Warren Silberman
- Former Manager, FAA Aerospace Medical Certification
- Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
- Expert in Aerospace/Preventive Medicine
- Pilot since 1986
According to regulation 67.401, if you have a disqualifying medical condition, you must demonstrate that you are safe to fly for the time period that the examination is in effect by providing evaluations or testing. Then you must re-demonstrate that you are still safe to fly at intervals set by the FAA. You probably know this as a waiver, but the FAA calls it an Authorization for Special Issuance.
There are so many airmen with these five conditions that if the FAA had to review each of these cases it would slow the FAA certification process down even more. As a result, the Federal Air Surgeon allows your AME to review the documentation for each of these conditions and grant medical certification if the evaluations and testing are within policy guidelines.
Click the links above to learn more about these conditions. And if you have more specific questions about them or any other airman medical certification issues, tap into the knowledge of AOPA’s Pilot Protection Services team of medical certification professionals with a call or an email. More than 75,000 AOPA members are already using this valuable service annually, so if you aren’t familiar with it or haven’t enrolled yet, learn more through this link.
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Did you know that there are five medical conditions that your AME doesn’t have to defer to the FAA prior to granting medical certification? That’s a fact that can make your path as an aviator easier to navigate if you develop one of these conditions.
The short, but not uncommon list of medical problems includes:
- Asthma that is uncomplicated and has not necessitated frequent emergency room or hospitalizations
- Diet-controlled diabetes mellitus
- High blood pressure
- A solitary kidney stone that has passed with no retained stones
- Uncomplicated peptic ulcer (stomach or small intestine ulcer) that has healed
