Safety

Members of the FAA’s Office of Aerospace Medicine attend events like Sun ‘n Fun and AirVenture to answer any
medical questions airmen might have. In most cases the staff can pull up an airmen’s file to directly address any issues
they have. (L-r) Dr. Richard Carter (Aeromedical Certification Division), Dr. Arnie Angelici (Deputy Southern Regional
Flight Surgeon), Dr. Michael Berry (Deputy Federal Air Surgeon), Dr. Susan Northrup (Southern Regional Flight Surgeon)
The easiest way to find an AME is to go to the FAA
website (www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/medical_
certification/) and click on “Locate an Aviation Medical
Examiner.” Simply picking the closest or most
convenient AME might seem like the way to go, but
Dr. Fraser suggests that “Your best bet is to approach
AME selection in the same way you approach looking
for a good investment: ask around!” That’s because
if you stay involved in aviation (in a capacity that
requires a medical) you’re going to need a good
AME rather than a convenient one. For more information
on finding the right AME, see “AMEing for
Excellence” on page 9 of our Jan/Feb 2013 issue
(www.faa.gov/news/safety_briefing/2013).
So I’m Done Once I Leave the Office, Right?
Not quite. Even though you may be in possession
of a brand new medical certificate, you are responsible
for making sure that you continue to meet the
standards of that certificate
well after you leave
Your best bet is to approach AME selection the doctor’s office. While
in the same way you approach looking for no one is expecting you
a good investment: ask around!
to be perfect in adhering
to the standards in part
67, you are expected to make sure you are ready for
any given flight. Are you properly rested? Are you
sick? Are you taking a medication that might interfere
with your abilities?
The FAA understands that your medical condition
can change over time. Given that, you are
expected to ground yourself for any condition or
medication consumed that might make you unable
to fly safely. For circumstances like a cold or the flu,
this would simply mean not flying until after you’ve
recovered. For more significant health issues, like a
heart attack or major surgery, it’s a good idea to talk
to your AME about what you may have to report and
how you should go about returning to flight status.
Some conditions have waiting periods before an
airman can reapply. A good AME can help you figure
out what tests or reports need to be done to make the
FAA process go more smoothly.
Another issue to pay attention to is medications
and the waiting period after you stop taking them.
Even common over the counter (OTC) drugs like
diphenhydramine (Benadryl) can be potentially disqualifying.
For more information on the use of medication
see Aeromedical Advisory in this issue. While it
varies from medication to medication, a good rule of
thumb is to wait at least five times the dosing interval
of the medication. So if you have a medication you
are directed to take every six hours, you should wait
at least 30 hours (5 x 6) after your last dose.
While it sounds like a lot, the medical certification
process is actually pretty easy for most people. In
review: Figure out what medical class you want; find
an AME; upload your information into MedXPress;
go to your exam. For 96 percent of airmen, that’s the
end of it. Armed with the right information and a
good AME, you should have no problem joining the
ranks of medical certificate holding airmen.
James Williams is FAA Safety Briefing’s associate editor and photo editor.
He is also a pilot and ground instructor.
30 FAA Safety Briefing July/August 2016