Good thing I don’t fly for a living

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evapilotaz

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Drone airspace abuser
Having some eye problems getting addressed so I cannot fly for a while. What do you all do that fly for a living and cannot fly for health issues?
Do you have a backup plan for another career if you cannot ever fly again. If I flew for a living I would be concerned losing my Medical would put me in bankruptcy.

Just wondering What you all have for a backup plan.
 
This is true for tons of jobs, it's a risk like anything.

Also being multi facieted is always a good idea, pilot or not.

For pilot who loose their medical, if they have some experience they can always be a sim Instructor at FSI or something.
 
evapilotaz said:
What do you all do that fly for a living and cannot fly for health issues?
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Go bonkers, I tell ya what........

I have been busy, too busy on a start up business. I need to get some time to get my medical again. I feel the call of Alaska.....again.
 
Tarheelpilot said:
You have two doctors. One keeps you healthy. One keeps you employed. Neither one knows about the other one.
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People have no idea how profoundly not facetious that trope is when it comes to our demographic. I'd expand more but I like my fifth amendment so I digress.
 
Well we have a doc on the books to streamline the SI process so I’d probably roll the dice with that and try and stick it out. If it becomes something that I believe would be hazard to my crew / pax, I don’t think I’ll have any problems letting go of aviation. We’ve got non flying positions in the company for people who can’t maintain a medical as well.

To be honest, losing my medical isn’t something that I worry about each year. 20 years of military flight physicals (long form) that far exceed the depth of an FAA class 2 / 3 and I didn’t worry about those either...well maybe the first one. 25 years of maintaining an FAA medical, it’s more of a paperwork formality than anything . I still have 20/20 (barely), normal BP, hearing, weight, etc.
 
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I used to not worry about having a sudden health problem. Then suddenly I did.
 
Paulie said:
You get a first class every six months on your own? I’m speaking of 121 drivers.
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Well I do fly for a living and the company does pay for my medicals

At my age it wouldn’t be every six months, but I get a second class every year, and that’s only because my doc doesn’t do 1sts and I don’t need one for the flying I do.

There’s more out there than airlines.
 
Zeldman said:
I used to not worry about having a sudden health problem. Then suddenly I did.
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That is Bruce's famous quote, "Everyone is healthy.....until they aren't!"

Velocity173 said:
Is it me or do we have an increase in anon medical threads on POA? Jeez, stay in shape and don’t screw up with the law! ;)
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Sometimes you just can't outrun heredity, no matter hard you try to stay in shape. DAMHIK.
 
The whole "I could lose my job every six months" hyperbole is....hyperbole. Unless you work for a total dirtbag operator, you aren't going to lose your job over one failed recurrent check ride. Multiple failures is a different story, but one bad day of flying isn't gonna land you on the street. Same could be said about a medical issue, unless its a total career ender, or something self induced like a DWI.

Regarding a back up plan, I have loss of medical insurance. If its a career ender, I'd probably find a management job in some aviation related field.
 
Bill Jennings said:
That is Bruce's famous quote, "Everyone is healthy.....until they aren't!"



Sometimes you just can't outrun heredity, no matter hard you try to stay in shape. DAMHIK.
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Yeah at some point in the future I imagine I’ll be jumping through the SI hoops. If my body can only hold out 15 more years til retirement! :)

Just finished up a book about a retired Naval Aviator. In it, he says he cheated on the eye test to get in. Back then you had to have 20/20 uncorrected near and far. Heard Bob Hoover did the same. Anyway, makes me wonder how many people flat out lie or cheat to get into aviation. Also makes me wonder the validity of some of these so-called disqualifying conditions.
 
Groundpounder said:
The whole "I could lose my job every six months" hyperbole is....hyperbole. Unless you work for a total dirtbag operator, you aren't going to lose your job over one failed recurrent check ride.
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The only time I "failed" a recurrent check ride was for a dirt bag company that was looking to get rid of pilots. And I didn't really fail the check ride, I was told by the new owners yes man that I did not measure up to their standards. On the other hand, they didn't measure up to my standards either.
 
From what I’ve witnessed, there are still plenty of ways to lose a job as a pilot other than medical. Amazes me how some of these morons get through life, let alone get a job flying for a living.
 
Zeldman said:
The only time I "failed" a recurrent check ride was for a dirt bag company that was looking to get rid of pilots. And I didn't really fail the check ride, I was told by the new owners yes man that I did not measure up to their standards. On the other hand, they didn't measure up to my standards either.
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There are still a few companies out there that use training events as ways to thin the herd for whatever reason. One of my former employers uses it to get rid of the top of the pay scale. Pretty sad, but they are starting to really feel the crunch of the pilot shortage, so they are getting their due.
 
Groundpounder said:
There are still a few companies out there that use training events as ways to thin the herd for whatever reason. One of my former employers uses it to get rid of the top of the pay scale. Pretty sad, but they are starting to really feel the crunch of the pilot shortage, so they are getting their due.
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Good! Those CEOs might have to downsize their yachts a bit to keep the business going! Suckersssss
 
Velocity173 said:
... Also makes me wonder the validity of some of these so-called disqualifying conditions...
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Oh it's mostly a sham to make the mouth breathers feel "safe"

I mean look at the mandatory retirement thing, if the medical has any merit there is no need to force folks who can get a medical to retire.

Add to that their crazy reaction to all the kids who took a little ritalin back when it was trendy for crooked docs to sell parents on feeding that stuff to their kids, their puritanical stance on DUIs, using the horrible false positive and inaccurate ishara test for color blindness vs the far superior D-15 ( https://www.color-blindness.com/2009/03/10/online-farnsworth-d-15-dichotomous-color-blindness-test/ ), etc, its all very silly but it makes the stupid pax feel better, just like the failed TSA, and all the other overreaching the fed does, but feelings come before facts I guess :dunno:
 
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