If you develop a medical condition, take care of yourself and do what your physicians recommend is best for your particular medical situation. Start learning all you can about what I call the “aeromedical” aspects of your condition. The AOPA Medical Certification website, the FAA website, and The Guide to Aviation Medical Examiners are good resources. Check with the AOPA Accepted Medications Database to see if your medication is acceptable, or phone AOPA’s Medical Certification technicians to ask.
If the condition requires you to submit medical records, evaluations, and testing results, gather them in one bundle before you mail it to the FAA. If the condition resulted in a hospitalization, you need to obtain: the admission history and physical examination; the hospital discharge summary; any pertinent X-ray/scan reports; operative reports, if you had surgery; and pathology reports, if any tissue(s) were removed. Check with AOPA to see if the FAA has a mandatory recovery or grounding period. Anything “current” that the FAA will require to make a determination cannot be older than 90 days prior to the time that you mail your case. Whatever testing you need to obtain should be done exactly as the FAA requests it. If your physician suggests a different test than what the FAA wants or he/she wants to perform it a different way, do not take their advice without checking with the FAA first. Failure to follow the FAA’s suggestion may result in a denial and the necessity to repeat the testing as the FAA desired in the first place. The FAA will not review a case unless you have a current medical examination on file at the FAA. The medical examination can be for any class.
For more expert advice and professional assistance with protecting your pilot and medical certificates, visit and join AOPA Pilot Protection Services.
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