In a way, Sport Pilots have it made. When it’s time for the rest of us to visit our Aviation Medical Examiners and cough hard, they can just glance at their driver’s license, keep that $100 in their wallet, have an extra a cup of coffee or take a few laps around the pattern. And a lot of us doubt just how much good “the medical” does. We’ve all heard stories of pilots who got a clean bill of health from their AME only to drop dead the next day. Apocryphal or not, the concept is clear. The pilot physical, especially the Third Class version, is a cursory look at a pilot’s health.
Still, there are some good things about the pilot medical. Most important to me is that every two years it forces me to confront my health in a way that even a regular checkup with my general practitioner doesn’t. If I don’t pass, I don’t get to fly. I won’t say that that’s everything to me, but pretty darned close. I don’t doubt it’s much different for the majority of our readers.
Now, pilots, like people in nearly every other walk of life, come in all shapes and sizes. Some fit into an LSA and some don’t. Our health profiles are very different too. It’s safe to say that since a lot of us pilot types are busy, successful middle-aged or slightly older people (mostly guys) a lot of us have health issues. It’s not hard to figure out what those are. You can, in fact, get a good idea by watching the drug company ads during any major PGA tournament. We have high blood pressure, overweight, high cholesterol, heart issues, breathing problems, joint pain, vision deterioration and even mental health concerns. I won’t even mention those little blue pills, though, truth be told, the need for them is usually closely related to others of these health challenges.
So the visit to the AME serves as a kind of a benchmark. What kind of shape are you in this year compared to last year (or two or more years back, depending on your class of medical)? What’s your weight? How’s your eyesight? How’s your stress level? What meds are you taking? How are they working? If you’ve got any conditions you’re keeping an eye on, are they better, worse, or about the same? The medical is a great place to get in touch with the state of your health, again, because the FAA medical matters. There are plenty of ex-pilots out there who know how true that is.
The good news is, there’s a lot you can do to prolong your flying years, but nothing beats getting fit. I know. When I was 35 I’d gained weight, stopped working out and I felt terrible. In five years’ time I’d gone from being really fit to being really soft. It was upsetting, and for years I didn’t do anything about it.
Then a few years ago I made a commitment to get into better shape and stay that way.
So far it’s worked. I’ve been eating better—that healthy slice of German chocolate cake last night notwithstanding—and I’m staying active. For me that’s meant joining a running group—I’ve got two marathons under my belt and am training for a third. It’s not as hard as you’d think. I’m a busy guy—these blogs don’t write themselves (or if they do, could you send me the name of the software that makes that happen?). I’ve got a family and a sometimes crazy travel life. I miss workouts, I get behind on my training schedule and I sometimes find it hard to say no to that dessert or second helping. But the bottom line is, the working out I do is way better than none at all.
And if it sounds like I’m a hard core fitness addict, well, nothing could be further from the truth. I’m just consistent about it. That’s all it takes.
The same is true for you.
How does this affect my flying? Let me count the ways. I don’t dread my FAA medical, that’s for sure. I have more energy, I fit in smaller airplanes better, and when I’m flying with family and friends and we’re bumping up against our max weight, I can take along 15 extra pounds of fuel, which is more than two gallons, which is almost ten minutes of additional fuel. I’m aiming for half an hour.
Now getting fit is something you need to do advisedly, preferably after talking with your doctor. And dropping a few pounds, lowering your heart rate and boosting your metabolism won’t cure all of your complaints. But you might be surprised how many it might cure.
Me? I plan to keep up the running (and biking). Maybe it will mean I’ll be able to fly until I’m 85 instead of 80? Maybe 65 instead of 60. There’s much we can’t predict. But I do know it makes me feel better now.
And I won't even get into the other benefits. We all know what they are.
And I don’t have to feel guilty about that cake. At least not too guilty.
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Submitted by Dave Prizio on September 02, 2010.
"In a way, Sport Pilots have it made."
I guess you could say I have it made, as Robert just did. After all I can still fly, which 10 years ago I certainly couldn't have done under the same circumstances. On the other hand, because of some FAA rules that make little sense to me, I am relegated to sport flying whether I like it or not. This has pushed me into building a Cub and learning to be a pretty good taildragger pilot, but do you have any idea how long it takes to fly from Los Angeles to Oshkosh at 80 knots?
I have a letter from my doctor saying I am fine, and the FAA guys at Oshkosh said my application for a special issuance would probably get approved, but, of course, if it does not it is the end of my flying, permanently.
I only wish I could suffer the inconvenience of going to the AME every other year and paying my $100.
Submitted by robert goyer on September 02, 2010.
The fact that failing a medical preempts you from Sport Pilot is in many cases ridiculous. On my first draft of this blog I started to discuss the Sport Pilot medical issues, but the subject quickly started to overwhelm my original "fitness" purpose.
And, yes, I do know how long it takes to fly halfway across the country at 80 knots. About the same as it takes to drive it! :)
Good luck with the special issuance, Dave!
Submitted by chofujohn on September 02, 2010.
The 3rd class physical should simply go away. It's unnecessary and it is costly. The only one who benefits is the doctor and only because he gets paid. The 3rd class should be replaced by a self policing system. I don't know of anyone who would ever fly if they had a health condition that would compromise safety and those who would fly without regard to safety are simply operating outside the realm of reasonable and responsible thinking. The FAA should mandate the same health rules for private pilots as they now have in place for sport pilots flying LSA's? Don't hold your breath.
I asked the airport manager here locally when he last got a physical and his answer shocked me. He hasn't had one in over 10 years! He said he is healthy and does not have any real reason not to comply, except his position that the FAA is Big Brother and he's anti-anything government. Ok, so he's not the most rational person I could have polled. Now I'm wondering just how many pilots are flying without medicals. I asked how he could get insurance and he said he was self insured. I asked what he'd do if he ever got caught in a ramp check and he said he'd simply continue to fly without regard for the 3rd class requirement. He's a safe pilot who keeps his airplane in annual and has never so much as scratched an airplane. So, what argument could I pose that would make sense other than what he's doing is outside the law that I, too, think is unnecessary? I don't think he's right for his non-compliance to the regs, but I understand him. I understand and empathize with the maverick attitude. He's a barnstormer at heart.
Submitted by newby on September 02, 2010.
I sit here today awaiting the re-issuance of my Special Issuance medical, my former medical expired. I did everything the FAA said - on or about xx/xx/2010 submit a letter from your doctor - which I did a week or so before it was "due", talked to the head Doc at one of the main flying events as was told that my condition was so minor he wasn't worried about it but the regs were the regs and a special issuance was required, and have had every and all check-ups as required. Well the FAA backlog has extended from 60 days to 90 days, and my application for re-issuance has been in the final stage for well over a month now and who knows when (or if) it will be re-issued.
The most absurd thing is my conditioon could be treated with pills that are now over-the-counter medication.
I talk to so many others that say "I have that, but I've never reported it" and they have no problem getting their medical. Makes you wonder if it's better to have an omission on your medical application, or risk the fine/jail/excommunication if you're caught.
Submitted by SocalFlyer on September 02, 2010.
I've personally run across several pilots who quietly continued to fly for quite a while sans-medical. We all remember the much-beloved Flying staffer who did the same thing. None of these people ever, to my knowledge, had any problem flying safely and none died in a crash, medically-induced or otherwise, so my view is that for 3rd class, self-certifying is probably a viable way to go.
The question is, would the FAA ever accept the media & NTSB heat from accidents where "the pilot had not been medically certified"? It would be like all those cases where they note accusingly that "the pilot did not file a flight plan", trying to imply it somehow would have mattered.
Submitted by sitrep on September 02, 2010.
Non-compliance is not the answer. Our whole aviation system runs on voluntary cooperation from the pilot community (when was the last time someone asked to see your certificate?m Your BFR?) The anti-anything-government attitude is a smoke screen for bigger mental problems. Also, this attitude is a slippery slope to "who needs the training to fly?" We have a few rogue pilots locally that graduated from RC to ultralights then just bought a plane and fly (they even fly family and friends!) There crazy antics make bad news for every "real pilot" that has put the effort into training, certification and keeping current. They are great "pilots" (like if you can do a loop at 200' in a Skyhawk repeatedly and live) Whenever a local observes something crazy like this in a Cessna we get a call at the airport: non-compliance is NOT the answer!
On the original point of Robert's article, I agree 100%! The threat of "failing" a medical (in my case losing my livelihood) keeps me out there running! Thanks for the inspiration.
Submitted by alanmurg on September 03, 2010.
I held a Class 1 med. until 75 yrs old, and when I last renewed it I passed successfully, including a regular ECG. but, entirely due to age I was required to undergo a stress ECG at which there was much sucking of teeth and suggestions that I wasn't going to drive home, was I ?
10 days later I was the proud possessor of two arterial stents, following Angioplasty.
Only because I went to renew my pilot's licence would I have ever known about this, unlike the drivers hurtling towards me at a closing speed of 140 mph, unaware even of their blood pressure !
Submitted by robert goyer on September 05, 2010.
Good point. The medical exam does hold the promise, however slight, of uncovering some serious health issues. There is, of course, a small number of scofflaw pilots who get regular medical checkups but never renew their medicals. As an earlier poster commented, there's very little risk of them getting caught, which doesn't make it smart or right.
Submitted by denniswolf on September 06, 2010.
Regarding the person with who had stents placed after an FAA mandated ECG presents an interesting problem. In the absence of symptoms and without the mandated ECG, the stents would not have been placed. We don't know what the outcome would have been with no stents. Just because stents were placed does not mean they were necessary to change function or survival. There may be studies looking at outcome in asymptomatic patients who had stents placed, but I'm not aware of them. Bottom line is, it cannot be known from the data presented that having had the physical made any difference for the pilot or for safety in general.
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