Medical Certificate

Disability is something that pilots always have in the back of their minds, because becoming disabled could mean losing their third-class medical certificate. It is a frequent topic for discussion at my Experimental Aircraft Association chapter every month. I mentioned this to another pilot at this year’s EAA AirVenture. Rather than thinking of how to […]

Regardless of your experience, training or occupation, if you fly airplanes, you need to show the FAA that you are medically safe to fly. For sport pilots, that is your driver’s license. Basic Med is an option for many. However, new pilots, professionals, and those who want more than BasicMed can offer, will need an […]

Pilots get anxiety and depression just like many of the rest of us do, but they seem less likely to seek support and treatment. Why? How can we change it?

In fall 1967, I was a Marine second lieutenant and completed my first solo in a Navy T-34. After a couple of times around the pattern, the instructor got out, slapped me on the helmet, and told me to make three touch-and-goes and come back to pick him up. In fall 2017, I completed my […]

Many people have learned to fly with medical anomalies that years ago would have instantly disqualified them; hearing issues and color blindness are two of the most familiar. The work around is to apply for a waiver of the standard medical certificate as laid out in FAA Order 8900.1. In addition to making certain a waiver applicant […]