Many older flight students are less concerned about ground school or flight training than they are about qualifying for a third-class medical certificate. Many people wrongly assume that the federal aviation regulations impose a maximum age limit for obtaining a medical certificate. Happily, that is not the case. According to the 1998 FAA Aeromedical Certification Statistical Handbook, more than 22,800 pilots over the age of 70 hold at least a third-class medical certificate, and 304 of them are 85 or older.
Age is not a disqualifying factor in medical certification, but we have to face the fact that as we age, our bodies become increasingly susceptible to diseases and malfunctions that can pose challenges for medical certification. The most prevalent medical problems among pilots are those involving cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, and visual acuity problems.
Hypertension is a potentially dangerous condition if left untreated. Although we don't know exactly what mechanism causes hypertension, when properly managed, it is a relatively easy medical complication to get past the FAA. Usually, a routine electrocardiogram, some basic laboratory blood work, and an examination report from your doctor are all that is needed to qualify you for a medical certificate. There are many medications available to your doctor to control primary, or essential, hypertension, and the FAA accepts just about all of them.
Coronary artery disease is one of the most prevalent disease processes in this country. You may have no symptoms or you may have exercise-induced chest pain (angina) and myocardial infarctions (heart attacks). It's a progressive disease that can be managed by modifying the multiple risk factors that contribute to the disease in the first place. One of those risk factors that is not modifiable is, that's right, age. Gender and genetics are also beyond our control. Males generally have a higher incidence of heart disease than females, and some people just get dealt a bad genetic hand that promotes the development of heart disease. But other risk factors can be changed. They include smoking, sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and improper diet. Since heart disease generally starts early in life and continues steadily as we add years, many people are in their 40s, 50s, and 60s when symptoms begin to appear. Don't be discouraged, though, if you've had a bout with heart trouble and think you can never fly. The FAA has a lot of experience with pilots who have heart disease. "Clinically significant" coronary artery disease may require more aggressive intervention to satisfy the FAA. Coronary artery bypass, balloon angioplasty, and stent implacement are the conventional procedures for revascularizing diseased arteries, and the FAA has recertified thousands of pilots who show good recovery after having had these procedures performed.
Diabetes is another big problem in this country. Again, lifestyle and diet play a part in the development of this disease. Once it's brought under control, though, the FAA is comfortable with certifying individuals who demonstrate continued stability. Diabetes that begins relatively early in life (Type I) may have to be treated with insulin, whereas older adults who find themselves with a Type II diagnosis can often adequately control the disease with diet and exercise modifications or with oral medications.
One of the earliest signs of aging becomes noticeable in our failing near visual acuity, and this usually starts when we are in our 40s. Presbyopia, or the decrease in near visual acuity, heralds the approach of reading glasses. Other than the insult to our vanity, the need for reading glasses poses no real problem for the majority of people. The regulations for a third-class medical certificate require that we be able to see 20/40 or better in each eye separately, with or without correction, for near and distance vision. Many older pilots hold medical certificates that require the use or possession of glasses for near and/or distant vision.
Cataracts frequently occur in advancing age, but surgery to remove the cataract and replacement of the lens often improves visual acuity significantly. This surgery is very routine and complications rarely occur.
Diplopia (double vision), a substantial loss of peripheral vision, or a large visual field loss are more serious problems that will require further evaluation, but the FAA is fairly flexible on most vision problems. Waivers are frequently issued for visual acuity inadequacies. Even persons with useful vision in only one eye are routinely granted waivers.
AOPA's Medical Certification Department can answer your medical questions. The staff talks to student pilots and career veterans of all ages every day. If you are an AOPA member, complete information is available with a phone call to the Pilot Assistance Hotline at 800/872-2672. You can also get more information through AOPA's AvFax fax-on-demand service (800/ 462-8329), or by visiting AOPA Online (www.aopa.org). Chances are that the question you want to ask has been asked many times before. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done just because of your age. The only way to guarantee that you won't get a medical certificate is not to apply for one.
Gary Crump is Director of Medical Certification for AOPA. He counsels pilots about FAA medical certification issues and holds a commercial pilot certificate with instrument, single- and multiengine land, and single-engine sea ratings.
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