing the MedExpress questions, then if there is ANY doubt, there is no doubt. Schedule a "consultation" with the AME BEFORE opening the medical exam.
 
paflyer said:
Check with the CFI/flight school for a list of pilot-friendly AMEs. After reviewing the MedExpress questions, then if there is ANY doubt, there is no doubt. Schedule a "consultation" with the AME BEFORE opening the medical exam.
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And to add some extra info: You'll get a code number when you complete the MedExpress. That code matters. If the AME types that code into his system, the exam is "live". As long as you don't let that code get entered, you are getting a consult. And if you fill out the MedExpress and don't do anything, it will expire on its own in 30 (?) days. If you don't want to wait that long and you do want to fill out a fresh form, log in under a different e-mail and start over.
 
I had to deal with OKC one time and came away with two lessons. They will take their time and calling them does absolutely no good. The time clock on my renewal started the day the inexperienced AME sent it to them. So the unexpired time on my medical was much shorter when I got it back. All in all a very annoying experience with our favorite alphabet. Glad that's over now....
 
During one medical I had by of 140/100 (if memory serves). Turned out to be a drug interaction that went away, but that was the limit at which they would issue. If OP's BP is much higher than that it isn't under control and ought to be. If it is under control this will turn into a paperwork exercise, albeit a slow one.

Good news is it doesn't have to interrupt anyone's training. Only down side is you can't solo without the medical. Big up side is whatever happens, you only have to do it once.
 
steingar said:
During one medical I had by of 140/100 (if memory serves). Turned out to be a drug interaction that went away, but that was the limit at which they would issue. If OP's BP is much higher than that it isn't under control and ought to be. If it is under control this will turn into a paperwork exercise, albeit a slow one.

Good news is it doesn't have to interrupt anyone's training. Only down side is you can't solo without the medical. Big up side is whatever happens, you only have to do it once.
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155/95 is the current limit.
 
MassPilot said:
140/100 is over the limit.
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I suppose I might have been on the diastolic in a reading, though it couldn't have been by much. Go the medical that time out.

Turned out to be a positive experience. I had no idea I was taking a drug that would do that. Good thing to know.
 
We really don't have a whole lot of information on this situation. We don't know if he is working with a flight school. It's unclear if he's talked to a CFI. All we know is he went to a ground school (which could have been offered by the local community college by a BGI), and he went to get a medical. There is no mention of anything else, like talking with a flight school about how the whole process of flight training works.

IF that is the case, then it's no wonder he's frustrated by the process, because he is actually trying to figure it all out himself. And that's about impossible. As a CFI, I have never had a student show up the first time to talk to me with their ground school and medical already done. Most often, they contact a flight school and a CFI and THEN start the process. This is where a CFI has the opportunity to help guide the prospective student and tell them what they will need to do. I know I have had a discussion about medicals with all my students. Since I have generally worked with "older" (meaning 40+ year old) students, well, we just have more "stuff" in our medical histories. I'm not an expert, but I know some of the key areas, and recommend they look into certain things before they go.
 
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RussR said:
We really don't have a whole lot of information on this situation. We don't know if he is working with a flight school. It's unclear if he's talked to a CFI. All we know is he went to a ground school (which could have been offered by the local community college by a BGI), and he went to get a medical. There is no mention of anything else, like talking with a flight school about how the whole process of flight training works.

IF that is the case, then it's no wonder he's frustrated by the process, because he is actually trying to figure it all out himself. And that's about impossible. As a CFI, I have never had a student show up the first time to talk to me with their ground school and medical already done. Most often, they contact a flight school and a CFI and THEN start the process. This is where a CFI has the opportunity to help guide the prospective student and tell them what they will need to do. I know I have had a discussion about medicals with all my students. Since I have generally worked with "older" (meaning 40+ year old) students, well, we just have more "stuff" in our medical histories. I'm not an expert, but I know some of the key areas, and recommend they look into certain things before they go.
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40+ students mostly don't have a forever-disqual history like "ADD".
 
SkyDog58 said:
I sometimes wonder how many of us perfectly normal functioning older folks would be labeled for life with that diagnosis if it was a thing when we were kids.
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I wonder how many of us would be in prison if smartphones and the internet existed back then. :eek:
 
paflyer said:
The flight school failed this guy. They should be taking him and other prospects by the hand and telling them exactly what to do and when. Aviation has the absolute worst customer service of any education-based industry.
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Yup. DL medical would go a long way to making our marquee more inviting. I cannot in good conscience support the medical granting process for recreational aviation as it stands. Not its processes nor the manner in which they cut people at the knees for prior history of medication, especially that bogus overdoverdiagnosed add/hd Pharma educational industrial complex. And I digress.

If we lose the OP over this I truly believe we as a community are complicit in being part of the problem. Its bad enough to confront the gatekeeper antics of the FAA, but to get it from the membership too because of that schadenfreude "i had to deal with it, so pay your dues" de facto airline pilot mentality, thats just shooting ourselves in the foot.
 
Parikh, go to your family do, get your BP taken. Get a letter from him that sez, "I am satisfied with Parikh's Hypertension control, signature, date." Fax it to 405-954-4040 (before 8:30 am or it will be busy. In 10 days they will send you a certificate (provided the doc is willing to write that). Hey no kdding.
 
bbchien said:
Parikh, go to your family do, get your BP taken. Get a letter from him that sez, "I am satisfied with Parikh's Hypertension control, signature, date." Fax it to 405-954-4040 (before 8:30 am or it will be busy. In 10 days they will send you a certificate (provided the doc is willing to write that). Hey no kdding.
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Out of curiosity - is there anything preventing the AME from talking to the patient and deciding he is satisfied with the hypertension control - and sending that to the FAA?
 
The audit that follows. If he cannot show that he has seen the pilot more than once, the last a couple of da s apart, it all comes apart.
 
Amazing… I was just reading posts here to see what I could do to speed up my special issuance review, when the phone rang: Hi, it's the FAA, your certificate's been approved! Yee haw! 6 weeks with the FAA, 4+ months start to finish.

One piece of advice (repeating what's been said here already): find a good AME. A really good AME. I found one, and it didn't matter that he's 100 miles away (Dr. Richard Andolsen in Healdsburg, CA). He's a 'HIMS' AME, meaning he's qualified to deal with psychological issues (read: antidepressants); but it also means he's generally more qualified than your average AME.
 
Harry said:
Amazing… I was just reading posts here to see what I could do to speed up my special issuance review, when the phone rang: Hi, it's the FAA, your certificate's been approved! Yee haw! 6 weeks with the FAA, 4+ months start to finish.

One piece of advice (repeating what's been said here already): find a good AME. A really good AME. I found one, and it didn't matter that he's 100 miles away (Dr. Richard Andolsen in Healdsburg, CA). He's a 'HIMS' AME, meaning he's qualified to deal with psychological issues (read: antidepressants); but it also means he's generally more qualified than your average AME.
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Healdsburg is not very far from here, so I have bookmarked your post in case I ever need it.
 
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